684 A DREADFUL DISAPPOINTMENT. 



the pressing attentions of a giant leopard. He was a terrible 

 animal ; he seized the poor goat with hungry rage, and even 

 when a shot had broken both his forelegs the enraged beast 

 sprang on a man and bit him severely. There were elephants 

 and buffaloes and lions, and herds of more harmless animals, but 

 the weary traveller was in no mood for adventure, and at best 

 had no fondness for hunting. The sufferings he endured in body 

 increased every day, and before he reached Tanganyika he felt 

 as if he should certainly die on his feet. His appetite failed, 

 the smallest quantities of meat caused violent diarrhoea, and his 

 mind being sorely depressed reacted on the body. All the 

 traders were returning successful ; he only had failed, and ex- 

 perienced worry, thwarting, baffling, when almost in sight of 

 the end toward which he had strained. With such reflections, 

 and a body almost worn out, he dragged himself toward the 

 lake. At length, on the 23d of October, he landed the second 

 time at Ujiji. All of the Arabs turned out to welcome him, 

 but more than all was Moenyeghere abounding in cordiality. 

 The long march was over, the exploration of Manyuema had 

 been accomplished, the real cannibals had been seen, and the 

 slave-trade had been investigated to his fullest satisfaction. 

 But the hero himself had returned " little better than a skele- 

 ton." But the markets were full of all kinds of food, and with 

 rest and food the emaciated body might soon become vigorous, 

 and then, the plans — there is nothing like the elasticity of a 

 strong man's spirits — he would yet see all those vast under- 

 ground houses and the four ancient fountains. In the midst of 

 these inspiring hopes there came a piece of information which 

 seemed to blot out the picture his hope was sketching, and 

 plunged him into the deepest perplexity. All of his plans had 

 presupposed the possession of abundant supplies of cloth and 

 beads which he knew had been sent to Ujiji. 



Unfortunately these supplies had been intrusted to one 

 Shereef Basha, as leader of the caravan conveying them from 

 Zanzibar ; he proved himself a consummate thief; not a thread 

 or a bead remained for the owner of all. This was dreadful 

 news. " Out of three thousand yards of calico and seven hun- 

 dred pounds of beads not a yard of calico or a string of beads 

 remained." The case was truly desperate ; the few things which 



