A FIRST ASCFNT. 
239 
day—in fact on the 22nd of September—while I was 
working at my collections of plants in the late after¬ 
noon, and preparing to clear the table for dinner to be 
laid, two men, breathless and speechless, emerged 
from the steep ascent on the eastern flank of our hill 
and stood before me. I immediately recognized 
Abdallah and Kadn Stanley, whom I had left behind 
at Taveita, to report the arrival of the caravan, but 
their silence seemed so ominous that I could merely 
stare in suspended apprehension. However, they were 
only speechless from their steep and exhausting climb, 
and as soon as they had recovered their wind they 
ambled forward with beaming faces,- kissed my hands, 
and said, 44 Oh, Bwana, nothing but good news ! good 
news ! Kiongwe has returned, and all is well. 55 With 
these words they threw at my feet a bag of letters, 
and squatted down in my doorway to pant at their 
ease. The revulsion of feeling within me was won¬ 
derful. I now lost my calm, contented resignation of 
heretofore, and yearned to do great things. No longer 
need I cajole Mandara and elude the bloodthirsty Wa- 
kiboso. With the reinforcements that were now 
arriving, I should have at my disposal a force of over 
sixty men, with which I could disregard the goodwill 
of the natives of Kilima-njaro, and quietly pursue my 
mission without fear of hindrance. 
However, I was not yet free from difficulties, though 
the termination of my trials seemed at hand. Mandara, 
hitherto, especially after his recent amiable behaviour, 
had cherished the notion that my residence in his 
country would be perpetual, and would probably 
become very angry if he found out I was entertaining 
a project of withdrawing from Mosi and transferring 
my expedition to the country of his enemies. Conse- 
