DIFFICULTIES ABOUT POKTERS. 71 



after my energetic protestations, were satisfied with carrying 

 off a young ox, as well as bark cloths and skins, from her 

 hut. The district here belongs to my acquaintance Melimbua, 

 who was not likely to approve of this summary kind of justice. 

 Msige's head was bandaged as well as possible, and then we 

 resumed our march. After wading through much mud and 

 water we got back to the old road, and reached Kimanya late 

 in the afternoon. The huts we had previously occupied had 

 been burnt down by the inhabitants, because I, a white man, 

 had slept in them. Yet I received a friendly welcome from 

 Vakdmba, and was even able to procure a goat. We also ob- 

 tained, by barter, a beautiful skin of the Tragelaphus scrvptus, 

 which is very common in Unyoro. 



Kabrega had sent Matongali AEatebere to look after my 

 porters and my comfort, but he took little trouble about 

 these matters. It was already nine o'clock on the 27th of 

 October, and not a siugle porter was to be seen. I there- 

 fore sent to him, but received neither answer nor porters. So 

 I gave the order to start, and left him behind with all my 

 traps, for which I held him responsible to his master ; he 

 promised to follow me soon. Passing by a magnificent syca- 

 more, the hanging roots of which had grown into nine stems, 

 we went on up and down hill, through tall grass, till we 

 rested a while beside a pool that had been made for watering 

 Kabrega's cattle. 



I noticed quite near to the water a solitary Euphorbia 

 veneftca, a plant which is quite a stranger in this country. 

 This continual struggle with thorns and grasses had thoroughly 

 tired us out, so we were very thankful soon after to reach a 

 few miserable huts, where we could take shelter from the tor- 

 rents of rain which began to pour down upon us. Only the 

 most useless of my loads had yet arrived, while my bedding 

 and cooking apparatus remained behind, so I was obliged to 

 go to bed supperless, while the leaky hut, with its mosquitoes, 

 and water pouring in on all sides, proved no paradise, and I 

 preferred sleeping on a bullock's hide in the open air. But 

 in the morning it grew desperately cold, and when the sun 

 rose we were all ready to start at once, although our things 

 were only arriving in driblets. This place was called Btobe, 



