rge
of the white man unless an interpreter was left with him, and Jako, who
was the only one of the party besides Bombay and Selim who could speak
English, was ordered to remain in that capacity.

The expedition was now about to enter Ugogo. During the passage of the
intervening desert, five out of the nine donkeys died, the cart having
some time before been left behind.

The expedition was now joined by several Arab caravans, so that the
number of the party amounted to about four hundred souls, strong in
guns, flags, horns sounding, drums, and noise. This host was to be led
by Stanley and Sheikh Hamed through the dreaded Ugogo.

On the 26th of May they were at Mvumi, paying heavy tribute to the
sultan. Nothing seemed to satisfy him. Stanley suggested that as he
had twenty Wazunga armed with Winchester repeating rifles, he might make
the sultan pay tribute to him. The sheikh entreated that he would act
peaceably, urging that angry words might induce the sultan to demand
double the tribute.

While here five more donkeys died, and their bones were picked clean
before the morning by the hyaenas.

The tribute was paid to preserve peace, and on the 27th, shaking the
dust of Mvumi off their feet, the party proceeded westward. The country
was one vast field of grain, and thickly populated.

Between that place and the next sultan's district twenty-five villages
were counted. Whenever they halted large groups of people assembled and
greeted with peals of laughter the dress and manner of the _mzungu_, or
white man, and more than once had to be kept at a distance by Stanley's
rifle or pistols, sometimes his thick whip coming into play.

After this a dense jungle was entered, the path serpentining in and out
of it; again open tracts of grass bleached white were passed: now it led
through thickets of gums and thorns, producing an odour as rank as a
stable; now through clumps of wide-spreading mimosa and colonies of
baobab-trees across a country teeming with noble game, which, though
frequently seen, were yet as safe from their rifles as if they had been
on the Indian Ocean. But the road they were on admitted of no delay;
water had been left behind at noon; until noon the next day not a drop
was to be obtained, and unless they marched fast and long, raging thirst
would demoralise everybody.

After this wearisome journey Stanley was again attacked by fever, which
it required a whole day's halt and fifty grains of quin