96 
START FROM GONDOKORO . 
[chap. hi. 
people. They commenced firing their usual signals; 
the drums heat; the Turkish ensign led the way ; and 
they marched at 2 o’clock, p.m., sending a polite 
message, “ daring ” me to follow them. 
I immediately ordered the tent to be struck, the 
luggage to be arranged, the animals to be collected, 
and everything to be ready for the march. Bicharn 
and Saat were in high spirits, even my unwilling 
men were obliged to work, and by 7 p.m. we were 
all ready. The camels were too heavily loaded, carry¬ 
ing about seven hundred pounds each. The donkeys 
were also overloaded, but there was no help for it. 
Mrs. Baker was well mounted on my good old Abys¬ 
sinian hunter “ Tetel,*” and was carrying several 
leather bags slung to the pommel, while I was equally 
loaded on my horse “ Filfil; t ” in fact, we were all 
carrying as much as we could stow. 
We had neither guide, nor interpreter. Not one 
native was procurable, all being under the influence 
of the traders, who had determined to render our 
advance utterly impossible by preventing the natives 
from assisting us. All had been threatened, and we, 
perfectly helpless, commenced the desperate journey 
in darkness about an hour after sunset. 
“ Where shall we go ? ” said the men, just as the 
order was given to start. “Who can travel without 
a guide ? No one knows the road.” The moon was 
up, and the mountain of Belignan was distinctly visi¬ 
ble about nine miles distant. Knowing that the 
route lay on the east side of that mountain, I led 
the way, Mrs. Baker riding by my side, and the 
British flag following close behind us as a guide for 
the caravan of heavily laden camels and donkeys. We 
shook hands warmly with Dr. Murie, who had come 
to see us off, and thus we started on our march in 
Central Africa on the 26th of March, 1863. 
f “ Pepper.” 
* “ Hartebeest. : 
