388 
DEATH OF MY LAST CAMEL. 
[chap. IX. 
upon their assumed territory. Koorshids men would 
refuse to advance by that route; my men, if alone, 
will be afraid to travel, and will find some excuse for 
not proceeding ; from the very outset they have been 
an absolute burthen upon me, receiving a monthly 
allowance of two pounds of beads per head for doing 
literally nothing, after having ruined the independence 
of my expedition by their mutiny at Gondokoro.” 
“ Aug. 23 d. —My last camel died to-day; thus 
all my horses and camels are dead, and only eight 
donkeys remain out of twenty-one ; most of these will 
die, if not all. There can be no doubt that the exces¬ 
sive wet in all the food, owing to the constant rain 
and dew, is the principal cause of disease. The camels, 
horses, and donkeys of the Soudan, all thrive in the 
hot dry air of that country, and are unsuited for this 
damp climate. 
“ Had I been without transport animals, my expedi¬ 
tion could not have left Gondokoro, as there was no 
possibility of procuring porters. I had always expected 
that my animals would die, but I had hoped they 
would have carried me to the equator : this they would 
have accomplished during the two months of compara¬ 
tive dry weather following my arrival at Gondokoro, 
had not the mutiny thwarted all my plans, and thrown 
me into the wet season. My animals have delivered 
