1873.] MATIPA'S ISLAND. 283 



the island of Matipa. They brought ten, but the donkey 

 could not come as far through the " tinga-tinga" as they, so 

 they took it back for fear that it should perish. I spoke to 

 Matipa this morning to send more canoes, and he consented. 

 We move outside, as the town swarms with mice, and is 

 very closely built and disagreeable. I found mosquitoes in 

 the town. 



5th March. — Time runs on quickly. The real name of this 

 island is Masumbo, and the position may be probably 

 long. 31° 3' ; lat. 10° 11' S. Men not arrived yet. Matipa 

 very slow. 



6th March. — Building a camp outside the town for quiet 

 and cleanliness, and no mice to run over us at night. This 

 islet is some twenty or thirty feet above the general flat 

 country and adjacent water. 



At 3 p.m. we moved up to the highest part of the island 

 where we can see around us and have the fresh breeze from 

 the Lake. Rainy as we went up, as usual. 



1th March. — We expect our men to-day. I tremble for the 

 donkey ! Camp sweet and clean, but it, too, has mosquitoes, 

 from which a curtain protects me completely — a great 

 luxury, but unknown to the Arabs, to whom I have spoken 

 about it. Abed was overjoyed by one I made for him; 

 others are used to their bites, as was the man who said that 

 he would get used to a nail through the heel of his shoe. 

 The men came at 3 p.m., but eight had to remain, the canoes 

 being too small. The donkey had to be tied down, as he 

 rolled about on his legs and would have forced his way out. 

 He bit Mabruki Speke's lame hand, and came in stiff from 

 lying tied all day. We had him shampooed all over, but 

 he could not eat dura — he feels sore. Susi did well under 

 the circumstances, and we had plenty of flour ready for all. 

 Chanza is near Kabinga, and this last chief is coming to 

 visit me in a day or two. 



8th March. — I press Matipa to get a fleet of canoes equal 



