320 ACROSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



December, The inhabitants built huts, and kept their goats and other stock 

 1874. inside these caves. 



Numerous openings afforded outlet for the smoke from their 

 fires, and there were seyeral passages communicating with the 

 interior ; and upon being attacked, the inhabitants frequently 

 sent out parties by different points of egress, to surprise and 

 assail their enemies in rear, and place them between two fires. 



There are also under-ground dwellings at Mkwamba, a short 

 distance farther up the Lufira ; but the principal caves are at 

 Mkanna. 



During one of his cruises on the Tanganyika, Jumah passed 

 a high rocky island named jSTgomanza, situated north of the isl- 

 ands of Kasenge and separated from the main-land by a very 

 narrow channel, into which falls the river Ngomanza, and to 

 drink its waters for a week or ten days is supposed to be sufii- 

 cient to produce leprosy. The inhabitants are certainly lep- 

 rous, the greater number having lost a hand or foot, while 

 nearly all are deprived of the sight of one eye, and many of 

 both, it being quite a rarity to meet a person not suffering from 

 blindness in some degree. None of the neighboring tribes in- 

 termarry with these people ; and when obliged by business to 

 travel through their dreaded country, they hurry along as fast 

 as possible. The unfortunate lepers are actually forbidden to 

 emigrate. It may possibly be a contagious leprosy with which 

 they are afilicted, and that the contagion requires some little 

 time to affect a healtliy person. 



Besides listening to these accounts of travel, I employed my- 

 self in completing my maps and journals, making a pair of slip- 

 pers, and re-binding my map port-folio. I also constructed a 

 new double-fly tent of grass-cloth, rendered water-proof by being 

 soaked in palm-oil, my old one being completely worn out ; and 

 manufactured a new pair of colors for the march to the coast, 

 those used hitherto being so tattered and stained as to be well- 

 nigh indistinguishable. 



Another important piece of work was darning my stockings ; 

 and as all my darning-needles had been stolen on account of 

 their having such conveniently large eyes, I was obliged to use 

 a sail-needle, which rendered the process even more tedious than 

 usual. 



