CHAPTER XIII. 
TREACHEROUS DESIGNS OF THE NATIVES. 
We were prisoners on the island of Patooan, as we 
could not procure porters at any price to remove our 
effects. We had lost all our riding oxen within a few 
days; they had succumbed to the flies, and the only 
animal alive was already half dead; this was the little 
bull that had always carried the boy Saat. It was the 
8 th April, and within a few days the boats upon which 
we depended for our return to civilization would as¬ 
suredly quit Gondokoro. I offered the natives all the 
beads that I had (about 50 lbs.), and the whole of my 
baggage, if they would carry us to Shooa direct from 
this spot. We were in perfect despair, as we were both 
completely worn out with fever and fatigue, and certain 
death seemed to stare us in the face should we remain 
in this unhealthy spot; worse than death was the idea 
of losing the boats and becoming prisoners for another 
year in this dreadful land; which must inevitably 
happen should we not hurry direct to Gondokoro with¬ 
out delay. The natives, with their usual cunning, at 
length offered to convey us to Shooa, provided that I 
paid them the beads in advance; the boats were pre¬ 
pared to ferry us across the river, but I fortunately 
discovered through the woman Bacheeta their treach¬ 
erous intention of placing us on the uninhabited 
wilderness on the north side, and leaving us to die of 
hunger. They had conspired together to land us, but 
