606 A SIX-GING FROG. 



anything which left him life to prevent him throwing light for 

 the world on all that he was permitted to see. In the midst of 

 a drenching rain, thoroughly perplexed and -broken down, he 

 sat and watched the antics of a tiny fro<y which leaped on a 

 grassy leaf in front of him, and sang for him a very sweet tune, 

 as clearly and loudly as a bird could have done ; and all his 

 fatigue could not repress the interest he felt in the ludicrous 

 problem which occurred to him : " How can so much music 

 come out of so small a musician ? " 



Another singular creature came under his notice — a large fish, 

 which astonished him with loud cries, and more still by the 

 exhibition of breasts full of milk with which she nourished her 

 young ; and lengthening the list of wonders, an elephant with 

 three tusks, one of which was planted firmly on his proboscis. 

 But he was not only dependent on these lower orders for some- 

 thing to break the force of the trials which oppressed him — the 

 people soon learned to distinguish him from those with whom 

 he was associated, and seemed glad to please him from other 

 reasons than fear. At one village he was entertained by 

 musicians who brought their " calabashes, having holes in them, 

 flute fashion," and displayed before him their attainments in 

 drum-beating and grotesque acting. But he could not lose 

 sight of the perilous life he was leading. One night, not far 

 from his sleeping-place, some one entered a camp of sleeping 

 Arabs and pinned one of their number to the ground with a 

 spear. 



We can see, perhaps, more clearly than he saw it, that it was 

 a kind providence which brought him into the path of Mohamad 

 before he had advanced many days. From these men, who had 

 been a considerable distance north, he learned that the Lualaba 

 could not be seen in that direction. He would be obliged to 

 turn southwest again to reach it. He knew very well that he 

 could not possibly go far that way, under the circumstances, 

 with so few followers, and himself dreadfully afflicted with 

 ulcerated feet. This trouble was one which he had never ex- 

 perienced before, and threatened to become one of the severest 

 trials of his life. There was no alternative, and thoroughly 

 baffled for the time he turned sadly back and with great diffi- 

 culty reached Bambarre again. 



