e traveller would be utterly
helpless. The difficulty of procuring porters limits the amount of
baggage; thus a given supply must carry you through a certain period of
time. If your supply should fail, the expedition terminates with
your power of giving. It is thus extremely difficult to arrange
the expenditure so as to satisfy all parties and still to retain a
sufficient balance. Being utterly cut off from all communication
with the world, there is no possibility of receiving assistance. The
traveller depends entirely upon himself, under Providence, and must
adapt himself and his means to circumstances.

The day of starting at length arrived. The chief and guide appeared,
and we were led to the Kafoor River, where canoes were in readiness
to transport us to the south side. This was to our old quarters on the
marsh. The direct course to the lake was west, and I fully expected some
deception, as it was impossible to trust Kamrasi. I complained to the
guide, and insisted upon his pointing out the direction of the lake,
which he did, in its real position, west; but he explained that we must
follow the south bank of the Kafoor River for some days, as there was
an impassable morass that precluded a direct course. This did not appear
satisfactory, and the whole affair looked suspicious, as we had formerly
been deceived by being led across the river to the same spot, and not
allowed to return. We were now led along the banks of the Kafoor for
about a mile, until we arrived at a cluster of huts; here we were to
wait for Kamrasi, who had promised to take leave of us. The sun was
overpowering, and we dismounted from our oxen and took shelter in a
blacksmith's shed. In about an hour Kamrasi arrived, attended by a
considerable number of men, and took his seat in our shed. I felt
convinced that his visit was simply intended to peel the last skin from
the onion. I had already given him nearly all that I had, but he hoped
to extract the whole before I should depart.

He almost immediately commenced the conversation by asking for a pretty
yellow muslin Turkish handkerchief fringed with silver drops that Mrs.
Baker wore upon her head. One of these had already been given to him,
and I explained that this was the last remaining, and that she required
it.... He "must" have it.... It was given. He then demanded other
handkerchiefs. We had literally nothing but a few most ragged towels. He
would accept no excuse, and insisted upon a portman