Chap. IX. ARIUVAL OF IGALO AND MACONDAI. 165 



A cold chill ran tliroiigli me at the thought that he 

 would not recover ; I felt that I was to blame in 

 bringing these faithful fellows all the way from the 

 coast, to suffer and die amongst what were to them a 

 foreign people. 



Igalo and Macondai now related the events which 

 had happened in Ashira-land after my departure. 

 They told me that Ondonga, the heir of Olenda, who 

 had promised to take care of Macondai, removed 

 them, on my departure, to another hut, which he told 

 them belonged to his father-in-law, who would attend 

 to the sick boy. He gave out that he himself was 

 going to Olenda village, but would return in two days, 

 and borrowed the cutlass I had left to take with him. 

 Ondonga never returned, and the owner of the hut, on 

 his appearance, demanded payment of them for lodg- 

 ing. A few days afterwards, Mintcho, Ayagui, and 

 the others made their appearance. They said I had 

 refused to pay them until Macondai and Igalo had 

 rejoined me, and told Macondai to make haste to be 

 well ; but the owner of the hut, returning some time 

 after their departure, told them the truth, namely, 

 that I had retained their bundles, and refused to pay 

 them, until my stolen property was restored. He 

 told them also that the robbery had been planned 

 beforehand between Ondonga and Mintcho. After 

 this they had a visit from four Ashira people, who 

 resorted to artifice to get Igalo out of the way for 

 a few moments, telling him that he ought to go and 

 fetch water to wash the sick boy's sores, and then, 

 whilst Igalo was gone to the brook with the water - 

 jar, decamped with both the guns and all their other 



