226 
RECOVER THE LOST HORSE . 
[chap. VIII. 
from my men, in which I am afraid Mrs. Baker was 
rude enough to join. The crest-fallen Katchiba was 
assisted upon his legs, and feeling rather stunned, he 
surveyed the horse with great astonishment; but his 
natural instincts soon prompted him to call for the jar 
of beer, and after a long draught from the mighty 
cup, he regained his courage, and expressed an opinion 
that the horse was “ too high, as it was a long way to 
tumble down he therefore requested one of the 
“ little horses these were the donkeys. x4.ccordingly 
he was mounted on a donkey, and held on by two men, 
one on either side. Thus he started most satisfactorily 
and exceedingly proud. 
On his return the following day, he said that the 
villagers had given him the fowls immediately, as he 
had told them that he had thirty Turks staying 
with him on a visit, and that they would burn and 
plunder the country unless they were immediately 
supplied. He considered this trifling deviation from 
fact as a great stroke of diplomacy in procuring the 
fowls. 
Six days after the loss of my horse, I was delighted 
to see him brought back by the natives safe and well. 
They had hunted through an immense tract of country, 
and had found him grazing. He was naturally a most 
vicious horse, and the natives were afraid to touch 
him ; they had accordingly,driven him before them 
until they gained the path, which he then gladly 
followed. The saddle was in its place, but my sword 
was gone. 
The rains were terrific; the mornings were invari¬ 
ably fine, but the clouds gathered upon the mountains 
soon after noon and ended daily in a perfect deluge. 
Not being able to proceed south, I determined to 
return to my head-quarters at Latooka, and to wait 
for the dry season. I had made the reconnaissance to 
Farajoke, in latitude 3° 32", and I saw my way clear 
for the future, provided my animals should remain in 
good condition. Accordingly, on the 21st of May, we 
