THE ANDROGYNE. 



159 



As the darkness rendered the march risky, I gave the 

 word, when arrived at a bunch of miserable huts, for a 

 bivouac ; the party, had I permitted it, would have 

 wandered through the outer glooms without fixed pur- 

 pose till permanently bogged. We spread our bedding 

 upon the clear space between the cane-cones acting 

 hovels, and we snatched, under a resplendent moon, and 

 a dew that soaked through the blankets, a few hours of 

 sleep, expecting to be aroused by a guide and porters 

 before the end of night. Gaetano had preceded us with 

 the provisions and the batterie de cuisine; we were 

 destitute even of tobacco, and we looked forward ex- 

 pectantly to the march. But the dawn broke, and 

 morning flashed over the canopy above, and the sun 

 poured his hot rays through the cool, clear air, still we 

 found ourselves alone. The sons of Eamji, and the 

 others composing our party, had gradually disap- 

 peared, leaving with us only Gul Mohammed. Taking 

 heart of grace, we then cleared out a hut, divided the 

 bedding, lay down in the patience of expectation, and 

 dined on goat. Our neighbour afforded us some food 

 for the mind. Apparently an Androgyne, she had the 

 voice, the look, and the thorax of a man, whilst the dress 

 and the manner argued her to be a woman ; it was the 

 only approach to the dubious sex seen by me in East 

 Africa. 



About 2 p.m. appeared Ramazaii and Salman, children 

 of Said bin Said, with four porters, an insufficient 

 supply for the long and trying march which they 

 described. They insisted upon our enduring the heat 

 and labour of the day so energetically, that they were 

 turned with ignominy out of the village, and were told 

 to send their master to escort us in the evening or on 

 the morning of the next clay, Accordingly at 9 a.m. of 

 the 28th May appeared Said bin Salim and the Jemadar, 



