OUTFIT FOR RETURN. 



229 



Said bin Salim, in despair that the labours of a whole 

 fortnight spent in the jungle had produced the slenderest 

 of results, moved from under the tree in Kazeh plain 

 to Masui, a dirty little village distant about three miles 

 to the east of our head-quarters. As he reported on the 

 25th of September that his gang was nearly completed, 

 I sent forward all but the personal baggage. The 

 Arab had, however, secured but three Hammals or 

 bearers for my hammock ; one a tottering old man, the 

 other a knock-kneed boy, and the third a notorious 

 skulk. Although supplied with meat to strengthen 

 them, as they expressed it, they broke down after a 

 single march. From that time, finding it useless to 

 engage bearers for a long journey in these lands, I 

 hired men from district to district, and dismissed them 

 when tired. The only objection to this proceeding was 

 its inordinate expense : three cloths being generally 

 demanded by the porter for thirty miles. A little 

 calculation will give an idea of the relative cost of 

 travelling in Africa and in Europe. Assuming each man 

 to receive one cloth, worth one dollar, for every ten 

 miles, and that six porters are required to carry the 

 hammock, we have in Africa an expenditure on carriage 

 alone of nearly half a crown per mile : in most parts of 

 Europe travel on the iron road has been reduced to one 

 penny. 



Our return from Unyanyembe to the coast was to 

 take place during the dead season, when provisions are 

 most expensive and are not un frequently unprocurable. 

 But being "Wazungu " and well provided with " African 

 money," we might expect the people to sell to us their 

 grain and stores, which they would have refused at 

 tariff-prices to Arabs or Wasawahili. We carried as 

 stock fourteen porters' loads of cloth, viz., 645 do- 



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