THE TUBURI LAKES 93 



fears were reawakened, for, though practically un- 

 conscious, he was seized with palpitations of the 

 heart. Next day, however, he seemed perfectly well, 

 though his leg was painful from the pressure of the 

 ligatures. 



Had it not been for his leather boot and trousers,, 

 which arrested much of the poison, he must inevitably 

 have died. We never knew what the snake was, 

 though we found its hole just beneath where Mr 

 Talbot had sat. 



We parted from M. Helling in the morning ; for 

 none of us felt inclined to start at 6 a.m. after 

 such a night, and he could not afford the time ta 

 wait. He took one of the canoes, therefore, and 

 went on his way alone, while we sat down at Kerra 

 to await its return. He promised to send it back 

 for us with all possible speed, and he did ; but the 

 polers did not think the same rapidity necessary 

 when a white man was out of the boat as when 

 he was in it. 



I was glad of the delay ; for I enjoyed our stay 

 amongst the Wadama, and had a lingering hope that 

 the women mig-ht return and that we should see 

 them. But I was doomed to disappointment. 



We should have got to Pogo easily on the second 

 day after leaving Kerra, but when we left the lake 

 and entered the river Kebbia the current was strong 

 against us. For a space the polers struggled against 

 it ; but then they found a rest advisable, especially 

 as Mr Talbot's eyes were closed, and when he 

 opened them again the distance we had so labori- 

 ously gained had all been lost. Steering was diffi- 

 cult : fishing -nets were stretched across the river,. 



