422 
THE NIGHT RETREAT. 
[chap. XV. 
Our course was about E.N.E. The moon was 
bright, but the great height of the grass shadowed 
the narrow path so that neither ruts nor stones were 
visible. The dew was exceedingly heavy, and in 
brushing through the rank vegetation we were soon 
wet to the skin. This was our first attempt at walking 
a distance since many months, and being dreadfully 
out of condition, I much feared that one of us might 
be attacked by fever before we should have accom¬ 
plished the march ; at all events, there was no alter¬ 
native but to push ahead until we should reach Fo- 
weera, however distant. We walked for about three 
hours along a narrow but unmistakeable path, well- 
trodden by the cattle and people that had accom¬ 
panied Kamrasi. Suddenly we arrived at a place 
where a path diverged to the right, while another 
led to the left: the former was much trodden by 
cattle, and the guides declared this to be the right 
direction. Perfectly certain of their mistake, as Fo- 
weera lay to the east, while such a course would lead 
us due south, I refused to follow, and ordered the 
party to halt while I made a survey of the neigh¬ 
bourhood. I shortly discovered in the bright moon¬ 
light that the larger path to the south had been caused 
by the cattle that had been driven in that direction, 
but had again returned by the same route. It was 
evident that some village lay to the south, at which 
Kamrasi and his army had slept, and that they had 
returned by the same path to the Foweera main route 
on the following morning. I soon discovered cattle 
tracks on the smaller path to the east; this I deter¬ 
mined to follow. My guides were of little use, and 
they confessed that they had only once visited the 
Foweera country. We were bound for the principal 
village that belonged to the chief Kalloe, an excellent 
man, who had frequently visited us at Kisoona. 
Not far from the branch roads we came suddenly 
upon a few huts, the inmates of which were awake. 
They gave us the unpleasant intelligence that the 
