CHAPTER XIII. 



THE PET LIONS AND MY BABOON A FOSTER-MOTHER. \ 



BY striking a north-east course, after a canter of a 

 few miles, I perceived the tilts of my waggons, on 

 reaching which I found them outspanned beside the i 

 water-pits I have previously alluded to. If I had 

 known the repulsive specimen of humanity that I 

 was to see here, I would have given the place a 

 very wide berth. My reason for saying so is that 

 the man who ladled out the water for the use 

 of the cattle was the most disgusting object upon 

 whom I ever set eyes. I have seen many speci- 

 mens of the human family in my time, but this^ 

 one eclipsed all predecessors. In height he stood I 

 over six feet, with a chest so enormous that it was \. 

 out of all proportion to the rest of his body, which 

 otherwise was not badly formed. But no words can 

 describe his skin: where it could be seen, it was 

 as white as the fairest white man's ; the greater part 

 of it, however, was disfigured by the most dreadful 

 leprous-looking sores that can be conceived. The 



