THE MOMBAS MISSION. 



59 



interior, and the long conversations with the 

 natives, duly published by Messrs Krapf, Reb- 

 mann, and Erhardt, gave an impulse to East 

 African exploration utterly unknown before their 

 day. And as the recent valuable labours of 

 Messrs Wakefield and Xew prove, the ' Mombas 

 Mission ' is not likelv to deroo^ate from its former 

 fame. 



We had proposed for ourselves a short ex- 

 cursion inland from Mombasah ; but everything 

 combined to oppose the })roject. The land was 

 parched, provisions were unprocurable, the rob- 

 ber tribes were out, and neither guides nor porters 

 would face the plundering parties then approach- 

 ing the town. Indeed, it is to be feared that the 

 entrance to Chaga, Kilima-njaro, and the hill 

 country around will now be closed to travellers for 

 many a year. Caravans dare not risk a contest 

 with professed plunderers ; and hereabouts a suc- 

 cessful raid always leads to sundry repetitions. 

 Such is the normal state of East Africa, from the 

 E-ed Sea to the Cape. The explorer can never be 

 sure of finding a particular road practicable : a 

 few murders will shut it for a generation, and 

 efi'ectually arrest him at the very tliresliold. 



We had no object during a mere ' trial trip,' 

 either to fight our way, or to pave it with gold. 



