II 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



49 



case of a bad crop. Their method of dividing labour is 

 as follows. The inhabitants of the village, at least those 

 that are able-bodied, are divided into two parts, each 

 taking its turn on alternate days at the cultivation of 

 the plantations. This keeps them employed but one- 

 half of the time — the other half they spend in sleep and 

 idleness. The canoes here are smaller than those used 

 lower down the river. 



At Massa my men took it upon themselves to raid a 

 plantation of the Pokomo. I promptly punished the 

 raiders and restored the stolen property. This action 

 filled the natives with surprise and pleasure, and it 

 appeared to be the first time that such an event had 

 happened to them. 



Upon leaving, owing to the non-appearance of the 

 guides, we were compelled to make a late start. When 

 they at length arrived, I arranged with them, to guide us 

 to a point called Dukuli, said to be about twelve miles 

 up the river. The sun was very hot, and my retrievers 

 appeared to suffer intensely ; I gave them all the water 

 I could spare from my bottle, but it seemed to afford 

 them no relief. We marched on and on until 2.30 

 P.M., and my guides seemed either knaves or fools. 

 They insisted that the camp lay still farther to the front, 

 although I was confident that had it been the distance 

 they stated we must long since have passed the place. 

 But I was too weak and ill to initiate a search for the 

 camp, which might after all prove fruitless, and so I 

 struggled on. My men, with their usual thoughtless- 

 ness, had neglected to put water into their bottles, and 

 in consequence they all suffered from thirst. Owing 

 to my dysentery I still suffered from weakness ; and, 



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