th, parallel, in fact, to the course we were following.

Still proceeding due north, we arrived on the summit of a great dome,
2,500 ft., from which point we had to alter our course to the north-west,
owing to an isolated impassable barrier which we left on our right
(north). It had steep slopes but well-rounded terminal points. It
extended from N.N.E. to S.S.W., and had a height of some 150 ft. above
the flat _serradao_, on which my skeleton-like mules wended their way
among the stunted trees, the bells dangling from their necks monotonously
tinkling--not the gay, brisk tinkling of animals full of life, as when we
had left Goyaz, but the weak, mournful sound--ding ... ding ... ding--of
tired, worn-out beasts, stumbling along anyhow. Occasionally one heard
the crashing of broken branches or of trees collapsing at the collision
with the packs, or the violent braying of the animals when stung in
sensitive parts by an extra-violent fly; otherwise there was silence, the
silence of death, all round us.

The poor brutes tore mouthfuls of grass, now on one side then on the
other, as they went along; but the grazing was poor in the _serradao_,
and the animals found only enough to subsist upon. Two of them were
absolutely disabled, owing to accidents we had had; and, with the animals
I had lost, this involved loading extra heavily those still able to
carry. The constant collisions against the stunted trees in that
trail-less region injured the animals considerably and caused nasty sores
and swellings all over their bodies. I saw well that the poor beasts
would not last much longer. It was impossible to halt a sufficient time
to let them recover in that particular region, with food so scarce--it
would have taken them months. In the meantime our provisions were being
fast consumed--or rather wasted--and we had thousands of kilometres to go
yet. My men never suspected this, or they would have never come on; but I
knew only too well.

They still insisted on marching with their loaded rifles, fully cocked,
resting horizontally upon their shoulders; and as we marched naturally in
single file, and as we used cordite cartridges with bullets of high
penetration, there was still a prospect of a bullet going through one or
more of us. Once or twice again a rifle went off unexpectedly by
accident. It would have been terrible for any one of a nervous
temperament to be travelling with such companions. On previous
expeditions I had generally