164 T A YET A AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERIT 



men crossed easily enough ; but we had a lot more bother with 

 the animals. The middle of the bridge was under the water, 

 which broke over it in foam like a mill-stream. Two of the 

 oxen slipped off, and the force of the current driving them 

 against the tree-trunk, they were nearly drowned. We had to 

 force them farther up stream, and then the current swept them 

 under the bridge, below which they came to the surface again 

 and battled with their fast-failing strength against the stream. 

 One of them managed to reach the bank at last, but we saw the 



GETTING THE DONKEYS OVER THE RONGA. 



other dragged under water by a crocodile a little lower down. 

 Not to risk the donkeys further, we tugged them across this 

 stretch of river, as well as the two backwaters, with ropes. They 

 went right under water in transit, and w r ere landed in an almost 

 insensible condition, but there was no help for it. 



It was not until half-past eight that the last donkey was 

 safely over. Then, hungry and tired, we and the few men who 

 had remained to help us followed the main body of the caravan, 

 already far on its way to Little Arusha. Our old guide, Manwa 

 Sera, had behaved with such pluck and dexterity in the emer- 



