A FRESH START 227 



had bolted that morning, actually went back over- 

 land to Dar-es-Salaam, where they sneaked into 

 the I.D. Depot camp, hoping to be lost amongst 

 the other askaris, who, of course, would not have 

 given them away. Unfortunately for them, how- 

 ever, Lewis himself happened to be at the depot, 

 on his way back to the front from hospital, and, 

 recognising them, had them arrested. Subse- 

 quently they were court-martialled and convicted 

 at Pemba. 



We were now reduced to fifteen askaris, practi- 

 cally the same men who had stuck to us at Mtupwa 

 Hill, when the Germans previously attacked us. 

 Luckily the goats had now finished drafting them- 

 selves from the sheep, and the fifteen remaining 

 men were a decent lot ; all of whom, less those 

 who were lost through sickness and other accidents, 

 I retained from then onwards till the final wind- 

 up in P.E.A. Lewis's fever being no better, I had 

 to leave him with Kufakwenda and a few askaris 

 to camp in the bush, while I took a short trip 

 farther south on the Maria-Lugenda road. No 

 signs of an enemy movement northwards could 

 be detected, and on return I found Lewis worse. 

 As all our medical stores had been lost at Mtupwa, 

 and we had nothing for the sick man except native 

 food and the one treasured bottle of Bovril, I 

 decided to begin moving back in the direction of 

 our column. Lewis was now so weak that it was 

 necessary to make a rough hammock and get him 

 carried. 



