ble; and what with the heat, and the too constant
meat diet, sores attacked the whole party, breaking out on all parts of
the body.

Night had closed round the little camp on the Suave river; the day had
been hot and sultry, and the route had lain over plains covered with
wild cotton, and among groves of trees closely resembling the orange,
but at that time of the year not bearing fruit. Masheesh, who had been
a day's journey to the eastward of north, in order to strike a large
native kraal and obtain information, had just rejoined the camp, but his
tidings were of a very mixed description. The tent was pitched under
the spreading branches of a mashonga tree. A huge fire was lighted; a
good supper had closed the fatigues of the day, and the men were fast
asleep round the blaze, having gorged themselves with eland meat Captain
Hughes was engaged sponging out a rifle, and near him, in the full blaze
of the fire, Luji was skinning a small animal shot that day. It was a
beautiful little creature of the squirrel tribe, about a foot long, of a
bright yellowish red, barred here and there with black. The tail was at
least three inches longer than the animal itself, and glossy black at
the end. Wyzinski was earnestly studying a piece of broken stone, on
which appeared some rude and defaced carvings; while, squatted on the
ground, looking up into the missionary's face, quite naked and his head
ornamented with the waving ostrich plume, the firelight danced over
Hasheesh's black face and quick intelligent eyes.

"The Batonga tell," said he, "of a range of mountains to the northward
and eastward, called `Gorongoza.'"

"It is not the place we seek. Gorongoza is known to the Portuguese."

"The white chief seeks the broken stone huts," replied Masheesh, "and
the Batonga tell of graves marked by stones lying on the mountain range
of Gorongoza."

"And do not they know of others?" asked the missionary.

"Yes," replied the chief; "far to the eastward. Near the mouth of the
river lie ruins, looking over the big water; it is from these that the
stone which my father holds in his hand came."

Wyzinski stooped over the fire and carefully examined the fragment.
That it had been carved was evident, but it was so broken and defaced
that he could make nothing of it. The chief continued--

"These ruins by the big water the Batonga call `Sofala,' but to the
northward and westward lies a large kraal. It is some days' journey
from S