474 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap. 



making a long march on the morrow, I told him 

 that unless he checked his desire to pray, at least 

 in such stentorian tones, he would receive prompt 

 punishment. I found this threat effective ; and, in 

 fact, it may be stated as an axiom, that in Africa the 

 fear of physical suffering will, in most natives, over- 

 come the greatest superstitious dread. 



An hour's march from our camp in the river-bed, 

 and we reached a stream called Langalla. This, 

 about the size of the Ura, flows from the most south- 

 ern portion of the Jombeni range, and empties into 

 the Tana River some distance below the ford. All 

 loads and saddles had to be removed from the backs 

 of the donkeys, and carried across the stream, which 

 necessitated a delay of two and one-half hours. Two 

 hours' further marching, and I reached the ford on 

 the Tana, at that point at least three-eighths of a mile 

 wide, and dotted with small rocky islands, between 

 which, through five rock-strewn channels, flows the 

 river. Many of the channels were broad and deep, 

 and crossing them was difficult. I sent a man to the 

 place where I had left the canoe, to see if by any 

 chance the runaways had not destroyed it. He re- 

 ported that the canoe was safe, high and dry on the 

 far bank ; but that the paddles, which we had made 

 with such pains and care, had disappeared. Shortly 

 after noon I was glad to meet forty Wakamba, who 

 had just crossed the ford, who offered for a considera- 

 tion to assist us in placing all our men and beasts 

 on the island nearest the farther bank. They said 

 that their people, of whom more than one-half had 

 already crossed the Tana for the purpose of shooting, 



