TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
95 
with great plenty of water, but of a bad taste and 
smell, occasioned by its not being much used. 
Mr. Nelson, Corporal Pickard, and Privates 
Nicholson and Richmond had attacks of fe- 
ver since the evening of the 7th ; with these 
exceptions, the party continued to enjoy good 
health. We could not say as much for our 
animals : three horses died since our arrival at 
Metafodia Cunda, and more than one half 
of the remaining ones were unable to carry 
their loads, for the transport of which it was 
found impossible to procure a sufficient number 
of carriers from among the natives : some of 
our own African soldiers, however, very cheer- 
fully supplied their places, and we managed, 
in one way or other, to take all forward, but 
not without considerable trouble and fatigue. 
The many men we were obliged to employ as 
carriers, left the animals without a sufficient 
number to guide them and keep their loads 
from falling off, an occurrence which took 
place at every twenty yards with some one or 
other of them. The asses we had procured on 
the path were very good, but whether we did 
not understand the proper way of loading them, 
or that our bales, from being nearly round, were 
ill calculated to sit steady on their round backs, 
we could not determine ; it appeared, however, 
