sight, and we marched through large woods and cultivated
fields to Muhugiid, observing, as we passed along, the
ochreish colour of the earth, and numerous pits which the
copal-diggers had made searching for their much-valued
gum. A large coast-bound caravan, carrying ivory tusks
with double-toned bells suspended to them, ting-tonging
as they moved along, was met on the way; and as some
of the pagazis composing it were men who had formerly
taken me to the Victoria N’yanza, warm recognitions
passed between us. The water found here turned o.ur
brandy and tea as black as ink. The chief, being a
man of small pretensions, took only one sahari and four
yards merikani.
Instead of going on to the next village we halted in
To Mtshonygra, this jungly place for the day, that I might
S‘A\ I- comply with the desire of the Eoyal Geographical
Society to inspect Muhonyera, and report if there
were really any indications of a “ raised sea-beach” there,
such as their maps indicate. An inspection brought me to
the conclusion that no mind but one prone to discovering
sea-beaches in the most unlikely places could have supposed
for a moment that one existed here. The form and
appearance of the land are the same as we have seen
everywhere since leaving Bomani—a low plateau subtended
by a bank cut down by the Kingani river, and
nothing more. There are no pebbles; the soil, is rich
reddish loam, well covered with trees, bush, and grass, in
which some pigs and antelopes are found. From the top
of this embankment we gain the first sight of the East
Coast Eange, due west of us, represented by the high ele-
phant’s-back hill, Mkambaku, in Usagara, which, joining
Uraguru, stretches northwards across the Pangani river to
Usiimbara and the Kilimandjaro, and southwards, with a
westerly deflection, across the Lufiji to Southern N’yassa.
What course the range takes beyond those two extremes,
the rest of the world knows as well as I. Another conspicupus
landmark here is Kidunda (the little hill), which
is the southernmost point of a low chain of hills, also tending
northwards, and representing an advance-guard to the
higher East Coast Eange in its rear. At night, as we had
no local “ sultans” to torment us, eight more men of Sultan
Majid’s donation ran away, and, adding injury to injury,
took with them all our goats, fifteen in number. This
was a sad loss. We could keep ourselves on guinea-fowls
or green pigeons, doves, &c.; but the Hottentots wanted
[ nourishment much more than ourselves, and as their din-
I ners always consisted of what we left, “ short-commons ”
I was the fate in store for them. The Wangiiana, instead
I of regarding these poor creatures as soldiers, treated them
I like children; and once, as a diminutive Tot—the common
I name they go by—was exerting himself to lift his pack
K and place it on his mule, a fine Herculean Mguana stepped
I, up behind, grasped Tot, pack and all, in his muscular
I arms, lifted the whole over his head, paraded the Tot
I about, struggling for release, and put him down amidst
I the laughter of the camp, then saddled his mule and
I patted him on the back.
After sending a party of Beluch to track down the
■ To sag&sra, deserters and goats, in which they were not
successful, we passed through the village of
I Sagesera, and camped one mile beyond, close to the river,
i Phanze Kirongo (which means Mr Pit) here paid us his
I respects, with a presentation of rice. In return he re-
1 ceived four yards merikani and one dubuani, which Bom-
1 bay settled, as the little Sheikh, ever done by the sultans,
I pleaded indisposition, to avoid the double fire he was
I always subjected to on these occasions, by the sultans
■ grasping on the one side, and my resisting on the other;
B for I relied on my strength, and thought it very inad-
I visable to be generous with my cloth to the prejudice of
■future travellers, by decreasing the value of merchandise,
I and increasing proportionately the expectations of these