426 ACEOSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



November, Manoel asserted that as we were close by the village of a chief 

 1875. whom he knew, we must stop to obtain flour, our stock being 

 ~ well-nigh exhausted. The exact locality of this village being 

 unknown, I was thinking of dispatching scouring parties in ev- 

 ery direction to search for it, when a child was heard crying 

 about a hundred yards away, and on approaching the sound the 

 village was discovered. Although immediately beside ns, it 

 was entirely hidden from the path by trees and rocks. 



"We succeeded in getting a small quantity of flour, and the 

 chief brought me as a present a little Indian corn and a gourd 

 of the sourest pom be possible. He expressed regret at not hav- 

 ing heard of my intended visit, as he would then have given me 

 something respectable, but now he had nothing prepared. 



Marching on again, and passing some huge blocks of granite, 

 we reached more level ground, well wooded and watered. We 

 overtook two down-caravans, and even managed to pass them 

 after a considerable amount of racing, for they did not at all 

 appreciate being beaten by a white man upon their own 

 ground. 



Just before sunset we found ourselves amidst a swarm of 

 locusts on the point of settling, and my people were anxious to 

 collect them ; but camp was still some distance ahead, and I 

 knew we were much too tired and weary to make another start 

 that night if once we halted. The camp we had decided to oc- 

 cupy was situated on a large open plain broken by occasional 

 blocks of granite, named Kutwu-ya-Ombwa (the dog's head) ; 

 but when we arrived, we found it already occupied by a cara- 

 van. Thus we were compelled to search for another in the 

 dark. 



After a while we stumbled upon a wretched little place, with 

 which we were inclined to be satisfied, being thoroughly tired 

 out; but it happened that one of the men engaged in picking 

 sticks for our fire discovered a larger and better spot, to which 

 we immediately removed. 



I was almost dead-beat by this day's work ; for, including all 

 halts, we had been traveling for thirteen hours over rough and 

 difficult country. But I knew that the first signs of fatigue be- 

 trayed by me would be the signal for the break-down of the 

 whole party, so I struggled to keep up appearances. I managed 



