FRANK POCOCK'S LETTER TO HIS PARENTS. 931 



killed some of their brothers, for the people of our village all held our way, 

 therefore we got off well. 



" We stayed at Usukuma four months, and I was sent to Ukerewe to get 

 canoes to take the caravan to Uganda. Ukerewe is an island about thirty 

 miles from the mainland or from our camp, the largest island in the lake. I 

 got fifty-two canoes from the Sultan Lukongie, and returned to camp. I 

 was the first white man ever on the island. It is thickly peopled with naked 

 people. Elephants and leopards are abundant. The people brought food for 

 sale to our camp. Beads was the money ; cloth was but very little value. We 

 crossed from there to Uganda, and from there to the Albert Nyanza through 

 Unyoro, but had no place to build our camp, while Mr. Stanley explored the 

 lake, as we had at the Victoria Nyanza, therefore we returned to Uganda, 

 and from there to Karagwe, and from there to Ujiji. We left Karagwe on 

 March 25, and arrived here on May 27. Mr. Stanley left on June 11 to ex- 

 plore Tanganyika. I have not heard of him yet, so I cannot say where we 

 shall go from here. But I will write again before leaving Ujiji, so for the 

 present I must say good bye. Hoping soon to see you, and wishing this may 

 find you well and living in Cookham woods with father, I remain your affec- 

 tionate nephew, " Francis Pocock. 

 " Mr. William Pocock, Chatham, Kent." 



" Ujiji, Lake Tanganyika, Central Africa, 



Aug. 23, is re. 



" My Deae Parents — It is now nearly two years since we left the coast. 

 I did not expect to see or hear anything before we reached Ujiji, but here we 

 saw no letters or papers from Europe ; not a word of consolement did we find 

 on our arrival. We found the whole village infected with small-pox and fever, 

 and many other diseases. This was not very good news for us after march- 

 ing for two months through mud and water, and no news from home. We 

 fully expected some letters, but if they were sent from the coast they must 

 have been lost or stolen. Then, again, they may have passed here and fol- 

 lowed Cameron, because the Arabs know nothing of our writing; all they 

 know, it is white man's writing (Kuzungu), therefore they may have passed 

 here. We arrived on the 27th May, 1876. On the road I wrote one letter. 

 It was sent to Unyanyembe, only ten days from where I sent it. We had 

 come within two months of the Coast. Then we struck off west to Ujiji. 

 After reaching here I wrote to mother. That was sent to Unyanyembe with 

 Mr. S.'s letters by five men. It is now three months since they left here, and 

 they have not returned. Their mission was to take our letters and to return 

 to Ujiji with home news j but we have heard nothing of them, and it is feared 



