388 TRAVELS 
the number fhe intended. She is defrauded of her eggs as before, 
and continues repeating the fame procefs four or five times, when 
the man, who has by this time gathered perhaps a fcore of eggs 
from the fame neft, fuffers her to lay the laft for the increafe of 
her family. As foon as the eggs are hatched, the mother takes the 
chicks gently in her bill, carries and lays them down at the foot 
of the tree, where Ihe teaches them the way to the river, in which 
they inftantly fwim with an aftonifhing facility. 
From Kardis to Kengis is a diftance of fifteen miles, which is 
accomplifhed with great fatigue, on account of continued cataradls 
and the violent current of the river. Befides the danger of che 
water-falls, \ve w 7 ere much molefted by a fpecies of gnat, a cir- 
cumftance which, in comparifon of what we were to experience 
afterwards, perhaps does not deferve to be noticed in this place. 
Our fervants began to murmur and complain of the excefs of 
their hardfhips, of the extravagance of our travels: they thought 
it extremely foolifh to fufFer and hazard fo much in a country 
where one does not meet with any of the enjoyments of life, not 
even with a bottle of wine, or fo much as an alehoufe : in fliort 
they made us underlfand that the country contained nothing in 
the fmalleft degree interefting to them, and that their only wifli 
was to return. We endeavoured to conduct ourfelves like good 
officers; but though we fet them an example of perfect fobriety, 
and fhared with them the fame bread and dried meat, as well as 
the fame trouble and hardfhips, it was impoffible to recal them to 
good humour; nor could they ever forget that they were Rill 
about 
