CHAPTER XXVII 
Good-bye to the lake—The Zouga river—Makehto—The runner—We are very 
hungry—I eat ants—The letter trees—Chief Gumpo nearly killed by a 
lioness—A game of cards mystifies the natives -Mosquitoes—Spurious lion- 
hunt in the moonlight—River widens into swamps—Columns of mosquitoes— 
Bad water—Leave the Zouga—Biting flies—The swearing khoran. 
While discussing the probabilities of our journey to Mongwato, 
Stremboom, who found himself short of various light articles, 
suggested that Steele should go out with a two-wheeled empty 
cart and a fresh span of oxen, to return immediately with what 
he required. This was too good an opportunity to go forward 
on our journey to be missed by us; for it was a matter easily 
understood that an empty cart would probably'complete the 
distance in half the time that the more cumbersome and laden 
wagon would require for the same purpose. Besides, we had 
no desire to await Steele’s return to the lake to fetch the wagon 
out. We’made very light of the fact that we should probably 
have to walk the whole way, as the cart was too small to permit 
us all to ride : for we considered it but a poor equivalent for the 
loss of time to sit on the rails of a wagon dragging at the rate 
of less than two miles an hour through the sand. Franz, and 
also Paul, who had elected to remain with us when our boys 
departed for their homes, not trusting the friendliness of the 
Baros in this instance to reach beyond the influence of our pro¬ 
tection, were to go out with us to Mongwato. And so with many 
farewells to Stremboom, who was deeply affected at our depar¬ 
ture and complained bitterly of the solitude in store for him, 
the king—who asked me to remember and send him a smart 
uniform—his wives, the Jacobses, and the chiefs, especially 
Mashabie, to whom we had taken a great liking, we tossed 
our bundles of bedding, corn, ammunition, etc., now reduced to 
