THE FLYING- CAE AVAN. 



315 



the night in another Teinbe, which was occupied by the 

 caravans of Coast-Arabs and their slave girls, to one of 

 whom, said Scan. Mag., he had lost his heart, and he 

 punished me by halting through the next day. As we 

 neared the end of the journey the sons of Ramji 

 became more restive under their light loads ; their dig- 

 nity was hurt by shouldering a pack, and day after day, 

 till I felt weary of life, they left their burdens upon 

 the ground. However, on the 1st November, they so 

 far recovered temper that the caravan was able to 

 cross the thin jungle, based upon a glaring white soil, 

 which divides the Tura from the Rubuga District. 

 After a march of 6 hrs. and 30', we halted on the 

 banks of the Kwale or "Partridge" Nullah, where, 

 though late in the season, we found several long pools 

 of water. The porters collected edible bivalves and 

 caught a quantity of mud -fish by the "rough and ready" 

 African process, a waist-cloth tied to a pair of sticks, 

 and used by two men as a drag-net. At Rubuga, 

 which we reached in 5 hrs. and 45', marching over 

 a, plain of black earth, thinly garnished with grass 

 and thorn-trees, and then through clearings overgrown 

 with stubble, I was visited by an Arab merchant, 

 Abdullah bin Jumah, who, with a flying-caravan, had 

 left Konduchi on the coast 2 months and 20 days 

 after our departure. According to him his caravan had 

 lately marched thirty miles in the twenty-four hours : ■ 

 it was the greatest distance accomplished in these re- 

 gions ; but the Arabs are fond of exaggeration the 

 party was small and composed of lightly laden men, 

 and moreover it required two days' rest after so unusual 

 an exertion. This merchant unwittingly explained a 

 something which had puzzled me ; whenever an advance 

 beyond Unyanyembe had been made the theme of con- 

 versation, Said bin Salim's countenance fell, and he 



