OUR JOURNEY UP THE WELLE 273 



high ground overlooking the river ; just above it is the junc- 

 tion of the Bomakandi which is 100 yards wide, with fine 

 forest trees on both banks. 



Our journey up the Welle was very slow, for navigation 

 was most difl&cult and many delays were caused by our having 

 to mend the numerous holes in the boats. Much time was 

 also spent on expeditions into the bush and forest for collect- 

 ing purposes, and then days, getting more and more frequent, 

 were lost when one or other of us had to give in to attacks of 

 fever. Our stores had now come to an end, and we had to 

 fall back on the poor substitute of native food which we 

 bought with the meat we killed. Gosling who for two years 

 had resisted fever with an iron constitution was beginning 

 to suffer from severe attacks, but he was always very loth to 

 confess to being ill. 



On March 15 we stayed at a small village called Kassala, 

 twenty miles above Bima, in order that my boat which was 

 in a very leaky condition could be taken out of the water 

 for the stoppings to be renewed. 



Towards evening when GosUng returned from hunting, 

 his distressed appearance showed that he was in a state of 

 high fever. I begged him to stay and rest for a day, but as 

 usual, he would not hear of it ; next morning I tried the plan 

 of getting up early and going out collecting before he should 

 wake in the hope that finding me gone he would remain in 

 bed. But, unfortunately, my scheme failed ; just as I was 

 leaving the hut he awoke and got up, so we left to continue 

 the journey. Wlien we made our usual halt at eleven 

 o'clock he was looking wretchedly ill and refused to eat. 

 Just before starting again I was a little way off in the 



It s 



