462 WOMAN WOUNDED. Chap. XXII. 



flocks to the river's banks, and roost on the trees at night. 

 Everything that can be done to keep mind and body em- 

 ployed, tends to prevent fever. 



During the period of convalescence, repairs were carried 

 on on the Pioneer's engines. Trees were sawn into planks 

 for paddle-floats, by two carpenters from Senna — and a 

 garden made for vegetables, to be irrigated by a pump from 

 the stream : our plot of ground was manured — a new style 

 of agriculture to the people of this country, — the wheat was 

 sown in May, when the weather was cold and damp, and it 

 grew beautifully ; this was interesting, as showing how easily 

 a Mission might be supplied with corn, by leading out one 

 of the numerous springs which run among the hills. Good 

 Bishop Mackenzie was fully aware of this, but unfortunately 

 sowed his crop at the wrong time of the year. Had we 

 been able to continue to attend to ours, we should have 

 had a crop in about four months' time ; but duty soon called 

 us elsewhere. 



While we were employed in these operations, some of the 

 poor starved people about had been in the habit of cross- 

 ing the river, and reaping the self-sown mapira, in the old 

 gardens of their countrymen. In the afternoon of the 9th, 

 a canoe came floating down empty, and shortly after a 

 woman was seen swimming near the other side, which was 

 about two hundred yards distant from us. Our native crew 

 manned the boat, and rescued her; when brought on board, 

 she was found to have an arrow-head, eight or ten inches 

 long in her back, below the ribs, and slanting up through 

 the diaphragm and left lung, towards the heart — she had 

 been shot from behind when stooping. Air was coming out 

 of the wound, and, there being but an inch of the barbed 

 arrow-head visible, it was thought better not to run the risk 

 of her dying under the operation necessary for its removal ; 



