502 TRIALS AND HUNGER. 



the sports which have been the principal charm of African ex- 

 ploration to most of those who have left us the record of their 

 journeys. 



It was the 6th of January before he could continue his journey. 

 As he advanced the land was more than ever desolate ; no people 

 except at wide intervals, and even the animals began to disap- 

 pear. That day also a serious misfortune occurred ; the chro- 

 nometers got injured by being dropped by the boy who carried 

 them. No food was to be had ; yet the country was beautiful. 

 The valley had the appearance of beautiful parks; but they 

 were all full of water, and the greatest caution was needed con- 

 tinually to avoid falling into the deep waterholes made by the 

 feet of elephants or buffaloes. 



His own language will tell us most touchingly the story of 

 those days: "In the ooze generally the water comes half-way 

 up the shoe, and we go plash, plash, plash, in the lawn-like 

 glade. There are no people here now in these lovely wild val- 

 leys ; but to-day we came to mounds made of old for planting 

 grain, and slag from iron furnaces. The guide was rather 

 offended because he did not get meat and meal, though he is 

 accustomed to leaves at home, and we had none to give except 

 by wanting ourselves : he found a mess without much labor in 

 the forest. My stock of meal came to an end to-day, but Simon 

 gave me some of his. It is not the unpleasantness of eating 

 unpalatable food that teases one, but we are never satisfied ; I 

 could brace myself to dispose of a very unsavory mess, and think 

 no more about it ; but this maere engenders a craving which 

 plagues day and night incessantly. 



" We crossed the Muasi, flowing strongly to the east to the 

 Loangwa river, on the morning of the 10th, and in the after- 

 noon an excessively heavy thunder-storm wetted us all to the 

 skin before any shelter could be made. Two of our men 

 wandered, and other two remained behind lost, as our track 

 was washed out by the rains. The country is a succession of 

 enormous waves, all covered with jungle, and no traces of 

 paths ; we were in a hollow, and our firing was not heard till 

 this morning, when we ascended a height and were answered. 

 I am thankful that no one was lost, for a man might wander a 

 long time before reaching a village. Simon gave me a little 



