Upon arrival at streams upon the route, they had drunk too
greedily, and some had died of inflammation.
"The natives purchased live goats at the rate of about 30 lbs. of flour.
This was an equal exchange in live weight of the animal; a pound of
flour for a pound of goat.
"February 14. - The whole country turned out to hunt, and the natives
returned in the evening, having only killed two buffaloes and a few
small antelopes. Even the small boys are armed in this country with bows
and barbed arrows, with which they shoot remarkably well.
"February 15. - The old sheik, Abbio, accompanied by Wani, appeared
early, together with a considerable number of natives. They selected 396
cows from my zareeba, and a similar number of men promised to start
to-morrow with fifty soldiers to convoy the material from the vessels.
"February 16. - After some delay the natives assembled, and with horns
blowing and much shouting and whistling, they at length started,
together with our return sailors, and an escort of fifty soldiers.
"I shall thus, after much care and anxiety, be able to push on with a
quantity of goods sufficient to open the path and to establish relations
with the equatorial countries. I shall have 212 troops and a good supply
of ammunition, goods, and cattle: thus there should be no insurmountable
difficulty.
"I wrote to Mr. Higginbotham, also to Mr. Marcopolo, and sent the
letters inclosed in a bottle.
"February 17. A slight shower fell this morning. The sheik of Mooge
arrived to see me last evening, and presented a fat goat.
"I am trying to persuade him and old Abbio to join in cutting the
cart-road through the forest from Mooge. I gave Abbio a mixture of
sulphate of zinc for his eyes, and put a mustard plaster on Wani the
interpreter's stomach. At first he said it was of no use, as it only
felt like cold water, but when it began to burn, he was greatly amazed,
and said the cold water had turned to fire.
"I then physicked Colonel Abd-el-Kader and Monsoor, both of whom were
overheated.
"A judicious present of a few blue shirts to certain headmen put every
one in good humour.
"February 18. - I took a stroll for some miles in the forest accompanied
by Lieutenant Baker. Game was very scarce, but we at length came upon a
fine herd of tetel (Antelope Babalis). These having been disturbed by
the noise we had made in walking over loose stony ground, dashed through
the open forest, about 120 paces in my front. I shot one through the
shoulder, and upon running up I found it in the act of falling.
"I then heard a shot from Lieutenant Baker on my left, to whom my shot
had turned the antelopes. He had killed a very large bull by a good shot
in the neck.
"This luck was a windfall for the Lobore natives who had accompanied us;
and a man immediately started off for assistance, as many men were
required to transport the flesh and hides of such large animals.
"February 19.-The natives begged that we would accompany them to hunt,
and they started with a considerable party.
"Having formed a long line like skirmishers, with intervals of about ten
yards between each, they advanced with their bows prepared, and the
arrows on the string, ready for a shot on the instant should game start
on foot. There were many boys of about twelve years old, all of whom
were armed with bows and arrows, and they advanced in the same line with
the men. There were too many people, and the game became scared; so that
after a long walk, we returned to camp without having fired a shot.
"I found some very curious flowers, which issued from the ground in
pods, without leaves; these burst and threw out beautiful compact silk
balls in great numbers, not half of which could be returned to the pod
that had scattered them.
"On 22nd February we had purchased and stored, in expectation of the
arrival of the troops, 3,740 lbs. of flour.
"I was determined to carry a large supply to the south, as the country
had in some places been depopulated by the slave-hunters.
"February 23. - I went out with Lieutenant Baker, accompanied by some
natives, and travelled over very likely ground, composed of forest,
glades, ravines full of bamboos, &c., until we reached the base of Gebel
Forke.
"We had passed over several miles and had only seen a few small
antelopes, when upon ascending some rising ground in the very open
forest, we caught sight of a herd of tetel bounding along through some
high grass towards some low, rocky hills, a few hundred yards distant.
There were many large trees growing out of the clefts of the rocks, and
I proposed that Lieutenant Baker should go round the hill on my right,
while I should creep quietly over the summit of the rocks, as I expected
we should find the antelopes standing in some sheltered glade.
"When I arrived at the base of the small hill, which was not higher than
seventy or eighty feet, and was composed of large masses of granite, I
carefully ascended, without making the slightest noise.
"On arrival at the denuded summit, I was well concealed by a detached
block of granite that lay upon a flat weather-worn surface of the same
rock.
"I raised my head, and looked in vain for the antelopes. The ground was
a beautiful park, characterized by numerous masses of granite, like
ruined castles, among trees of all shades of green. The ground was
covered with young grass about six inches high, which had sprung up
after the annual fire that had destroyed the last year's dry herbage.
