AN AFRICAN WALLED TOWN. 415 



their former shrunken girth, when he flew away, of his own accord, laden with 

 blood. On rolling up my flannels to see the fountain whence the fly had 

 drawn the fluid, I discovered it to be a little above the left knee, by a crimson 

 bead resting over the incision. After wiping the blood, the wound was simi- 

 lar to that caused by a deep thrust of a fine needle, but all pain had vanished 

 with the departure of the fly. 



" This fly is called mabunga by the natives. It is about a third larger than 

 the common honey bee, and its colour more distinctly marked ; its head is 

 black, with a greenish gloss to it ; the after-part of the body is marked by a 

 white line running lengthwise from its junction with the trunk, and on each 

 side of this white line are two other fines, one of a crimson colour, the other 

 of a light brown. . . This fly, along with a score of others, attacked my 

 grey horse, and bit it so sorely in the legs, that they appeared as if bathed in 

 blood. . . This I consider to be the African horse-fly." 



The second fly examined "was exceedingly nimble, and it occupied 

 three soldiers nearly an hour to capture a specimen ; and, when it was finally 

 caught, it stung the hand most ravenously, and never ceased its efforts to attack 

 until it was pinned through. It had three or four white marks across the 

 after-part of its body ; but the biting parts of this fly consisted of two black 

 antennae, and an opal coloured style, which folded away under the neck. 

 When about to bite the style was shot out straight, and the antennse embraced 

 it closely. 



" The third fly, called by the natives ' Chufwa,' was a third larger than 

 the house-fly, and had long wings. This insect certainly did the most work, 

 and inflicted the most injury. Horses and donkeys streamed with blood, and 

 roared and kicked with the pain. So determined was it not to be driven away be- 

 fore it obtained its fill, that it was easily despatched ; but this dreadful enemy 

 to cattle constantly increased in numbers. The three species above named 

 are, according to natives, fatal to cattle ; and this may perhaps be the reason 

 why such a vast expanse of first-class pasture is without domestic cattle of any 

 kind, a few goats only being kept by the villagers. This last fly I subse- 

 quently found to be the tsetse.''' 



About the middle of April Mr. Stanley reached the town of Simbam- 

 wenni, which was the largest and most important town he came across in his 

 wanderings. It contains a population of 3,000. " The houses in the town are 

 eminently African, but of the best type of construction. The fortifications are 

 on an Arabic-Persian model, combining Arab neatness with Persian plan. 

 Through a ride of 950 miles in Persia, I never met a town outside of the great 

 cities better fortified than Simbamwenni. . . Well-built towers of stone 

 guard each corner, iron gates, one facing each cardinal point, and set" half-way 

 between the several towers, permit ingress and egress for its inhabitants. The 

 gates are closed with solid square doors, made of African teak, and carved 



