AFRICAN CAMP FIRES 



north; and his notion was that the needle pointed the 

 way to camp. We profoundly hoped that his faith 

 in white man's magic would not be shattered. At 

 the end of an hour the rain let up, and it cleared 

 sufficiently to disclose some of the mountain out- 

 lines. They convinced us that we were in the main 

 right; though just where, to the north, camp now 

 lay was beyond our power to determine. Kongoni's 

 detour had been rather indeterminate in direction 

 and distance. 



The country now became very rough, in a small 

 way. The feeble light of our leading lantern re- 

 vealed only ghosts and phantoms and looming, 

 warning suggestions of things which the shadows 

 confused and shifted. Heavily laden men would 

 have found it difficult travelling by prosaic daylight; 

 but now, with the added impossibility of picking a 

 route ahead, we found ourselves in all sorts of 

 trouble. Many times we had to back out and try 

 again. The ghostly flickering tree shapes against 

 the fathomless black offered us apparently endless 

 aisles that nevertheless closed before us like the doors 

 of a trap when we attempted to enter them. 



We kept doggedly to the same general northerly 

 direction. When you are lost, nothing is more 

 foolish than to make up your mind hastily and with- 

 out due reflection; and nothing is more foolish 



364 



