230 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



the supply of donkeys held by the Embe had been 

 exhausted, or they were unwilling to sell any more, none 

 had been brought for sale for the past two or three days. 



Thirty-seven donkeys would sufhce for a journey of 

 exploration similar to our recent journey from Hameye 

 to Lorian ; but it was far from sufficient to enable our 

 entire caravan to advance into the desert ; particularly 

 as we had been informed that starvation reigned over 

 the entire country lying between our position and the 

 country of the Reschatt. This was our route to the 

 north, at least the only one with which we were at that 

 time familiar, and with steady marching fifty days would 

 be required for its accomplishment. From George's 

 account of trade in the Embe country it seemed im- 

 probable, no matter how long the stay there, that we 

 should ever succeed in purchasing a sufficient number 

 of donkeys to enable the entire caravan to move. We 

 therefore decided to set out with but a small portion 

 of our men, and once more endeavour to find the Ren- 

 dile, and purchase from them beasts of burden ; or, if 

 this failed, to move on to a tribe called Turcana, who 

 inhabited the country to the south of Lake Rudolph, 

 which had been visited by Lieutenant von Hohnel on 

 his former journey, where he had seen many donkeys 

 and not a few camels. 



In order to guard against absolute failure, even 

 should we not succeed in getting beasts of burden 

 while on this journey, we decided to send our head- 

 man, Hamidi, and six others to the coast, there to 

 procure as many donkeys as possible, and twenty or 

 thirty good men besides, to take the places of those 

 who had died or deserted. We knew that this step 



