CHAP. X.] 
DECEIT OF TEE GUIDE. 
287 
stumps of palm trees blazing; until we at length 
reached another swamp. There the fire had terminated 
in its course south, being stopped by the high green 
reeds, and it was raging to the east and west. Again 
the tedious operation had to be performed, and the 
grass was fired in many places on the opposite side of 
the swamp, while we waited until the cleared way was 
sufficiently cool to allow the march. We were perfectly 
black, as the wind brought showers of ashes that fell 
like snow, but turned us into Ethiopians. I had led the 
way on foot from the hour we left Fatiko, as, the 
country being uninhabited for five days 7 march between 
that place and Kamrasi’s, the men had more faith in 
my steering by the compass than they had in the 
native guide. I felt sure that we were being deceived, 
and that the woman Bacheeta had directed the guide 
to take us to Rionga’s. Accordingly that night, when 
Canopus was in the meridian, I asked our conductor 
to point by a star the direction of Karuma Falls. He 
immediately pointed to Canopus, which I knew by 
Speke’s map should be the direction of Rionga’s islands, 
and I charged him with the deceit. He appeared very 
much astonished, and asked me “ why I wanted a 
guide if I knew the way ? ” confessing that Karuma 
Falls were “ a little to the east of the star.” I thanked 
Speke and Grant at that moment, and upon many other 
occasions, for the map they had so generously given 
me ! It has been my greatest satisfaction to have 
completed their great discovery, and to bear testi¬ 
mony to the correctness of their map and general 
observations. 
The march was exceedingly fatiguing : there was a 
swamp at least every half hour during the day, at 
each of which we had the greatest difficulty in driving 
the oxen, who were above the girths in mud. One 
swamp was so deep that we had to carry the luggage 
piecemeal on an angarep by about twelve men, and my 
wife being subjected to the same operation was too 
heavy, and the people returned with her as imprac- 
