34 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



the beloved " grub " and the village lying ahead of 

 us luring the men on. 



The following day we broke ground at 7 A.M., and 

 after passing the village cultivation, entered a water- 

 less wilderness of thorn and tree forest, with some long 

 and broad plains of tall grass intersecting the line of 

 march. These flats very much resemble some we 

 crossed when travelling close to and parallel with the 

 Malagarazi river ; for by the cracked and flawy nature 

 of the ground, now parched up by a constant drought, it 

 shows that this part gets inundated in the wet season. 

 Indeed, this peculiar grassy flat formation suggests 

 the proximity of a river everywhere in Africa ; and I 

 felt sure, as afterwards proved true, that a river was 

 not far from us. The existence of animal life is 

 another warranty of water being near : elephants and 

 buffaloes cannot live a day without it. Fortunately 

 for my mapping, a small conical hill overtopped the 

 trees in advance of our track, at twelve miles from the 

 starting-point. We eventually passed alongside of it, 

 and travelled on six miles farther to a village in the 

 cultivated plain of Salawe> a total distance of eighteen 

 miles. The whole country about here was covered 

 with harvest-workers, who, on seeing my approach, 

 left off work and followed me into the village. As 

 nothing proves better the real feelings and natural 

 propensities of a nation than the impulsive actions of 

 the children, I will give a striking instance, as it oc- 

 curred to me to-day. On seeing a child approach me, 



