eenth day they came to a populated plain, where the
Wazavila, by the sale of two slaves, obtained sufficient food to
distribute a week's rations to each man of the caravan; and in order
that their human cattle might recuperate somewhat, they rested in the
plain two days. The Wazavila had still nearly one hundred and seventy
slaves, over eighty having perished since the night of the attack.

When they continued their march the direction which they took was nearly
due north, as they were now about a hundred and forty miles due east of
the Sea of Ujiji, the great lake in whose troubled waters Kalulu and his
companions came so near to an untimely end. During nearly the whole
march rain had fallen, and the plain through which they now traversed
added by its marshy character to increase the fatigue of marching.

In two days the plain had sensibly declined to a lower level, and the
water rushing from the higher ground had inundated the whole of that
part of it they now traversed to the depth of about six inches; in some
places it was still deeper. This portion of the plain the Wazavila told
Moto was called Bikwa; and from general conversation that he heard, he
knew that shortly they might expect to see a river called the Bungwa,
which every year during the rainy season flooded its banks. It was for
the purpose of giving their starved slaves strength to cross this
terrible plain that the Wazavila had halted two days, as it required a
long day's march to traverse the inundated part and to cross the river,
on the other side of which was higher ground; while, had they been
compelled to travel to the eastward, three days would not have sufficed
to get over the swampy plain.

Moto communicated his opinions to Simba, declaring that he thought the
time to try to make their escape had arrived. It would probably be
night, or nearly so, by the time they would reach the river, and, in
order to save their slaves from drowning, the Wazavila would be
compelled to free them. Simba coincided with Moto, and they passed the
word to their friends to hold themselves ready for any contingency that
might arise.

What little strength the wearied women and children had gained by their
two days' rest was soon exhausted in the passage of the Bikwa swamp.
The quagmiry road, trodden into tenacious paste by the long file of
human beings ahead, soon rendered travelling by those behind them a work
of unconquerable difficulty, and some unfortunate wo