THE FORAGING PARTY. 



193 



morally incapacitated for any exertion beyond balanc- 

 ing ourselves upon the donkeys ; at Kadetamare I had 

 laid in another stock of fever, and my companion had not 

 recovered from his second severe attack. After fording 

 the Mukondokwa we followed the right bank through 

 cultivation, grass, and trees, up a gradually broadening 

 valley peculiarly rich in field- rats. The path then cross- 

 ing sundry swamps and nullahs, hill-spurs and " neat's 

 tongues," equally rough thorny and precipitous, pre- 

 sently fell into a river-reach where pools of water, 

 breast deep, and hedged in by impassable jungle and long 

 runs of slushy mire festering in a furious sun, severely 

 tried the porters and asses. Thence the road wound 

 under the high hills to the South, whose flanks were 

 smoking with extensive conflagrations, whilst on the op- 

 posite or left bank of the river, the opening valley dis- 

 played a forest of palms and tall trees. About 2 p.m. 

 I reached the ground, a hutless circle of thorns, 

 called by our people Muinyi : the rear-guard, however, 

 did not straggle in before 6 p.m., and the exhaustion of 

 the asses — seventeen now remained — rendered a day's 

 halt necessary. 



During the last two marches the Baloch had been, 

 they declared, without grain ; the sons of Ramji and 

 the porters, more provident, had reserved a small store, 

 moreover they managed to procure a sheep from the next 

 station. On the morrow a party, headed by Muinyi 

 Wazira, set out to forage among the mountain settle- 

 ments, bearing no arms in token of peace. About noon 

 they returned, and reported that at the sight of 

 strangers the people had taken to flight, after inform- 

 ing the party that they were in the habit of putting to 

 death all Murungwana or freemen found trespassing off 

 the road ; however, that on this occasion the lives of the 



VOL. I. 0 



