Chap. XXVII. FUGITIVES AND THEIE DISTRESS. 555 



north or a south wind is rare, and seldom lasts more than 

 three days. As the breeze now blew over a large body of 

 water, towards us, it was delightful; but when facing it on 

 the table-land it was so strong as materially to impede our 

 progress, and added considerably to the labour of travelling. 

 Here it brought large quantities of the plant (Vallisnerice), 

 from which the natives extract salt by burning, and which, 

 if chewed, at once shows its saline properties by the taste. 

 Clouds of the kungo, or edible midges, floated on the Lake, 

 and many rested on the bushes on land. 



The reeds along the shores of the Lake were still crowded 

 with fugitives, and a great loss of life must since have taken 

 place ; for, after the corn they had brought with them was 

 expended, famine would ensue. Even now we passed many 

 women and children digging up the roots, about the size of 

 peas, of an aromatic grass ; and their wasted forms showed 

 that this poor hard fare was to allay, if possible, the pangs 

 of hunger. The babies at the breast crowed to us as we 

 passed, their mothers kneeling and grubbing for the roots ; 

 the poor little things still drawing nourishment from the 

 natural fountain were unconscious of that sinking of heart 

 which their parents must have felt in knowing that the sup- 

 ply for the little ones must soon fail. No one would sell a 

 bit of food to us : fishermen, even, would not pa*rt with the 

 produce of their nets, except in exchange for some other kind 

 of food. Numbers of newly-made graves showed that many 

 had already perished, and hundreds were so emaciated that 

 they had the appearance of human skeletons swathed in 

 brown and wrinkled leather. In passing mile after mile, 

 marked with these sad proofs that " man's inhumanity to 

 man makes countless thousands mourn," one experiences an 

 overpowering sense of helplessness to alleviate human woe, 

 and breathes a silent prayer to the Almighty to hasten the 



