74 ACROSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



June, their weapons, tliat none of the tribes on whom they habitually 

 i^*^^- make their raids ever dare to resist them. 



After resting three days, on we went again, marching first 

 to a village called Kisokweh, and meeting on onr way many 

 women of Mpwapwa bringing in the harvest in large baskets 

 carried on their heads. 



Several had babies slung in a goat-skin on their backs, and 

 wore an apron made of innumerable thongs of hide, having a 

 charm dangling from each to preserve the infant from the evil 

 eye and other forms of witchcraft. 



Kisokweh was occupied by the Wadirigo, who were well 

 enough disposed toward us, and, as is usually the case with peo- 

 ple of their description, it was " light come, light go ;" so that 

 we were al)le to purchase from them a couple of bullocks, half 

 a dozen goats, and some ghee, for a very small amount of beads 

 and brass wire. 



A sliort march from this brought us to Chunyo (" bitter "), 

 so called from its undesirable reputation of having bitter wa- 

 ter, which poisons beasts should they drink it. As we found it 

 fairly good on tasting, we allowed ours to drink, arguing that, 

 if good enough for man, it could not harm a donkey, and the 

 result proved we were right. The water in the pillows we re- 

 served for the Marenga Mkali, for which we started on the 20th 

 of June. 



The walking was good, over a level, sandy plain, with numer- 

 ous small granite hills in different directions ; and although 

 there was not much vegetation for the first part of the road, 

 l)ut only a little thin grass and some thorn-scrub, this seemed 

 to afford suflBcient sustenance for large herds of antelope and 

 zebra. 



One herd Dillon and I stalked for some distance, but could 

 not get within effective range, owing to the paucity of cover. 



On this occasion we marched almost without intermission 

 from 9 A.M. to 9 p.m., when we camped in a grove of stunted 

 acacias. The men scarcely appreciated this long stretch, and 

 were desirous of halting with a down caravan which we passed 

 at sunset ; but knowing that the next morning would be the 

 most trying part of the march, we pressed forward, wishing to 

 sh(jrten it as much as possible. The scene in camp was very 



