132 THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



rounded with boxes and bales, porters, slaves, and four 

 "sons of Ramji," Mbaruko, Sangora, Khamisi, and Shehe. 

 Shahdad the Baloch, who had been left behind at Kazeh 

 in love, and in attendance upon his " brother," Ismail, 

 who presently died, had charge of a parcel of papers and 

 letters from Europe, India, and Zanzibar. They were the 

 first received after nearly eleven months, and of course 

 they brought with them evil tidings, — the Indian muti- 

 nies. En revanche, I had a kindly letter from M. Cochet, 

 Consul of France, and from Mr. Mansfield, of the U.S., 

 who supplied me with the local news, and added for my 

 edification a very " low-church " Tract, the first of the 

 family, I opine, that has yet presented itself in Central 

 Africa. Mr. Frost reported that he had sent at once a 

 letter apprising me of Lieut. -Colonel Hamaton's death, 

 and had forwarded the medical supplies for which I 

 indented from K'hutu : these, as has been explained, had 

 not reached me. Snay bin Amir also informed me that 

 he had retained all the packages for which he could find, 

 no porters ; that three boxes had been stolen from his 

 " godown ; " and finally, that the second supply, 400 

 dollars-worth of cloth and beads, for which I had written 

 at Inenge and had re- writ ten at Ugogo and other 

 places, was hourly expected to arrive. 



This was an unexpected good fortune, happening at a 

 crisis when it was really wanted. My joy was some- 

 what damped by inspecting the packs of the fifteen 

 porters. Twelve were laden with ammunition which 

 was not wanted, and with munitions de louche, which 

 were : nearly half the bottles of curry-powder, spices, 

 and cognac were broken, tea, coffee, and sugar, had 

 been squeezed out of their tin canisters, and much of 

 the rice and coffee had disappeared. The three re- 

 maining loads were one of American domestics, — sixty 



