ASPECT OF UNYAMWEZI. 



321 



an enamelled leathern bag, converted from a dressing- 

 case into a protection for writing and sketching ma- 

 terials; and a shooting-bag, hung during the march over 

 the shoulders of Nasiri, a Coast- Arab youth engaged as 

 ass-leader at Unyanyembe, contained my vocabularies, 

 ephemeris, and drawing-books. 



Considering the conduct of the escort, I congratulated 

 myself upon having passed through the Kigwa forest 

 without other accident. Two or three days after our 

 arrival at Kazeh several loads of beads were plundered 

 from a caravan belonging to Abdullah bin Salih. 

 Shortly afterwards Msimbira sent a large foraging 

 party with a view to cutting off the road : they allowed 

 themselves to be surprised during sleep by Mpagamo's 

 men, who slew twenty-five of their number and dis- 

 persed the rest. This accident, however, did not cure 

 their propensity for pillage ; on our return-march, when 

 halted at a village west of the Kigwa forest, a body of 

 slaves passed us in hot haste and sore tribulation : they 

 had that day been relieved by bandits of all their packs. 



Passing from the Kigwa forest and entering the rice- 

 lands of the Unyanyembe district we found quarters — 

 a vile cow-house — - in a large dirty village called Hanga. 

 The aspect of the land became prepossessing : the route 

 lay along a valley bisected by a little rivulet of sweet 

 water, whose course was marked by a vivid leek-green 

 line ; the slopes were bright with golden stubble upon a 

 surface of well-hoed field, while to the north and south 

 ran low and broken cones of granite blocks and slabs, 

 here naked, there clothed from base to brow with dwarf 

 parasol-shaped trees, and cactaceaa of gigantic size. 



From this foul village I was urged by Kidogo to con- 

 clude by a tirikeza the last stage that separated the 

 caravan from Kazeh in Unyanyembe, the place which he 



VOL. I. Y 



