Mpika to Kopas 



a competent Mwembe headman to take entire 

 charge of his own people. By so doing they would 

 doubtless be spared many of the disagreeables we 

 had to put up with. 



Saidi, who had been ailing, turned out to be 

 distinctly unwell and in considerable pain, the 

 result of the attack of dysentery he had had in the 

 Luangwa valley. We made him happy with opium 

 pills and some arrowroot in which was a strong 

 dose of brandy, and hoped that all would be well. 



Next morning we started betimes, but only 

 succeeded in getting as far as Mkombo's village 

 by ii A.M. As our objective, Kulukenias, was still 

 some ten miles farther on, we decided to halt, 

 and pitched our camp a short distance beyond the 

 village, facing the bed of a stream (probably the 

 Mukangwa) then dry, except the waterholes from 

 which the villagers drew their water supply. 

 Quitting the river immediately after starting, our 

 route had run through dry forest and dambos, where 

 no game was to be seen ; but about half-way we 

 crossed the spoor of a herd of eland. 



Old Saidi was again very ill with dysentery while 

 on the march. I gave him a strong dose of Eau des 

 Carmes, which was the only remedy I had with me, 

 and this warmed him up and pulled him round ; but 

 we had to leave him to come on in his own time, 

 with Maso to look after him. Investigation showed 

 that the brandy and arrowroot which had been 

 given him the previous evening had done him so 

 much good, that after taking it he indulged in a 

 heavy meal of cassava root, much to John's indig- 



165 12 



