1866.] EFFECT OF THE TSETSE'S BITE. 



that animal. A large Mabiha population live there, and 

 make raids occasionally over to this side for slaves. 



6th May. — Tsetse again. The animals look drowsy. The 

 cow's eye is dimmed; when punctured, the skin emits a 

 stream of scarlet blood. The people hereabouts seem intel- 

 ligent and respectful. At service a man began to talk, but 

 when I said, " Ku soma Mlungu," — " we wish to pray to 

 God," he desisted. It would be interesting to know what the 

 ideas of these men are, and to ascertain what they have 

 gained in their communings with nature during the ages 

 past. They do not give the idea of that boisterous wicked- 

 ness and disregard of life which we read of in our own dark 

 ages, but I have no one to translate, although I can under- 

 stand much of what is said on common topics chiefly from 

 knowing other dialects. 



7th May. — A camel died during the night, and the grey 

 buffalo is in convulsions this morning. The cruelty of these 

 sepoys vitiates my experiment, and I quite expect many 

 camels, one buffalo, and one mule to die yet; they sit 

 down and smoke and eat, leaving the animals loaded in the 

 sun. If I am not with them, it is a constant dawdling ; they 

 are evidently unwilling to exert themselves, they cannot 

 carry their belts and bags, and their powers of eating and 

 vomiting are astounding. The Makonde villages are remark- 

 ably clean, but no sooner do we pass a night in one than 

 the fellows make it filthy. The climate does give a sharp 

 appetite, but these sepoys indulge it till relieved by vomit- 

 ing and purging. First of all they breakfast, then an 

 hour afterwards they are sitting eating the pocketfuls of 

 corn maize they have stolen and brought for the purpose, 

 whilst I have to go ahead, otherwise we may be misled into 

 a zigzag course to see Ali's friends ; and if I remain behind 

 to keep the sepoys on the move, it deprives me of all the 

 pleasure of travelling. We have not averaged four miles 

 a day in a straight line, yet the animals have often been 



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