The Natives
With Their Usual Cunning At Length Offered To Convey Us To Shooa,
Provided That I Paid Them The Beads In Advance.
The boats were prepared
to ferry us across the river; but I fortunately discovered through the
woman Bacheeta their treacherous intention of placing us on the
uninhabited wilderness on the north side, and leaving us to die of
hunger.
They had conspired together to land us, but to return
immediately with the boats after having thus got rid of the incubus of
their guests.
We were in a great dilemma. Had we been in good health, I would have
forsaken everything but the guns and ammunition, and have marched
directly to Gondokoro on foot; but this was utterly impossible. Neither
my wife nor I could walk a quarter of a mile without fainting. There was
no guide, and the country was now overgrown with impenetrable grass and
tangled vegetation eight feet high. We were in the midst of the rainy
season - not a day passed without a few hours of deluge. Altogether it
was a most heart-breaking position. Added to the distress of mind at
being thus thwarted, there was also a great scarcity of provision. Many
of my men were weak, the whole party having suffered much from fever; in
fact, we were completely helpless.
Our guide, Rabonga, who had accompanied us from M'rooli, had absconded,
and we were left to shift for ourselves. I was determined not to remain
on the island, as I suspected that the boats might be taken away, and
that we should be kept prisoners; I therefore ordered my men to take the
canoes, and to ferry us to the main land, from whence we had come.
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