maliciously, for he came from the field bleeding profusely; no tree
would have perforated a round hole in this way. I take all the goods
and leave only the sepoys' luggage, which is enough for all the
animals now.

_9th May, 1866._--I went on with the Johanna men and twenty-four
carriers, for it was a pleasure to get away from the sepoys and
Nassick boys; the two combined to overload the animals. I told them
repeatedly that they would kill them, but no sooner had I adjusted the
burdens and turned my back than they put on all their things. It was
however such continual vexation to contend with the sneaking spirit,
that I gave up annoying myself by seeing matters, though I felt
certain that the animals would all be killed. We did at least eight
miles pleasantly well, and slept at Moedaa village. The rocks are
still syenite. We passed a valley with the large thorny acacias of
which canoes are often made, and a euphorbiaceous tree, with
seed-vessels as large as mandarin oranges, with three seeds inside. We
were now in a country which, in addition to the Mazitu invasion, was
suffering from one of those inexplicable droughts to which limited and
sometimes large portions of this country are subject. It had not been
nearly so severe on the opposite or south side, and thither too the
Mazitu had not penetrated. Rushes, which plagued us nearer the coast,
are not observed now; the grass is all crisp and yellow; many of the
plants are dead, and leaves are fallen off the trees as if winter had
begun. The ground is covered with open forest, with here and there
thick jungle on the banks of the streams. All the rivulets we have
passed are mere mountain torrents filled with sand, in which the
people dig for water.

We passed the spot where an Arab called Birkal was asked payment for