the fact was related with the utmost horror and disgust.]

The women here plait the hair into the form of a basket behind; it is
first rolled into a very long coil, then wound round something till it
is about 8 or 10 inches long, projecting from the back of the head.

_5th, 6th, and 7th January, 1870._--Wettings by rain and grass
overhanging our paths, with bad water, brought on choleraic symptoms;
and opium from Mohamad had no effect in stopping it: he, too, had
rheumatism. On suspecting the water as the cause, I had all I used
boiled, and this was effectual, but I was greatly reduced in flesh, and
so were many of our party.

We proceeded nearly due north, through wilderness and many villages and
running rills; the paths are often left to be choked up by the
overbearing vegetation, and then the course of the rill is adopted as
the only clear passage; it has also this advantage, it prevents
footmarks being followed by enemies: in fact the object is always to
make approaches to human dwellings as difficult as possible, even the
hedges around villages sprout out and grow a living fence, and this is
covered by a great mass of a species of calabash with its broad leaves,
so that nothing appears of the fence outside.

_11th January, 1870._--The people are civil, but uproarious from the
excitement of having never seen strangers before; all visitors from a
distance came with their large wooden shields; many of the men are
handsome and tall but the women are plainer than at Bambarré.

_12th January, 1870._--Cross the Lolindé, 35 yards and knee deep,
flowing to join Luamo far down: dark water. (_13th._) Through the hills