174 



THE START. 



altitude upon the Fernando Po and the Camarones 

 peaks. But whilst the hill was green the lower 

 lands were haked like hread crust — the ' fertile 

 and flourishing regions ahout Tongwe ' helong to 

 the category of things gone hy. 



We had much to do hefore leaving Tongwe. 

 The Jemadar had, it is true, ordered for us an 

 escort, but in these latitudes obedience to orders 

 is an optional matter. Moreover, the Baloch, 

 enervated by climate and by long habits of utter 

 indolence, looked forward with scant pleasure to 

 the discomforts of a mountain march. Shoeless, 

 bedless, and almost ragless, they could hardly be 

 induced, even by the offer of ' stone dollars,' to 

 quit for a week their hovel homes, their black 

 Venuses, and their whitey-brown piccaninnies. 

 They felt truly happy with us at Tongwe, doing 

 nothing beyond devouring, twice a day, vast 

 quantities of our dates and rice, an unknown 

 luxury ; and they were at infinite pains to defer 

 the evil hour of departure. One fellow declared 

 it was absolutely impossible for him to travel 

 without salt, and proposed sending back a slave 

 to Chogwe: the move would have involved the 

 loss of at least three days, so we thought it best 

 at once to begin with firmly saying no. 



By hard talking I managed at last to secure a 



