THE TUBA NULLAH. 



291 



the camp of the Coast-Arabs ; her proprietor came armed 

 to recover her, swords were drawn, a prodigious clash 

 and clatter of tongue arose, friends interfered, and 

 blades were sheathed. Khalfan bin Khamis, losing all 

 patience at this delay, bade us adieu, promising to an- 

 nounce our approach at Unyanyembe ; about a week 

 afterwards, however, we found him in most melancholy 

 plight, halted half-way, because his over- worked porters 

 had taken " French leave." 



We resumed our march on the 27th October, and 

 after a slow and painful progress for seven hours over 

 a rolling country, whose soil was now yellow with argile, 

 then white with felspar, then black-brown with humus, 

 through thorny bush, and forest here opening out, 

 there densely closing in, we arrived at the " Tura Nul- 

 lah," the deepest of the many surface drains winding 

 tortuously to the S. W. The trees lining the margin 

 were of the noblest dimensions ; the tall thick grass that 

 hedged them in showed signs of extensive conflagration, 

 and water was found in shallow pools and in deep pits 

 beneath the banks, on the side to which the stream, 

 which must be furious during the rainy season, swings. 

 When halted in a clear place in the jungle, we were 

 passed by a down caravan of Wanyamwezi ; our porters 

 shouted and rushed up to greet their friends, the men 

 raised their right hands about a dozen times, and then 

 clapped palm to palm, and the women indulged in 

 " vigelegele," the African " lulliloo," which rang like 

 breech-loaders in our ears. 



On the next clay we set out betimes through the 

 forest, which, as usual when nearing populous settle- 

 ments, spread out, and which began at this season to 

 show a preponderance of green over brown. Presently 



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