176 



THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



violence, begged suppliantly for a paper of dismissal to 

 " cover their shame," and declared that, so far from de- 

 serting me, I was deserting them. As this required no 

 reply, I mounted and rode on. 



The path fell easily westwards down a long grassy 

 and jungly incline, cut by several water-courses. About 

 noon, I lay down half-fainting in the sandy bed of the 

 Muhama Nullah — the " Palmetto," or " Fan-palm and 

 retaining Wazira and Mabruki, I urged the caravan 

 forwards, that my companion might send me back a 

 hammock from the halting-place. Suddenly appeared 

 the whole body of deserters shouldering — as porters and 

 asses had been taken from them — their luggage, which 

 outwardly consisted of cloth, dirty rags, green skins, old 

 earthen pots, and greasy gourds and calabashes. They 

 led me to a part of the nullah where stagnant water 

 was found, and showing abundant penitence,- they ever 

 and anon attempted excuses, which were reserved for 

 consideration. At 3 p.m., no hammock appearing, I 

 remounted, and pursued a path over rolling ground, 

 with masses of dwarf-hill flanking a low bottom, which 

 renewed the scenery of the " Slough of Despond " — 

 Zungomero. Again the land, matted with putrid grass, 

 displayed the calabash and the hyphsena, the papaw 

 and the palmetto ; the holcus and maize were of luxu- 

 riant dimensions, and deep rat-holes, enlarged by the 

 boy-hunters, broke the grassy path. I found two little 

 villages, inhabitated by Wangindo and Mandandu immi- 

 grants from the vicinity of Kilwa. Then appeared on 

 a hill-side the Kraal in which the caravan had halted ; 

 the party had lost the road, and had been dispersed by a 

 swarm of wild bees, an accident even more frequent in 

 East Africa than in India. 



Next morning the Baloch were harangued ; they pro- 



