224 WAR: CAMPAIGNING IN EAST AFRICA 



Portuguese notes, not very acceptable payment 

 in that part of the country), we decided to follow 

 up the river along the north bank for some days, 

 and then recrossing, to go south, as originally 

 intended, to the enemy's communications between 

 Mweri and Nanungu. We thought it likely that 

 after dispersing us in that fashion, and annexing 

 all our baggage — not that we had much of value, 

 our cooking-pots being the worst loss — the enemy 

 would take it for granted that we had gone straight 

 back to our column. This idea and the flooded 

 river should give us a better chance than ever, it 

 seemed, of arriving at our planned destination 

 without the enemy being warned of our move- 

 ments. Of course, this plan involved a long spell 

 of native food in native style, but we could not 

 starve, and I had for companions men no daintier 

 than myself. 



No sooner, however, had we started up the 

 river in a south-west direction, that is, back 

 towards the enemy zone, than a fresh trouble 

 overtook us. Our askaris began to desert us 

 daily, mostly from the rear-guard, and in twos and 

 threes. In the course of a week no less than 

 fourteen had left us, and it was impossible either 

 to prevent these desertions or retake any of the 

 deserters, even had they been worth the delay. 

 Moosa's home was not far off up the river, and, 

 luckily, he knew something of the district, for 

 the guides, as usual, bolted if left for a second 

 unguarded. For several days we went through 



