WITH THE SURVEY PARTY 81 



in every direction and we could hear their whistHng signals 

 all around us. 



I took up a good position on a little hillock; then, as 

 nothing happened, made my way back to Alexander. We all 

 encamped on the site chosen and posted sentries. Unfor- 

 tunately Alexander was now obliged to own to an attack 

 of fever, which he had been trying to hide for the last two 

 days, and had to take to his bed. Next day he was a little 

 better, so, with two soldiers and my gun-boys, I set out to 

 see what the valley was like. It would have been exceedingly 

 difficult, if not impossible, to have got the theodolite up any 

 side of Mount Madong which we had yet seen, and we hoped 

 to be able to attack it from the rear. 



We accordingly marched up the valley, by numberless 

 deserted hamlets, and along the banks of a small stream 

 which we took to be one of the sources of the River Simanka. 

 The valley turned out to be a cul-de-sac, surrounded on all 

 sides by a precipitous wall of hills. Half way my men wanted 

 to turn back for fear of the many Montoils in the hills, but 

 were with some difficulty persuaded to come on. We then 

 climbed the mountain at the end of the valley. Here such 

 a dense mist prevailed that nothing could be seen to the 

 north. It was out of the question to break through the range 

 here with our baggage, and with no knowledge of what lay 

 beyond, and anyhow, no horses could have passed that way. 



On our return, we captured a Montoil, and took him 

 with us to camp, whence he managed to escape next day, 

 much to the sorrow of the soldier deputed to guard him. 

 Owing to his report of the kindness with which he had been 

 treated, however, an enterprising chief came soon after to 



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