1870.] THE NYUMBO PLANT. 43 



of the pelting - . I was seven days southing to Mamohela, 

 Katomba's camp, and quite knocked up and exhausted. I 

 went into winter quarters on 7th February, 1870. 



1th February. — This was the camp of the headman of 

 the ivory horde now away for ivory. Katoniba, as Moene- 

 mokaia is called, was now all kindness. We were away from 

 his Ujijian associates, and he seemed to follow his natural 

 bent without fear of the other slave-traders, who all hate to 

 see me as a spy on their proceedings. Rest, shelter, and 

 boiling all the water I used, and above all the new species of 

 potato called Nyumbo, much famed among the natives as 

 restorative, soon put me all to rights. Katomba supplied 

 me liberally with nyumbo ; and, but for a slightly medi- 

 cinal taste, which is got rid of by boiling in two waters, 

 this vegetable would be equal to English potatoes. 



11th February. — First of all it was proposed to go off to 

 the Lualaba in the north-west, in order to procure Holcus 

 sorghum or dura flour, that being, in Arab opinion, nearly 

 equal to wheat, or as they say "heating," while the maize 

 flour we were obliged to use was cold or cooling. 



13th February. — I was too ill to go through mud waist 

 deep, so I allowed Mohamad (who was suffering much) to 

 go away alone in search of ivory. As stated above, shelter 

 and nyumbo proved beneficial. 



22nd February. — Falls between Vira and Baker's Water 

 seen by Wanyamwezi. This confirms my conjecture on 

 finding Lualaba at a lower level than Tanganyika. Bin 

 Habib went to fight the Batusi, but they were too strong, 

 and he turned. 



1st March, 1870. — Visited my Arab friends in their camp 

 for the first time to-day. This is Kasessa's country, and the 

 camp is situated between two strong rivulets, while Mamo- 

 hela is the native name, Mount Bombola stands two miles 

 from it north, and Mount Bolunkela is north-east the same 

 distance. Wood, water, and grass, the requisites of a camp 



