CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 177 



We purchased half a dozen fowls, but were obhged to pay 

 for watei, at the rate of three beads for a canteen. There 

 is here a good deal of lignum vitfc, the largest seen about 

 four inches in diameter. 



Aug. 24. Though the guide was promised at day-light, I 

 found that the people of the banza wished to throw every 

 obstacle in the way of our proceeding, assuring us, that the 

 people further on would shoot us from the bushes, &c. <Scc. 

 which produced the effect of making the men that had 

 brought our things from Cooloo refuse to proceed any 

 further. At length I was under the necessity of secretly pro- 

 mising one of the gentlemen a piece of baft for his good 

 offices ; when he immediately offered himself as a guide, and 

 five of his boys to carry our provisions. Leaving therefore 

 every thing but these and our water, under the care of the 

 Cooloo men, we at last set off, at dev'en o'clock. At the 

 end of the banza Ave passed a blacksmith at Avork, fitting a 

 lioe into a handle ; his bellows was composed of two skin 

 bags, and his anvil a large stone. The progress seemed 

 very slow, the iron never being brought to a red heat. Our 

 route lay chiefly along the winding bottom of a valley 

 between two ridges of hills ; the valley generally very fertile, 

 but now without Avater, though furrowed by extremely deep 

 beds of torrents. In the valley Ave found tAvo tOAvns, sur- 



A a 



