£hap. iv.] 
NATIVE TIT-BITS . 
107 
jungle such articles as could be dispensed with, and 
to re-arrange all the loads. 
At 4 a.m. I woke, and lighting a lamp, I tried in 
vain to wake any of the men who lay stretched upon 
the ground, like so many corpses, sound asleep. At 
length Saat sat up, and after rubbing his eyes for 
about ten minutes, he made a fire, and began to boil 
the coffee; meanwhile I was hard at work lighten¬ 
ing the ship. I threw away about 100 lbs. of salt; 
divided the heavy ammunition more equally among 
the animals ; rejected a quantity of odds and ends 
that, although most useful, could be forsaken; and by 
the time the men woke, a little before sunrise, I had 
completed the work. We now re-loaded the animals, 
who showed the improvement by stepping out briskly. 
We marched well for three hours at a pace that bid 
fair to keep us w r ell ahead of the Turks, and at length 
we reached the dry bed of a stream, where the Latooka 
guides assured us we should obtain water by digging. 
This proved correct; but the holes were dug deep in 
several places, and hours passed before we could secure 
a sufficient supply for all the men and animals. The 
great sponging-bath was excessively useful, as it formed 
a reservoir out of which all the animals could drink. 
While we were thus engaged some natives appeared 
carrying with them the head of a wild boar in a 
horrible state of decomposition, and alive with mag¬ 
gots. On arrival at the drinking-place they imme¬ 
diately lighted a fire, and proceeded to cook their 
savoury pork by placing it in the flames. The skull 
becoming too hot for the inmates, crowds of maggots 
rushed pele-mMe from the ears and nostrils like people 
escaping from the doors of a theatre on fire. The 
natives merely tapped the skull with a stick to assist 
in their exit, and proceeded with their cooking until 
completed; after which they eat the whole, and sucked 
the bones. However putrid meat may be, it does not 
appear to affect the health of these people. 
My animals requiring rest and food, I was obliged 
