Chap. V. PEEPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY. 89 



no ! " said the old man, smiling, " I love yon like a 

 sweetheart for yourself, but I love your goods also." 



I have already, in the narrative of my former 

 journey,* given a description of Ashira-land, and the 

 customs of its people ; it will be unnecessary, there- 

 fore, to recur to the subject in this place. It was not 

 my intention to make any lengthened stay here on 

 my present expedition ; but unforeseen obstacles, and 

 an ap2)alling calamity, as will presently be related, 

 kept me here for several months. I had intended to 

 stop in the country only a short time, sufficient to 

 enable me to visit the Falls of Samba Nagoshi, to the 

 north of Olenda. The preparations for this excur- 

 sion, out of the line of my eastward march, com- 

 menced soon after I had paid our porters, and gone 

 through the ceremony of making a suitable present 

 to the king and the principal chiefs. 



It will be recollected by some of my readers that 

 I made an abortive attempt to reach these Falls from 

 the Apingi country on my former expedition. I now 

 learnt that my guides in that journey never intended 

 to take me there ; orders having been received from 

 the Commi country to that effect, my good friends 

 there being afraid that some disaster might happen 

 to me. No obstacle being now placed in my way, 

 and having the powerful support of my friend 

 Quengueza^ Olenda showed tolerable readiness in 

 furnishing me with porters and guides, and we set 

 off on the 1st December. 



We started in light marching order ; the only 

 heavy baggage being my photographic camera, 



* ' Adventures in Eciuatorial Africa,' chap. xxiv. 



