in, and slag from
iron furnaces. The guide was rather offended because he did not get
meat and meal, though he is accustomed to leaves at home, and we had
none to give except by wanting ourselves: he found a mess without much
labour in the forest. My stock of meal came to an end to-day, but
Simon gave me some of his. It is not the unpleasantness of eating
unpalatable food that teases one, but we are never satisfied; I could
brace myself to dispose of a very unsavoury mess, and think no more
about it; but this maere engenders a craving which plagues day and
night incessantly.

_10th January, 1867._--We crossed the Muasi, flowing strongly to the
east to the Loangwa River.

In the afternoon an excessively heavy thunderstorm wetted us all to
the skin before any shelter could be made. Two of our men wandered,
and other two remained behind lost, as our track was washed out by the
rains. The country is a succession of enormous waves, all covered with
jungle, and no traces of paths; we were in a hollow, and our firing
was not heard till this morning, when we ascended a height and were
answered. I am thankful that up one was lost, for a man might wander a
long time before reaching a village. Simon gave me a little more of
his meal this morning, and went without himself: I took my belt up
three holes to relieve hunger. We got some wretched wild fruit like
that called "jambos" in India, and at midday reached the village of
Chafunga. Famine here too, but some men had killed an elephant and
came to sell the dried meat: it was high, and so were their prices;
but we are obliged to give our best from this craving hunger.

_12th January, 1867._--Sitting down this morning near a tree my head
was just one yard off a good-sized cobra, coiled up in the sprouts at
its root, but it was benumbed with cold: a very pretty little
puff-adder lay in the path, also benumbed; it is seldom that any harm
is done by these reptiles here, although it is different in India. We
bought up all the food we could get; but it did not suffice for the
marches we expect to make to get to the Chambeze, where food is said
to be abundant, we were therefore again obliged to travel on Sunday.
We had prayers before starting; but I always feel that I am not doing
fight, it lessens the sense of obligation in the minds of my
companions; but I have no choice. We went along a rivulet till it
ended in a small lake, Mapampa or Chimbwe, about five miles long, and
one and a h