498 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



ligence of Mr. Wilson. He had scant means at his 

 disposal, but the force of his individual efforts added 

 to these has changed what was in former years one 

 of the most disagreeable and difficult marches in 

 Africa, to a journey which can be accomplished with 

 perfect ease by a woman. I found that he, too, exces- 

 sively disliked to use negroes as porters, and as a 

 means of obviating it had begun to use bullocks and 

 donkeys as a means of transport. Although he had 

 lost several by fly, nevertheless he had been success- 

 ful enough to satisfy himself that it was not only 

 possible, but also cheaper, to do without porters. 



On Saturday, February lo, at noon, just thirty days 

 from Daitcho, we arrived at Mombasa. Of the thirty 

 days, five had been spent in resting upon the road ; 

 so that the distance (450 miles) had been accom- 

 plished in twenty-five days. To my surprise, upon 

 reaching Mombasa, I found that the runaways had 

 not been detained, but had been sent to Zanzibar at 

 my expense by dhow. The authorities at Mombasa 

 seemed somewhat chagrined at my surprise, and said 

 they could have done nothing else. In this connec- 

 tion I will say that their behaviour was entirely with- 

 out precedent. Hamidi and the deserters had reached 

 Mombasa without letters of any sort from me ; yet 

 the authorities had seen fit to accept his statements, 

 and treat him and the men not as deserters, but as 

 people worthy of every consideration and assistance. 

 I waited at Mombasa five days for a steamer, then 

 left for Zanzibar. 



Upon reaching Zanzibar, I found that no steps 

 had been taken to arrest my men ; but, on the con- 



