Chap. LXII. 
CROSSING A SWAMP. 
305 
chandise, on a couple of asses and bull oxen, nothing 
but cotton strips, or " tari," rice, and a few mats, 
of which latter article they brought me three as a 
present. Having received my blessing, and the tu- 
mult having quieted down, they conducted us to a 
place where they declared the water to be fordable. 
But the boggy ground inspired us with but little 
confidence ; and it really caused us an immense deal 
of trouble. My people were obliged to carry all the 
luggage, even the heaviest, across the swamp, which 
was half a mile in breadth, the camels being scarcely 
able to make their wa}^, even unloaded ; and I myself 
had the misfortune to fall under my horse, in the midst 
of the swamp, almost as badly as had happened to 
me on a former occasion, on my journey to Ranem. 
I was firmly convinced that my horse would not 
be able to carry me over, and that it would be the 
safest way to cross the bog on foot; but I allowed 
myself to be swayed by the Walati, who thought 
that my dignity, in presence of those native tra- 
vellers, absolutely required me to remain on horse- 
back. It was on this occasion that all my journals 
got wet through in a most miserable way, and we 
had the greatest difficulty in extricating my horse 
from the bog, in which it was lying for some minutes 
as if dead. 
It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon when 
we again set out from the opposite side of the swamp ; 
but we bad first to return, along the water, in a 
north-easterly direction, in order to regain the direct 
VOL. IV. x 
