1871.] THE BITER BIT. 95 



10 p.m. — the ball broke both hind legs and one fore leg, yet 

 he had power to spring up and bite a man badly afterwards ; 

 he was a male, 2 feet 4 inches at withers, and 6 feet 8 

 inches from tip of nose to end of tail. 



1st January, 1871. — Father! help me to finish this 

 work to Thy honour. 



Still detained at Bambarre, but a caravan of 500 muskets 

 is reported from the coast : it may bring me other men and 

 goods. 



Rain daily. A woman was murdered without cause close 

 by the camp ; the murderer said she was a witch and 

 speared her : the body is exposed till the affair is settled, 

 probably by a fine of goats. 



The Manyuema are the most bloody, callous savages I 

 know ; one puts a scarlet feather from a parrot's tail on the 

 ground, and challenges those near to stick it in the hair: 

 he who does so must kill a man or woman ! 



Another custom is that none dare wear the skin of the 

 musk cat, Ngawa, unless he has murdered somebody : guns 

 alone prevent them from killing us all, and for no reason 

 either. 



16th January. — Ramadan ended last night, and it is 

 probable my people and others from the coast will begin to 

 travel after three days of feasting. It has been so rainy I 

 could have done little though I had had people. 



22nd January. — A party is reported to be on the way 

 hither. This is likely enough, but reports are so often false 

 that doubts arise. Mohamad says he will give men when 

 the party of Hassani comes, or when Dugumbe arrives. 



24th January. — Mohamad mentioned this morning that 

 Moene-mokaia, and Moeneghera his brother, brought about 

 thirty slaves from Katanga to Ujiji, affected with swelled 

 thyroid glands or " Goitre," and that drinking the water of 

 Tanganyika proved a perfect cure to all in a very few days. 

 Sometimes the swelling went down in two days after they 



