The Luambwa to the Difuna River 



over night to counteract any ill effects. This 

 medicine disagreed, or perhaps the motion of the 

 machilla caused it to disagree, for I was suddenly- 

 taken violently sick, and the machilla men, seeing 

 something was wrong, stopped. I began to get 

 out, but Franco, who always marched by the side 

 of my machilla, fearing a fit, became much alarmed, 

 seized me and held me fast, notwithstanding my 

 struggles. This made me very angry, and so soon as 

 speech was possible I said so; the sight must, how- 

 ever, have been rather comical. One of the men in 



great alarm ran forward to tell A that the 



'* Donna," as they always called me, was very ill, 

 and he, suspecting the cause, returned to find me, 

 though still perturbed, distinctly better. 



For a lady to leave a machilla with grace and 

 ease, it is first necessary to stop the men and 

 then make them lower the machilla and slightly 

 raise the canopy, all of which takes time. At the 

 critical moment I was unable to give any orders, 

 hence complications. 



The evening was fine, but a light rain fell all 

 through the night (21st). We were able to get off 

 early, and, following the course of the Luambwa 

 river, reached after four hours' travel the point 

 where the Congo-Serenje track — it cannot be 

 dignified by the name of road — crosses the river, 

 Musiro village being opposite us on the left bank. 

 Our camp was pitched in the forest on the edge of 

 a large dambo, which apparently stretched for miles 

 and looked like a disused river bed, and which on 

 our side was bordered by steep and rocky ground. 



215 



