416 
WE ARE DESERTED. 
[chap. XV. 
us in an endless string. It was pouring with rain, and 
women carrying their children were slipping along the 
muddy path, while throngs of armed men and porters 
pushed rudely by, until at last the gallant Kamrasi 
himself appeared with a great number of women (his 
wives), several of whom were carried on litters, being 
too fat to walk. He took no notice of me as he passed 
by. M’Gambi was standing by me, and he explained 
that we were to close the rear, Kamrasi having con¬ 
cluded that it was advisable to have the guns between 
him and the enemy. For upwards of an hour the 
crowd of thousands of people and cattle filed past;— 
at length the last straggler closed the line of march ; 
but where were our promised porters ? Not a man was 
forthcoming, and we were now the sole occupants of 
the deserted village excepting M’Gambi and Cassave. 
These men declared that the people were so frightened 
that no one would remain to carry us and our effects, 
but that they would go to a neighbouring village and 
bring porters to convey us to Foweera to-morrow, as 
that was the spot where Kamrasi wished us to camp ; 
at Foweera there was no high grass, and the country 
was perfectly open, so that the rifles could command 
an extensive range. The cunning and duplicity of 
Kamrasi were extraordinary—he promised, only to 
deceive : his object in leaving us here was preme¬ 
ditated, as he knew that the M was, should they pursue 
him, must fight us before they could follow on his 
path ;—we were therefore to be left to defend his rear. 
The order to camp at Foweera had a similar motive. 
I knew the country, as we had passed it on our march 
from Atada to MTooli ; it was about three miles from 
Karuma Falls, and would form a position in Kamrasi s 
rear when he should locate himself upon the island. 
Foweera was an excellent military point, as it was 
equidistant from the Nile north and east at the angle 
where the river turned to the west from Atada. 
I was so annoyed at the deception practised by 
Kamrasi that I determined to fraternise with the M was 
