52 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO 



dry hut, or come on with me himself in chains. This was the 

 right line to take ; the hut was found in no time, and everyone 

 began to help us at once. 



We now marched through a hilly and here and there well- 

 wooded district, dotted with wayside villages, to Kwa Fungo, 

 where the main body of the caravan was already encamped. 

 The first thing I did was, of course, to tell Count Teleki of the 

 mishap about the porters, and we both realised the urgent 

 necessity of pushing on as rapidly as possible, to avoid any 

 more desertions en masse. Now the question was, how was this 

 to be done ? and we soon decided that, with a view to catching 

 up the fugitives, or perhaps even outstripping them, I must 

 make for Zanzibar at once, and at the same time try to se- 

 cure fresh porters at Pangani. I might also hurry up Jumbe 

 Kimemeta, with other loiterers, and, lastly, bring back with 

 me the ^oods left at Mawia. 



So, very early the next morning I was ofl with ten men 

 only, headed by Maktubu, and a very little light luggage. I 

 made very rapid forced marches to the coast, and though we 

 thoroughly searched every village by the way, we reached 

 Mawia the same evening. Jumbe Kimemeta was, most fortu- 

 nately, there already, and he got us a boat at once, so that we 

 were able to go on that very night. 



We had travelled some thirty-one miles in the heat of the 

 sun, and I was dreadfulry tired ; but for all that I could not 

 tear myself away from the beautiful scenes through which we 

 passed in this night trip. In the narrow backwater through 

 which our course first led us it was the fairy-like beauty of 

 the banks, lit up by myriads of fire-flies, which held me en- 

 chained ; and when we turned into the main stream it was the 

 magic charm of the utter stillness, broken only now and then 

 by the mysterious voices of Nature, and I remained awake 

 until we landed at sunrise at Bweni. 



