believing that they could secure their end
by a repetition of their visit, as they had done on the Shire, they
decided to return to the vessel at Dakanamoio island; but, instead of
returning by the way they came, they passed down southwards close by
Mount Chiradzuru, among the relatives of Chibisa, and thence by the pass
Zedi, down to the Shire. The Kroomen had, while we were away, cut a good
supply of wood for steaming, and we soon proceeded down the river.

The steamer reached Tette on the 23rd of June, and, after undergoing
repairs, proceeded to the Kongone to receive provisions from one of H.M.
cruisers. We had been very abundantly supplied with first-rate stores,
but were unfortunate enough to lose a considerable portion of them, and
had now to bear the privation as best we could. On the way down, we
purchased a few gigantic cabbages and pumpkins at a native village below
Mazaro. Our dinners had usually consisted of but a single course; but we
were surprised the next day by our black cook from Sierra Leone bearing
in a second course. "What have you got there?" was asked in wonder. "A
tart, sir." "A tart! of what is it made?" "Of cabbage, sir." As we had
no sugar, and could not "make believe," as in the days of boyhood, we did
not enjoy the feast that Tom's genius had prepared. Her Majesty's brig
"Persian," Lieutenant Saumarez commanding, called on her way to the Cape;
and, though somewhat short of provisions herself, generously gave us all
she could spare. We now parted with our Kroomen, as, from their
inability to march, we could not use them in our land journeys. A crew
was picked out from the Makololo, who, besides being good travellers,
could cut wood, work the ship, and required only native food.

While at the Kongone it was found necessary to beach the steamer for
repairs. She was built of a newly invented sort of steel plates, only a
sixteenth of an inch in thickness, patented, but unfortunately never
tried before. To build an exploring ship of untried material was a
mistake. Some chemical action on this preparation of steel caused a
minute hole; from this point, branches like lichens, or the little ragged
stars we sometimes see in thawing ice, radiated in all directions. Small
holes went through wherever a bend occurred in these branches. The
bottom very soon became like a sieve, completely full of minute holes,
which leaked perpetually. The engineer stopped the larger ones, but the
vesse