346 NEW COURSE OF MARCH. Chap. XIII. 



journey, the steward was at the last moment taken. Mr. 

 Eae returned to get the "Lady Nyassa" ready for sea; and, 

 as she drew less water than the " Pioneer," take her down 

 to the ocean in October. One reason for taking the steward 

 is worth recording. Both he and a man named King,* 

 who, though only a leading stoker in the Navy, had been 

 a promising student in the University of Aberdeen, had 

 got into that weak bloodless-looking state which residence 

 in the lowlands without much to do or think about often 

 induces. The best thing for this is change and an active 

 life. A couple of days' march only as far as the Mukuru- 

 Madse, infused so much vigour into King that he was able 

 to walk briskly back. Consideration for the steward's 

 health led to his being selected for this northern journey, 

 and the measure was so completely successful that it was 

 often, in the hard march, a subject of regret that King 

 had not been taken too. A removal of only a hundred 

 yards is sometimes so beneficial that it ought in severe 

 cases never to be omitted. 



Our object now was to get away to the N.N.W., 

 proceed parallel with Lake Nyassa, but at a considerable 

 distance west of it, and thus pass by the Mazitu or Zulus 

 near its northern end without contact — ascertain whether 

 any large river flowed into the Lake from the west — visit 

 Lake Moelo, if time permitted, and collect information 

 about the trade on the great slave route, which crosses the 

 Lake at its southern end, and at Tsenga and Kota-kota. 

 The Makololo were eager to travel fast, because they 

 wanted to be back in time to hoe their fields before the 

 rains, and also because their wives needed looking after. 



In going in the first instance N.E. from the uppermost 

 Cataract, we followed in a measure the great bend of the 



* A brother, we believe, of I Willis in the famous but unfortu- 

 one who accompanied Burke and | nate Australian Expedition. 



