VHAP. XV.] 
RICHARDS STORY. 
429 
soon arrived and was by far the most acceptable welcome 
to Richarn, who drank like a whale. So large was the 
gourd, that even after the mighty draught enough re¬ 
mained for the rest of the party to sip. Refreshed by 
the much-loved drink, Richarn now told us his story. 
When separated from Mahommed at the village he had 
found a great number of people, some of whom were 
our runaway porters; on his attempting to persuade 
them to return, a quarrel had taken place, and the 
chief of the village heading his men had advanced on 
Richarn and seized his gun ;—at the same time the 
chief called to his men to kill him. Richarn drew his 
knife to release his gun ; seeing which, the chief re¬ 
laxed his hold, and stepping a pace back he raised his 
lance to strike ;—at the same moment Richarn pulled 
the trigger and shot him dead. The natives, panic- 
stricken at the sudden effect of the shot, rushed away, 
and Richarn, profiting by the opportunity, disappeared 
in the high grass, and fled. Once in the interminable 
sea of grass that was almost impenetrable, he wandered 
for two days without water : hearing the distant roar 
of the Nile he at length reached it when nearly 
exhausted with thirst and fatigue ;—he then followed 
up the stream to Karuma, avoided the MVa,—and 
knowing the road thence to M rooli that we had for¬ 
merly travelled, he arrived at Foweera. His ramrod 
had been broken in the struggle when the chief seized 
his gun, and to his great astonishment I now showed 
him the piece that we had picked up on the pool of 
blood. He had made an excellent loading-rod with 
his hunting knife by shaping a sapling of hard wood, 
and had reloaded his gun ; thus with a good supply 
of ammunition he had not much fear of the natives. 
Kamrasi had evidently heard the true account of the 
affair. 
Late in the evening we heard from a native that 
the whole of Kalloe’s cattle that he had driven from 
Foweera had been captured by the enemy on their way 
to the river island, and that one of his sons and several 
