CHAPTER XI. 
THE START FOR THE LAKE. 
The day of starting at length arrived; the chief and 
guide appeared, and we were led to the Kafoor river, 
where canoes were in readiness to transport us to the 
south side. This was to our old quarters on the marsh ! 
The direct course to the lake was west, and I fully 
expected some deception, as it was impossible to trust 
Kamrasi. I complained to the guide, and insisted upon 
his pointing out the direction of the lake, which he did, 
in its real position, west; but he explained that we 
must follow the south bank of the Kafoor river for 
some days, as . there was an impassable morass that 
precluded a direct course. This did not appear satis¬ 
factory, and the whole affair looked suspicious, as we 
had formerly been deceived by being led across the 
river in the same spot, and not allowed to return. We 
were now led along the banks of the Kafoor for about 
a mile, until we arrived at a cluster of huts; here 
we were to wait for Kamrasi, who had promised to 
take leave of us. The sun was overpowering, and we 
dismounted from our oxen, and took shelter in a 
blacksmiths shed. In about an hour Kamrasi arrived, 
attended by a considerable number of men, and took 
his seat in our shed. I felt convinced that his visit 
was simply intended to peel the last skin from the onion. 
I had already given him nearly all that I had, but 
he hoped to extract the whole before I should depart. 
