128 ACEOSS AFRICA. [Chat. 



November, was uncertainty. Yet though the wrench and pain of j)arting 

 isvs. ^gg great, neither would express in words any doubts or fears 

 as to the future. 



At this time I was nearly blind from ophthalmia, and almost 

 unable to walk from the j^ain in my back ; while fever, which 

 was still hanging about me, had reduced me to a skeleton, my 

 weight being only seven stone four on leaving Kwiharah. 



I must own that the likelihood of Dillon's reaching home 

 appeared to me greater than of my ever again seeing England. 

 Still, I was determined to go on, trusting in the good mercy of 

 God to enable me to accomplish the labor I had undertaken ; 

 and Dillon spoke cheerfully of the liojDed-for benefit, from 

 change of climate, of regaining health and, it might be, sight. 

 Little did. I foresee that our separation forever in this world 

 was then so near. 



From Mkwemkwe the men still deserted at every opportuni- 

 ty, going either to Taborali or Kwiharah ; so I again asked the 

 assistance of Said ibn Salim and the ibn Nassibs, who promised, 

 to drive the men back to me whenever it was possible. I also 

 ordered Bombay out to Mkwemkwe, as personal supervision 

 was needed to keep him up to the mark, replacing him at Kwi- 

 harah by Bilal. 



On returning from this visit to Said ibn Salim, I was sur- 

 prised to find Murphy in my tent. He had come to procure 

 some medicine for poor Dillon, who, in addition to his previous 

 illness, was now attacked by dysentery. Murphy said, how- 

 ever, that they intended to start without delay, arrangements 

 having been made to carry Dillon on a litter. 



I begged I might be sent for immediately should he become 

 any worse, so that I might go to him. But, the next day, some 

 of Livingstone's men came to me with the gratifying news that 

 Dillon was better, and they intended to march the following 

 morning. 



Having, by dint of perseverance, managed to get my stores 

 from Kwiharah, I broke up camp at Mkwemkwe and went to 

 Itumvi, a large village lying on the direct road to Ujiji ; but 

 having only sufilcient carriers for half my stores, I experienced 

 much the same trouble and delay here as at Mkwemkwe. 



On paper and by rations, there were about twenty men in 



