470 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap. 



me, and expressed his willingness to act as guide 

 through his country. The addition of this man would 

 raise our force to eighteen men, and, those of my 

 men who bore burdens being lightly laden, I counted 

 on long marches and reaching the coast in a month. 

 From Daitcho to Mombasa via the mission station 

 at Kibwezi, allowing for the fact that the road to the 

 last-mentioned point was far from straight, the dis- 

 tance is at least 450 miles. 



On the morning of January 10 I woke at 4.30, 

 and set all hands to work loading the few donkeys 

 and cattle we had. Since the desertion of the men 

 I had been able to buy ten of these animals ; and 

 these, added to those I had brought back from the 

 Rendile, were sufficient to carry almost all of the few 

 supplies I had reserved for our homeward journey. 

 By 5.45 A.M. the zeriba was surrounded by hundreds 

 of natives, who only waited for our departure, before 

 they plundered the camp of every stick and stone. 



Before setting out, I took a long survey of this 

 place, which had been the home for members of my 

 caravan at different times for nine months. The zeriba 

 had been made of mimosa posts, on which the bark 

 had been left ; these had taken root in the rich soil, 

 and owing to the rains were then covered with a mass 

 of verdure. As soon as our little force left the camp, 

 and before the natives had entered it, it presented a 

 wofully deserted appearance. The fresh green of the 

 sprouting zeriba seemed to testify that the work of 

 our hands was going to be more or less permanent, 

 and that this camp might prove of service to some 

 future traveller who might visit Daitcho. I cheered 



