20 



THE BOAT LOST. 



the long rolling sea, gave ns abundant trouble. 

 At last, as a thick cloud veiled Jupiter and A^e- 

 nus, a cry arose that she had again broken loose ; 

 and we resolved to make Mombasah, trusting 

 that Fate would restore her. More than once 

 we thought of landing, and of walking along 

 the shore to our destination : for if all was un- 

 pleasant outside the ' Beden,' the inside, with its 

 atmosphere of cockroaches, bilge water, and 

 rotting wood, was scarcely more attractive. 

 Hitherto, from the moment of our leaving Eng- 

 land, the expedition had met with little but ill 

 luck. 



At length, on January IGth, after long and 

 wistfully gazing, as the mist rose, at the three 

 conical heads, which the Portuguese call * Cor6a 

 de Mombasa,' and when almost despairing of 

 reaching them, the wind suddenly became favour- 

 able, and we were driven round lla'as Betani into 

 the land-locked harbour, right joyful to cast 

 anchor opposite English Point, and to pass the 

 quiet night of which we had disappointed our 

 crew at Pemba Island. 



The run into Mombasali was truly character- 

 istic of Africa. The men hailed us from afar with 

 the query, 'What news?' We were unmer- 

 cifully derided as Whites by the black nymphs, 



