'THE duffer; 117 



Still, when a whole day had been wasted, 

 and even the oldest man was tired of talking, 

 I had got two guides, one of whom had been 

 a bearer in Mr. Freshfield's employ in 1869, 

 and who rejoiced in the name of Yassili, and 

 who, had he not been so devoted to garlic, 

 would have been a very good fellow. The 

 other we unanimously and with great justice 

 entitled ' the duffer.' 



As we mtended only to make a short 

 excursion to begin with to some tur-haunted 

 springs of bitter water in the neighbouring 

 mountains, we left our impedimenta m charge 

 of the village priest, and having had a pair of 

 sandals apiece manufactured by our gillies, 

 and received Platon's assurance that he had 

 laid in all necessary supplies of creature com- 

 forts, we left Gebi for the first time about 

 five o'clock on the evening of August 21. 



