been willing to throw away such a quantity of our
supplies as would greatly weaken its efficiency. Having
carefully weighed the matter, we decided that the
step was not only well worth taking, but an absolute
necessity.
I had sufficient confidence in my agent at the coast
to feel hopeful that he would give his best attention
to satisfying my wants. A t the same time, I knew
that in Africa, at least, white men are much less apt
to be painstaking or particular in their regard for the
interests of a person who is far away in the interior
and perhaps may never return, than they are to perform
creditably the commission of a person near at
hand, and in position to criticise their work. However,
there was no alternative.
I wrote a letter of instructions to my agent; and,
after explaining our wants to Hamidi at great length
and with much particularity, we got one of our men,
who was something of a scribe, to put the whole commission
in writing in the Swahili tongue, so that there
could be no mistake in the matter.
The rains for the past ten days were not so heavy
as previously, but to prove that the rainy season was
not quite over, we had an occasional light shower.
During the heavy rains, not only the beasts, but also
my men, suffered continually from sickness. Six of the
porters died from pulmonary complaints; for, as the
rainy season was prevailing at the time we arrived, we
had been unable to make a sufficiently healthy camp
by providing our men with good huts. We had done
our best, however, and before the rains ceased each
hut was well-thatched and water-proof; but to do this
required tons of grass. The huts were huddled closely
together, so that they almost touched one another; and
the camp presented the appearance of a field covered
with small haycocks. After the rains ceased, the grass
upon the huts quickly dried.
We had made a rule, which we endeavoured to
enforce, that no fire should be built in the huts; but
despite our most careful watching, some of the men,
particularly the Soudanese, would build a small fire
near their beds to warm themselves. While the rains
poured in torrents, this was not particularly dangerous ;
but after the rains had ceased and the grass dried, only
a spark was needed to set the whole camp in flames.
One afternoon during our stay at Daitcho, Lieutenant
von Hohnel and I were enjoying a siesta, when we
were rudely aroused by the cry, “ Moto! Moto! ” (Fire!
Fire!) We leaped to our feet and rushed out, there
to see that a portion of the camp was in flames. We
knew that in a few moments not a hut would be left
standing. All hands were set to work removing the
goods, particularly the ammunition; and ere the conflagration
was over, and the camp reduced to smoke
and a mass of ashes, nearly every load had been carried
to a safe distance. While it lasted, the fire
raged with great fury, and the terror caused by the
flames was increased by the explosion of a great
number of cartridges; for the men, in their hurry,
had neglected to remove beyond the reach of the
fire, cartridges which they had in their huts. Fortunately,
no one was wounded.
After the fire was over, we looked upon it as a
jo k e ; in fact, as something in the nature of a blessing,