Chap. XIII. wandering. 349 



Having been delayed one morning by some negotia- 

 tion about guides, who were used chiefly to introduce us 

 to other villages, we two whites walked a little way 

 ahead, taking the direction of the stream. The men 

 having been always able to find out our route by the 

 prints of our shoes, we went on for a number of miles. 

 This time, however, they lost our track, and failed to 

 follow us. The path was well marked by elephants, 

 hyenas, pallahs, and zebras, but for many a day no human 

 foot had trod it. When the sun went down a deserted 

 hamlet was reached, where we made comfortable beds for 

 ourselves of grass. Firing muskets to attract the atten- 

 tion of those who have strayed is the usual resource in 

 these cases. On this occasion the sound of firearms 

 tended to mislead us ; for, hearing shots next morning, a 

 long weary march led us only to some native hunters, 

 who had been shooting buffaloes. Keturning to a small 

 village, we met with some people who remembered our 

 passing up to the Lake in the boat; they were as kind 

 as they could be. The only food they possessed was 

 tamarinds, prepared with ashes, and a little cowitch meal. 

 The cowitch, as mentioned before, has^a velvety brown 

 covering of minute prickles, which, if touched, enter the 

 pores of the skin and cause a painful tingling. The 

 women in times of scarcity collect the pods, kindle a fire 

 of grass over them to destroy the prickles, then steep the 

 beans till they begin to sprout, wash them in pure water, 

 and either boil them or pound them into meal, which 

 resembles our bean-meal. This plant climbs up the long- 

 grass, and abounds in all reedy parts, and, though a 

 plague to the traveller who touches its pods, it performs 

 good service in times of famine by saving many a life 

 from starvation. Its name here is Kitedzi. 



Having travelled at least twenty miles in search of 

 our party that day, our rest on a mat in the best hut of 



