DEPARTURE FROM KAZEEL 



231 



Ugali or porridge of boiled flour. It is almost need- 

 less to state that, despite the best surveillance and the 

 strictest economy, we arrived at the coast almost desti- 

 tude ; cloth and beads, hoes and cattle, all had disap- 

 peared, and had we possessed treble the quantity, it 

 would have gone the same way. 



The 26th September, 1858, saw us on foot betimes. 

 The hospitable Snay bin Amir, freshly recovered from 

 an influenza which had confined him for some days to 

 his sleeping-mat, came personally to superintend our 

 departure. As no porters had returned for property 

 left behind, and as all the "cooking-pots" had preceded 

 us on the yester, Snay supplied us with his own slaves, 

 and provided us with an Arab breakfast, well cooked, and 

 as usual, neatly served on porcelain plates, with plaited 

 and coloured straw dish-covers, pointed like Chinese 

 caps. Then, promising to spend the next day with me, 

 he shook hands and followed me out of the compound. 

 After a march of three miles, under a white-hot sun, 

 and through a chilling wind, to which were probably 

 owing our subsequent sufferings, we entered the dirty 

 little village of Masui, where a hovel had been prepared 

 for us by Said bin Salim. There we were greeted by 

 the caravan, and we heard with pleasure that it was 

 ready, after a fashion, to break ground. 



Early on the next morning appeared Snay bin Amir 

 and Musa Mzuri : as I was suffering from a slight 

 attack of fever, my companion took my place as host. 

 The paroxysm passing off, allowed me to settle all 

 accounts with Snay bin Amir, and to put a finishing 

 touch to the names of stations in the journal. I then 

 thanked these kind-hearted men for their many good 

 deeds, and promised to report to H. II. the Sayyid 

 Majid the hospitable reception of his Arab subjects 



q 4 



