A WILD-GOOSE CHASE. 
2I 5 
was likely to prove an heirloom to be completed by a 
succeeding generation. 
The Kiboso language, a dialect of the Caga tribes, 
was unintelligible to Martin, and we became entirely 
dependent upon our two interpreters, Esa-Moussa and 
Kicaga. Sina made us a present of a very fat sheep, by 
way of making up for the misfortune of our having 
been unable to join him in a bowl of pombe when we 
forwarded our first gifts. I was told, however, that our 
ten envoys who conveyed them acted as our proxies 
to their utmost capacity, and did full justice to the 
beverage placed before them. 
While here, I engaged a few of Sina’s men and went 
in search of the game declared to be so plentiful about 
two hours’ journey west of our camp, which was 
4400 feet above the sea-level. After crossing a series 
of six small but very steep ravines, and passing through 
many shambas and banana plantations watered by 
storage reservoirs in connection with artificial channels, 
we. came to the edge of the thick forest, where I was 
informed we must await the arrival of some natives 
living a considerable distance off. 
We had then been marching for one hour and a half, 
so I hazarded the hope that we were now within half 
an hour of the game-country. The reply, though not 
altogether surprising, was most unsatisfactory, as from 
it we gathered there was no chance of seeing a head 
of game within a distance that could only be covered 
by a six hours’ further march. Though all my pre¬ 
vious experience had taught me to distrust the native 
