DISCOVERY OF THE VICTORIA X'YANZA. 7 



twenty-gauge double, and one double smooth twelve- 

 bore, all by John Blissett of High Holborn. The 

 village they selected to form up in was three miles 

 distant on the northern extremity of this, the 

 Unyanyembe district. I commenced the journey 

 myself at 6 P.M., as soon as the two donkeys I took 

 with me to ride were caught and saddled. It was a 

 dreary beginning. The escort of Belooches who ac- 

 companied me had throughout the former journeys 

 been held in great disgrace, and were in consequence 

 all sullen in their manner, and walked with heavy 

 gait and downcast countenances, looking very much 

 as if they considered they had sold themselves when 

 striking such a heavy bargain with us, for they evi- 

 dently saw nothing before them but drudgery and a 

 continuance of past hardships. The nature of the 

 track increased the general gloom; it lay through 

 fields of jowari (holcus) across the plain of Unyan- 

 yembe. In the shadow of night, the stalks, awkwardly 

 lying across the path, tripped up the traveller at every 

 step; and whilst his hands, extended to the front, 

 were grasping at darkness to preserve his equilibrium, 

 the heavy bowing ears, ripe and ready to drop, would 

 bang against his eyes. Further, the heavy soil aided 

 not a little in ruffling the temper ; but it was soon 

 over, though all our mortification did not here cease. 

 The pagazis sent forward had deposited their loads 

 and retired home to indulge, it is suspected, in those 

 potations deep of the universal pombe (African small- 



