46 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap. 



become sore, to heal ; and to give the camels a much- 

 needed rest. On the road to Kinekombe I had four 

 deserters, only one of whom I succeeded in capturing 

 with his load. On the day after my arrival there some 

 of my men took their rifles and went to the village ; 

 whereupon, all the natives fled. It was only after pro- 

 lono^ed effort that I was able to reassure them and brinsr 

 them back. I placed one of my headmen on duty to 

 prevent outrage, and limited the number of my men 

 permitted in the village at one time to thirty. 



One day during my stay at this place the Soudanese 

 appeared in front of my tent, and expressed themselves 

 as dissatisfied with everything connected with the expe- 

 dition. They asserted, among other things, that their 

 food was insufficient and of poor quality. As these men 

 had before boasted to me of the fact, that during the 

 campaigns of the Mahdi they had for weeks lived upon 

 grass, I gave little heed to their complaint ; but in- 

 formed them that if they were dissatisfied with the 

 quantity of food, the only change possible would be a 

 reduction in it. They, thereupon, wished to depose the 

 Balook Bashi. As they had sworn to obey this man, 

 and as I had not yet pitched upon one of their num- 

 ber suitable to succeed him, I told them they must 

 keep their oath. They then returned sullenly, to their 

 quarters. 



Lieutenant von Hohnel's feet became worse, instead of 

 better, so that we decided it would be advisable for him 

 to travel, at least a portion of the distance up the river, 

 in a canoe ; and on October 2, he, in charge of the river 

 column, left Kinekombe. As soon as the canoes dis- 

 appeared around a bend in the river, I began to feel 



A 



