XXIX.] HIGH-FLAVOKED PROVISIONS. 319 



either kill or steal the man if deprived of their anticipated September, 

 plunder. ' ^^'^^• 



In order to save this man, who, though he had proved him- 

 self a most shameless thief, was otherwise worth half a dozen of 

 the ruck of the caravan, I consented to satisfy the demand ; but, 

 having no means of paying the scoundrels myself, was obliged 

 to ask Alvez to settle the matter on the promise of recouping 

 him at some future time. 



Perhaps some who do not weigh the whole circumstances 

 and surroundings of this affair may possibly think that I erred 

 in yielding ; but I could not fail to see, much as it annoyed me, 

 that this course was absolutely necessary to prevent the wreck 

 of the expedition. 



The idea of having to pay men because they had failed in 

 their attempt to plunder me was so entirely novel that I con- 

 fess there appeared to me something about it almost ludicrous. 

 I should imagine that these are about the only people in the 

 world who would put forward, and seriously maintain, such a 

 claim without expressing shame in the slightest degree. 



Near the camp was a small and peculiarly shaped furnace for 

 smelting iron, and I was told that the greater portion of the 

 iron worked in Lovale was smelted at this place. The ore is 

 found in the form of large nodules in the river-beds, whence it 

 is dredged up at the termination of the dry season. 



Sha Kelembe's was left on the 12th of September, a large 

 proportion of fish having been expended during the halt ; and 

 as it was impossible to keep such high -flavored stores in my 

 tent on account of the effluvia, some of the remainder were 

 stolen, leaving me with only one viongwa to cover expenses on 

 the journey to Bihe. 



The prospect was extremely disheartening, and already I had 

 commenced to tear up and disj^ose of such clothes as I could 

 J30ssibly spare from my scanty kit. 



Marching up the valley of the Lumeji, we turned to the 

 right by the advice of Alvez, to avoid Mona Peho, chief of one 

 of the three districts into which Kibokwe is divided. We 

 passed many villages, and camped at the head of a valley 

 drained by one of the numerous affluents of the Lumeji. 



A number of natives came to my camp, which was an hour 



