III.] A VISIT FEOM MOFFAT. 45 



men sent to the south of the Kingani returned with only a suf- April, 

 ficient quantity of cassava for immediate use. i^*^^- 



During our stay Moffat came out on foot with letters from 

 Dr. Kirk and other friends at Zanzibar, together with the mail 

 that had arrived since we left Kikoka. He also brought the 

 news that Murphy had almost recovered, and had broken up 

 the camp at Shaniba Gonera, and made his head - quarters in 

 Bagamoyo. 



Moffat being rather knocked up by this walk, we gave him 

 a donkey for the return journey to Bagamoyo, and started off 

 again ourselves, marching for three days without interruption. 



The country consisted principally of prairies, with clumps of 

 trees and occasional small ponds or water-holes, in which beau- 

 tiful large blue and white water-lilies grew, and here and there 

 magnificent white lilies showed among the grass. 



On this march I was suffering very much from fever, and 

 was delirious when in camp. Yet I managed to pull myself 

 together while on the road, and was able to ride my donkey, 

 though the moment the excitement of the march had passed I 

 was hardly able to stand. 



Upon Dillon during this time devolved the work of driving 

 the caravan along, and, owing to his unremitting attention, all 

 went smoothly. 



On the third day we heard that a village was close in front, 

 and sent messengers to acquaint the chief of our approach. As- 

 tounding rumors were brought back to the effect that the chief 

 would not allow us to pass ; but as every man who made any 

 report differed from his fellows, we decided that all were false. 



We remained camped, however, for one day to await a defi- 

 nite answer, as there had lately been great difliculties between 

 the chief and filibustering parties from Whinde, a village on the 

 coast which owes a divided allegiance to H.H. Syd Burghash. 



The hoped-for answer not having been received on the 7th 

 of April, we started early in the morning, and at noon arrived 

 at the outskirts of the district of Msuwah. There was much 

 cultivation all around us — pumpkins, Indian-corn, sweet-pota- 

 toes, etc. — but the only signs of any habitations were tiny spi- 

 rals of blue smoke curling up from the midst of clumps of the 

 densest jungle. 



