198 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap. 



arations were all made in secret. At six o'clock the 

 caravan was drawn up in the usual order, and I en- 

 deavoured to inspire my men with a few words, telling 

 them that, though doubtless we should meet with 

 some difficulty in getting out of the country, never- 

 theless they might rest assured that my efforts would 

 meet with success, and not one of them be injured. 

 While I was addressing them, all eyed me eagerly, 

 and, when I had concluded, one of the porters (Mda- 

 homa) grinned light-heartedly, and said: "We are not 

 afraid of the Washenzie (savages). Have we not seen 

 master make a fog, so that we could get out of the 

 country in safety ; and haven't we seen him during 

 the past night walking up and down in the camp 

 making medicine against the Embe people } Why 

 should we be afraid .r" Haya watu ; songo mbele ! " 

 (Onward, men; push to the front!) 



He spoke these words in a low tone, but they 

 were heard by every member of the caravan and pro- 

 duced at least one marked effect : no man wished 

 to be the last out of the camp. We had just left the 

 zeriba, and were about to plunge into the banana 

 plantations, when the fog lifted. A solitary native 

 spied us, and raised a mighty shout, to warn his 

 brothers of our departure. Soon from hill to hill 

 echoed cries, among which we could distinguish the 

 words : " Lashomba are going ! Warriors, run to the 

 doma^ 



I asked IMotio what " boma " meant ; and he in- 

 formed me that it was a word used throughout East 

 Africa to signify a zeriba or camp. He said that 

 between us and the desert we so longed to reach 



