148 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
every time we came opposite a village, we kept on our 
way until we came to Murembwe Point, which, being a 
delta of a river of the same name, was well protected 
by a breadth of thorny jungle, spiky cane, and a thick 
growth of reed and papyrus, from which the boldest 
Mrundi might well shrink, especially if he called to 
mind that beyond this inhospitable swamp were the 
guns of the strangers his like had so rudely challenged. 
We drew our canoe ashore here, and, on a limited area 
of clean sand, Ferajji, our rough-and-ready cook, lit his 
fire, and manufactured for us a supply of most delicious 
Mocha coffee. Despite the dangers which still beset 
us, we were quite happy, and seasoned our meal with a 
little moral philosophy, which lifted us unconsciously 
into infinitely superior beings to the pagans by whom 
we were surrounded — upon whom we now looked down, 
under the influence of Mocha coffee and moral philo- 
sophy, with calm contempt, and unmixed with a certain 
amount of compassion. The Doctor related some expe- 
riences he had had among people of similar disposition, 
but did not fail to ascribe them, with the wisdom of a 
man of ripe experiences, to the unwise conduct of the 
Arabs and half-castes ; in this opinion I unreservedly 
concur. 
From Murembwe Point, having finished our coffee 
and ended our discourse on ethics, we proceeded on our 
voyage, steering for Cape Sentakeyi, which, though it 
was eight or ten miles away, we hoped to make before 
dark. The Wangwana pulled with right good will, but 
ten hours went by, and night was drawing near, and we 
were still far from Sentakeyi. As it was a fine moon- 
light night, and we were fully alive to the dangerous 
position in which we might find ourselves, they con- 
sented to pull an hour or two more. About 1 p.m., we 
pulled in shore for a deserted spot — a clean shelf of 
sand, about thirty feet long by ten deep, from which a 
clay bank rose about ten or twelve feet above, while on 
each side there were masses of disintegrated rock. Here 
we thought, that by preserving some degree of silence, 
we might escape observation, and consequent annoyance, 
