52 ACROSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



April, Our next resting-place was a deserted village five miles dis- 



^^''^- tant. Here we had to remain a day to obtain supplies ; for, as 

 usual, the men were lazy, and wanted an excuse for delay ; and 

 this place, which had been the " hungry country " three days 

 before, was now represented as a land of Goshen, while all in 

 front was said to be a barren waste. 



Dillon and I enlisted the services of two of the aborigines as 

 guides while we went out shooting. Although we saw tracks 

 of pig and antelope, the beasts themselves kept out of sight; 

 and, after having been out an hour, our worthy guides started 

 off in pursuit of a honey-bird which they heard calling, and in 

 their excitement created such a row as to entirely upset any 

 chances of sport. 



The soil in the bottoms was black and heavy, and had be- 

 come converted by the rains iuto sticky and slippery mud ; but 

 the knolls, being sand, remained comparatively dry during the 

 heaviest rain. 



The Arabs who had halted at Ivongassa again appeared, and 

 camped close to us, and we went up the valley in company. 



The hills closed in on either side, and the path was so blocked 

 with bamboo cane-grass as to render it a matter of great diffi- 

 culty to fight one's way along. The thick growth also shut 

 out the view of the hills which, when we were privileged with 

 an occasional peep, was delightful ; so, to the physical labor of 

 driving our way through the tough grass was added the tantali- 

 zation of knowing that we were surrounded by charming scen- 

 ery without being able to enjoy it. 



Our camp on this day (April 20th) was by the small village 

 of Kiroka, which the Arabs, having the start of us, had appro- 

 priated, and we were obliged to form our boma outside. Ha- 

 mees's tent was already pitched when I arrived, and, pitying 

 my hot and thirsty condition, he kindly took me inside to have 

 a glass of sherbet. Owing to its sweetness, this unfortunately 

 only increased my thirst ; still, I fully appreciated the good in- 

 tention. 



From Kiroka the valley continued to close in, and at the 

 western end we left by a pass situated at some height. 



By the side of our path was a torrent-bed more than twenty 

 feet deep, with nearly perpendicular sides, and into this fell a 



