I Had Three Muskets For My People, A Rifle And Double-Barreled Smooth-Bore
For Myself; And, Having Seen Such Great Abundance Of Game
In My Visit To The Leeba, I Imagined That I Could Easily Supply
The Wants Of My Party.
Wishing also to avoid the discouragement
which would naturally be felt on meeting any obstacles if my companions
were
Obliged to carry heavy loads, I took only a few biscuits,
a few pounds of tea and sugar, and about twenty of coffee,
which, as the Arabs find, though used without either milk or sugar,
is a most refreshing beverage after fatigue or exposure to the sun.
We carried one small tin canister, about fifteen inches square,
filled with spare shirting, trowsers, and shoes, to be used when we reached
civilized life, and others in a bag, which were expected to wear out
on the way; another of the same size for medicines; and a third for books,
my stock being a Nautical Almanac, Thomson's Logarithm Tables, and a Bible;
a fourth box contained a magic lantern, which we found of much use.
The sextant and artificial horizon, thermometer, and compasses
were carried apart. My ammunition was distributed in portions
through the whole luggage, so that, if an accident should befall one part,
we could still have others to fall back upon. Our chief hopes for food
were upon that; but in case of failure, I took about 20 lbs. of beads,
worth 40s., which still remained of the stock I brought from Cape Town,
a small gipsy tent, just sufficient to sleep in, a sheep-skin mantle
as a blanket, and a horse-rug as a bed.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 358 of 1070
Words from 102555 to 102833
of 306638
