superior in quality to tliat obtained from another tree,
M’pixa, which has not such adhesive properties.
A very handsome branched lily (Crinum sp.) was
one day brought in by Speke, who had found it on
the bank of the stream-bed. We could find no other
in flower, but succeeded in preserving and bringing
home this single specimen, which is now in the Kew
herbarium. Later — probably by February — their
bulbs would throw out fresh shoots for the year. A
variety of resinous trees were also found—Boswellia,
Balsamodendron, Khaya, Soymida, &c.
Trees of the “ Sheabutter,” and others of similar dimensions,
sometimes had diminutive seats placed
against their trunks, with the ashes of fire alongside.
The seats had been placed there for some idolatrous
purpose, to produce rain or probably to remove sickness.
The only other trace of superstition we saw was
in front of the chief entry to the village. Here a
slab, two feet out of the ground, with a circular hole
across, faced the entry in an upright position. A pole
with a branch of the meelalla palm (Borassus) flying
from its tip, was planted alongside it.
We had no sport at Faloro, killing only one bush-
boc, which we found feeding in the jungle of sweet
pasture and shrubs by a stream. Further up, amongst
rocks, we saw two descriptions of monkeys—one the
Lungoor, with black face and bushy head of hair,
which barked angrily at us; and the “ Yanee”—so
called by our Seedees—a smaller monkey, red behind,
and said to be so vicious that he will return a spear
thrown at him ! Both were wild, and changed their
ground so often that we did not obtain a shot. The
way the Turks have of inflating a sheep or goat after
it has been killed appeared strange to our Zanzibar
Seedees. A rattan was passed, from an incision in
the hock, to the stomach; air was blown in, not with
a bellows as in France, but from the mouth, till the
animal became distended. Where the air had not
reached, a passage was made for it by striking the
part, and the skin by this method was drawn off with
greater facility.
The bustard, or “cock of the woods,” was occasionally
marked down. On starting him he would get up with
the usual hurried flight and noise, make a majestic sweep
over the woods, and disappear in low ground, or, folding
his wings, alight on some cultivated spot. He is
a noble bird, with rich game plumage, and nearly the
size of a vulture. The other game-birds were chiefly
quail and guinea-fowl, but our supply of shot being
almost finished, we did not disturb them. Flocks of
guinea-fowl were running in the fields three marches
north of Faloro. I had never before seen them so
numerous; but they were wild, being killed by the
inhabitants with bow and arrow. A few rooks, with
peculiarly short tails, were now and then observed.
They took swift cutting flights from tree to tree, calling
like crows, and cleverly evading the darts made
at them by kites.
We left Faloro on the 11th of January 1863, our
loads being carried by our remaining Seedees, twenty
in number. We then travelled without the Turks for
a few days to the north, and were joined by their
headquarters on the 31st. In this interval we employed
the time in shooting over the desolate-look-
ing undulations of grass jungle. Rhinoceros, buffalo,
gnamsera, n’soono, &c., were killed; and elephant,