STILL RUNNING THE GAUNTLET ON TIIE RIVER. 473 
sat silent, watching our futile efforts, while the conviction 
gradually settled on our minds that his doom, though 
protracted, was certain. 
“ Then, after anxious deliberation with myself, I 
called for another canoe, and lashed to the bow of it 
a cable consisting of three one-inch rattans twisted 
together and strengthened by all the tent ropes. A 
similar cable was lashed to the side, and a third was 
fastened to the stern, each of these cables being ninety 
yards in length. A shorter cable, thirty yards long, 
was lashed to the stern of the canoe, which was to be 
guided within reach of him by a man in the canoe. 
£t Two volunteers were called for. No one would step 
forward. I offered rewards. Still no one would respond. 
But when I began to speak to them, asking them how 
they would like to be in such a position without a 
single friend offering to assist in saving them, Uledi, 
the coxswain, came forward and said, ‘ Enough, master, 
I will go. Mambu Kwa Mungu ’ — c My fate is in the 
hands of God ’ — and immediately began preparing him- 
self, by binding his loin-cloth firmly about his waist. 
Then Marzouk, a boat-boy, said, ‘ Since Uledi goes, I 
will go too/ Other boat-boys, young Shumari and 
Saywa, offered their services, but I checked them, and 
said, ‘ You surely are not tired of me, are you, that you 
all wish to die ? If all my brave boat-boys are lost, 
what shall we do ? ’ 
“ Uledi and his friend Marzouk stepped into the 
canoe with the air of gladiators, and we applauded them 
heartily, but enjoined on them to be careful. Then I 
turned to the crowd on the shore who were manning 
the cables, and bade them beware of the least careless- 
ness, as the lives of the three young men depended on 
their attention to the orders that would be given. 
“ The two young volunteers were requested to paddle 
across river, so that the stern might be guided by those 
on shore. The bow and side cables were slackened 
until the canoe was within twenty yards of the roaring 
falls, and Uledi endeavoured to guide the cable to 
Zaidi, but the convulsive heaving of the river swept 
