WE BURY OUR PROPERTY 177 



spirit alike become enervated, attacks of indigestion occur, and 

 the traveller is far more liable to be unfavourably affected by 

 the climate than when on the march. We had still to explore 

 the second lake, and as no Eeshiat would act as guide, 

 Lembasso, though he had never been to it, offered to try and 

 take us there. He had a general notion of the direction, and 

 said he should feel quite at home when he got to the lake. 

 We trusted ourselves to his guidance the more readily as we 

 were assured that it had lately rained all over the district 

 to be traversed, so that there was no fear of our not finding 

 enough water. 



After the exploration of the second lake, the Count meant 

 to go back to the Eeshiat and carry out his original plan of 

 going round the northern end of Lake Eudolf, even if he had 

 to do so against the will of the natives. Under these circum- 

 stances it was superfluous to take all our loads with us now, so 

 we decided to leave behind all the ivory and some of the loads 

 of wire. The Oromaj had himself suggested this some time 

 ago, but was now disposed to hesitate to take charge of the 

 sixty loads, as he was afraid they might be stolen by the Bur- 

 keneji who had made a raid upon the Amarr but a few days 

 before. We reassured him by saying that we would bury our 

 goods deep down in the sand, and make a dazim (medicine) 

 which would work against anyone who dared to touch our 

 property. The loads were then taken outside the village, and 

 in the presence of a large body of witnesses, Junibe Kimemeta 

 had them buried with much mysterious ceremony, &c., which 

 we supplemented with a little play from our fire-spears. This 

 made a great impression even upon the Oromaj, and we 

 deepened it after dark by sending up a couple of rockets. 



After a night during which several heavy showers fell, we 

 started on the morning of April 14. We now found that eleven 

 of our men were unfit to march, and had to go without them. 



VOL. II. N 



