228 BECEIVING COUNSEL. 



my sleeping companions, and the occasional crow of a 

 cock, being the only sounds that disturbed the stillness 

 of the morning. There had been a heavy dew during 

 the night, and my mosquito curtains were saturated, 

 while the outside of my blankets was covered with 

 large dew drops, several of which also adorned my 

 whiskers. 



I first woke Chinsoro, and set him at work to get 

 breakfast. Then Moloka, hearing our voices, sprang 

 up, and having spent about five minutes stretching 

 himself in every possible direction, finished the per- 

 formance by a yawn and grunt that roused the 

 whole camp. Daylight soon followed, and in a few 

 minutes after the sun majestically raised his head 

 above the range of hills to the east, and shone bright- 

 ly on the camp. My loads, only a couple more in 

 number than I had last march, were laid aside in 

 a row, and my blankets, water-proof sheet, and mos- 

 quito curtains were added to them. When my two 

 Ajawah guides arrived, a council of war was held. 

 They said there was a great Manganja chief called 

 Cotondway, who lived at a village called Patanda, 

 about three hours' march, bearing north-north-west, 

 and that we should go and see him first. He had never 

 seen a white man, but if he would be friends with us 

 we should be sure to get good sport. Besides, many 

 of the Manganjas on the Lesungue, so far up as I 

 wanted to go, knew nothing of white people, and 

 would kill us all if we did not first make friends 

 with Cotondway. Knowing that the Ajawahs and 

 Manganjas had been at war with each other, I con- 

 eluded this was the reason my Ajawah friends took 



