me thought that they
heard two shots. This misled us, and we went towards the sound through
papyrus, tall rushes, arums, and grass, till tired out, and took refuge
on an ant-hill for the night. Lion roaring. We were lost in stiff grassy
prairies, from three to four feet deep in water, for five hours. We
fired a gun in the stillness of the night, but received no answer; so on
the _8th_ we sent a small canoe at daybreak to ask for information and
guides from the village where the drums had been beaten. Two men came,
and they thought likewise that our party was south-east; but in that
direction the water was about fifteen inches in spots and three feet in
others, which caused constant dragging of the large canoe all day, and
at last we unloaded at another branch of the Muanakazi with a village of
friendly people. We slept there.

All hands at the large canoe could move her only a few feet. Putting
all their strength to her, she stopped at every haul with a jerk, as if
in a bank of adhesive plaister. I measured the crown of a papyrus plant
or palm, it was three feet across horizontally, its stalk eight feet in
height. Hundreds of a large dark-grey hairy caterpillar have nearly
cleared off the rushes in spots, and now live on each other. They can
make only the smallest progress by swimming or rather wriggling in the
water: their motion is that of a watch-spring thrown down, dilating and
contracting.

_9th April, 1873._--After two hours' threading the very winding, deep
channel of this southern branch of the Muanakazi, we came to where our
land party had crossed it and gone on to Gandochite, a chief on the
Lolotikila. My men were all done up, so I hired a man to call some of
his friends to take the loads; but he was stopped by his relations in
the way, saying, "You ought to have one of the traveller's own people
with you." He returned, but did not tell us plainly or truly till this
morning.

[The recent heavy exertions, coupled with constant exposure and extreme
anxiety and annoyance, no doubt brought on the severe attack which is
noticed, as we see in the words of the next few days.]

_10th April, 1873._--The headman of the village explained, and we sent
two of our men, who had a night's rest with the turnagain fellow of
yesterday. I am pale, bloodless, and; weak from bleeding profusely ever
since the 31st of March last: an artery gives off a copious stream, and
takes away my strength. Oh, how I long to be permitted by t