64 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



river for water, which we found to be distant more 

 than a mile. Up to that time there was no sign of 

 a village. The next day we followed an elephant trail, 

 which had become overgrown with bushes, and by the 

 use of our axes, at the end of four hours reached the 

 river. To our joy, we found an island in the middle 

 of the stream, which was covered with banana trees. 

 We sent two men to swim the intervening stream, 

 who found a storehouse on the island with 3000 ears 

 of Indian corn, but not a sign of natives. Our food 

 supply being low, and not knowing when we should 

 find our canoes which carried the grain for the men, 

 we built a raft with our table, a chair, and some 

 sticks, using the water-bottles of the men for floats ; 

 and by this means succeeded in getting all the food 

 to our side of the stream. 



Late in the afternoon we again tried to force our 

 way along the river, when we heard the splash of a 

 paddle. Looking through the intervening branches, 

 we saw two natives paddling a small canoe. One of 

 our men understood the language of the Pokomo, and 

 he shouted greetings to them, and asked them the 

 whereabouts of the next village. Instead of making 

 a response, the men threw themselves into the water 

 on the far side of the canoe, which drifted rapidly 

 past us, and was carried on down-stream by the cur- 

 rent. I am afraid they were the owners of the food 

 on the island. If such was the case, by their timidity 

 they missed an offer of payment for their store. I 

 suppose the poor creatures mistook us for Somali. 



Next day at noon the sun appeared, and Lieutenant 

 von Hohnel was able to get an observation, which 



