carried to Kasekera, by Susi's party
where, from an evident disinclination to receive it into the village, an
encampment was made outside. A consultation now became necessary. There
was no disguising the fact that, if they kept along the main road,
intelligence would precede them concerning that in which they were
engaged, stirring up certain hostility and jeopardising the most
precious charge they had. A plan was quickly hit upon. Unobserved, the
men removed the corpse of the deceased explorer from the package in
which it had hitherto been conveyed, and buried the bark case in the hut
in the thicket around the village in which they had placed it. The
object now was to throw the villagers off their guard, by making believe
that they had relinquished the attempt to carry the body to Zanzibar.
They feigned that they had abandoned their task, having changed their
minds, and that it must be sent back to Unyanyembe to be buried there.
In the mean time the corpse of necessity had to be concealed in the
smallest space possible, if they were actually to convey it secretly for
the future; this was quickly managed.

Susi and Chuma went into the wood and stripped off a fresh length of
bark from an N'gombe tree; in this the remains, conveniently prepared as
to length, were placed, the whole being surrounded with calico in such
a manner as to appear like an ordinary travelling bale, which was then
deposited with the rest of the goods. They next proceeded to gather a
faggot of mapira-stalks, cutting them in lengths of six feet or so, and
swathing them round with cloth to imitate a dead body about to be
buried. This done, a paper, folded so as to represent a letter, was duly
placed in a cleft stick, according to the native letter-carrier's
custom, and six trustworthy men were told off ostensibly to go with the
corpse to Unyanyembe. With due solemnity the men set out; the villagers
were only too thankful to see it, and no one suspected the ruse. It was
near sundown. The bearers of the package held on their way, till fairly
beyond all chance of detection, and then began to dispose of their load.
The mapira-sticks were thrown one by one far away into the jungle, and
when all were disposed of, the wrappings were cunningly got rid of in
the same way. Going further on, first one man, and then another, sprung
clear from the path into the long grass, to leave no trace of footsteps,
and the whole party returned by different ways to their compa