112 
TEAVELS IN CENTEAL AFEICA. 
Faloro ten days previously. He was accompanied by an escort 
of one hundred and fifty men^ and notwithstanding this force he 
had frequent affrays with the natives^ who obstinately contested 
every day^s march. He said that he had penetrated the hilly 
districts some three or four days^ march farther southwards from 
his station_, and had unusually prolonged his stay at Faloro on 
account of the chance of meeting and assisting Captain Speke 
and his party. The rainy season had been of the same unex- 
ampled violence as experienced by us^ and it was his opinion that 
Speke, if he attempted to reach Gondokoro by the route he had 
traversed, would find it impossible to cross the Assua river, which 
had been a source of great risk to themselves. Since their passage, 
that river would doubtless have swollen so considerably that on 
that account, and the strength of the current, it would frustrate 
any attempt that Captain Speke might make to cross it with 
the necessarily imperfect means at his command. His agent in 
charge of the station had been, through him, instructed, in case 
of the possible advent of Captain Speke, to afford him assistance, 
but under no circumstances to accompany him, or furnish him 
with any part of their force to assist him through the tribes to 
Gondokoro. This he was compelled to refuse, he having left no 
more men at that station than were necessary for its protection; 
and unless Speke was accompanied by a sufficiently strong force 
to overcome all obstacles without assistance, he had given positive 
instructions to his agent to offer to Captain Speke the hospitality 
of their station until the arrival of reinforcements some six or 
seven months hence from Khartoum, when there would be no 
difficulty in assisting Captain Speke to complete his journey. 
He also prepared me for meeting with Abd il Majid, whom he 
had left at Gondokoro, but could afibrd me no particulars of his 
