144 ACROSS AFEICA. [Chap. 



December, comer. And while divided councils prevailed at the Arab 

 1873. head-cjuarters, their native allies were daily leaving them, and 

 Mirambo was increasing in power and strength. 



Asmani had neither seen nor heard of my servant Moham- 

 med Malim ; but believing I could trust him to follow me, I 

 made ready for starting at once. The men refused to march, 

 and Bombay, instead of assisting me, supjDorted them by assert- 

 ing that it was necessary to wait to enable them to clean their 

 corn. This was nothing less than a gratuitous falsehood and 

 idle excuse. On the 30th of December, after a deal of trouble, 

 I marched, through a pelting rain, to another Kwikuruh, a 

 large and populous place, ruled over by the mother of Mrima 

 Ngombe. 



The old lady was remarkably civil, sending me eggs and 

 pombe, and declining to receive any thing in return, saying she 

 had been requested by her son to look after me, as I was his 

 friend, and that every thing she possessed was at my disposal. 



Upon starting the next morning, Asmani tried a short cut he 

 had heard of, and managed to miss it, and led us north-east, 

 south-west, east, west, south, and north, in rapid succession. 



A sore heel prevented my getting to the head of the caravan 

 to put matters right ; for my riding donkeys were away with 

 Mohammed Malim, and the old steed, Jenny Lind, which I had 

 ridden from the coast, was left behind at Hisinene on account 

 of illness. To add to our miseries, it was raining the greater 

 part of the time, the mud in many places being knee - deep. 

 Right glad was I when we sighted the clearing surrounding a 

 village, and soon I was seated under a veranda of the chief's 

 house. 



All my clothing, except that required for decency, I at once 

 hung up to dry ; for a box containing a change of clothes was, 

 as usual, behind. But a fire and a cup of hot coffee provided 

 by Sambo soon pulled me together somewhat. In the evening 

 I tried for lunars and latitudes, but bad sight prevented my ob- 

 taining any. 



Here I decided to wait for Mohammed to overtake us, which 

 he did the following evening, bringing in Jasmin with a sore 

 back, caused by his villainous riding. 



From some men who accompanied him from Said ibn Salim 



