SITTING WITH LOHITU. 223 



ing little walls and pyramids of the loose stones 

 that lay within our reach, until we had cleared the 

 whole neighbourhood of all but the larger ones. 

 As I now got rather tired of my occupation, I made 

 one or two attempts to get up, as hints to my com- 

 panion that we should be going. Each time, 

 however, he laid hold of my Arab frock, and 

 pointing again to my place, he intimated that I 

 was in his charge, and that until the sun was 

 down I must stay with him. Being particularly 

 quiet when I cannot help myself, I made a virtue 

 of necessity, and took up my old position, and for 

 occupation proposed to fix around the head of 

 Lohitu's spear, the brass wire which I had seen 

 given to him in the morning. By the time that 

 business was completed to the satisfaction of the 

 Chief, who in return gave me a whip made of 

 the hide of the hippopotamus, the sun had set, 

 and we returned to the camp ; I retiring to my 

 hut, and Lohitu to a group of Tajourah people, 

 with whom he soon squatted in an earnest calahm. 

 No sooner had I taken my seat and called to 

 Zaido about getting me some supper, than a fierce- 

 looking stranger forced aside the mat, which de- 

 pending from the roof of the hut, overhung the 

 entrance. My usual exclamation of " Cutta," 

 " Cutta," Go away, Go away, on such occa- 

 sions of intrusion, was unheeded, and without any 

 ceremony, and quite undeterred by the pistol I had 

 already seized, the man took his seat on my mat, 



