A BAD MAN. 
133 
Neambara or Wayo he was seriously ill and unable to proceed. In 
consequence he made over his mission to the agent at that place^ a 
trustworthy man^ named Mussad. Mussad^ well supported, made 
seventeen daily marches south to a place called Wanja, in Rakoa. 
A frightful famine was raging in this district, and for some days 
Mussad and his men subsisted only upon roots and gourds. His 
followers refused to proceed, and reluctantly he was compelled to 
return. Of the Speke expedition he had heard no tidings, but he 
was' told that an immense sheet of water was but four days^ short i 
marches from Wanja. 
Whilst Petherick on deck was taking note of this statement, I 
received a visit from a negress called Toto ; she had lived in Pethe- 
rick^s service several years. As one of the bread-makers, she left 
Khartoum, in Novem^ber, with the boats which sailed for Gondo- 
koro. Her child was in her arms. I remarked that the little one 
was much changed. She said the babe was ill and cold. I soon 
ran up a flannel shirt for the nude infant. Whilst thus employed, 
tearfully looking towards me, she said, ‘‘ Oh, sitie ! (madam), Abd 
il Majid is a bad man. He made us all promise not to tell, but I 
must. There are slaves in his boat. He did not think that he 
would meet the Consul, and when your boats appeared in sight he 
concealed them all.'’^ 
She said no more, but kissing my hands as I dressed her child, 
withdrew. Unwilling to disturb Petherick, who was deeply engaged 
with his agents on deck, and mistrusting my imperfect knowledge 
of Arabic, I called for Ringa and Halima. From being constantly 
near me, they better understood me ; to them I explained the pur- 
port of Toto^s remarks. Ringa went at once to the boat of Abd il 
Majid, alongside of the Lady of the Nile.^^ He soon returned, 
and, alas ! to conflrm Toto^s assertion — slaves were there. 
