270 



THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



panion saw a double-horned antelope which he thought 

 resembled the "Chouka-singa," ( Tetraceros Quadricornis) 

 of Nepaul. The species of birds, also, are scarcely 

 more numerous than the beasts ; the feathered tribe 

 is characterised by sombreness of plumage, and their 

 song is noisy but not harmonious, unpleasant, perhaps 

 because strange, to the European ear. 



On the 8th October appeared at Kanyenye a large down- 

 caravan headed by Abdullah bin Nasib, a Msawahili of 

 Zanzibar, whose African name is Kisesa. This good 

 man began with the usual token of hospitality, the gift 

 of a goat, and some measures of the fine Unyanyembe rice, 

 of which return-parties carry an ample store : he called 

 upon me at once with several companions, — one of them 

 surprised me not a little by an English "good morning," 

 — and he kindly volunteered to halt a day whilst we wrote 

 reports and letters, life-certificates, and duplicate-in- 

 dents upon Zanzibar for extra supplies of drugs and 

 medical comforts, cloth and beads. The asses were now 

 reduced to five, and as Magomba refused to part with 

 any of his few animals, at any price, ■ — on the coast 

 I had been assured that asses were as numerous as dogs 

 in Ugogo — Abdullah gave me one of his riding-ani- 

 mals, and would take nothing for it except a little 

 medicine, and a paper acknowledging his civility. 

 Several of the slaves and porters had been persuaded 

 by the Wagogo to desert, and Abdullah busied 

 himself to recover them. One man, who had sud- 

 denly deposited his pack upon the path and had dis- 

 appeared in the jungle during the noonday halt, was 

 pointed out by a woman to Kidogo, and was found 

 lurking in a neighbouring village, where the people 

 refused to give him up. Abdullah sent for Magomba's 

 four chief " ministers," and persuaded them to render 



