I at once despatched a party of men to the river
to assist George in crossing: being confined to my
bed with fever and liver troubles, I was unable to go
in person. Mufta reported that of the seventy-five
donkeys which George had bought, fifty-five were
still alive and in good condition. The men sent to
the relief of George and his party took with them
ropes and axes, in case it should be possible to use
them in bridge-making. While in camp at Daitcho,
we had made a rope 200 yards long, and about as
thick as a man’s wrist, for use in crossing rivers.
This we made- from the fibre of a plant growing in
the neighbourhood. The rope was very light, and
capable of withstanding great strain; and it looked
almost as neat as a well-made hemp hawser.
During the evening of the day upon which these
men set out, two of them returned, and reported that
with the exception of one man they had not been
able to ford even the Ura River, so much had it
swollen. The man who crossed went on and reached
the Tana, which he could not cross. He fired
several shots to attract the attention of the men with
George, but from the roar of the stream was unable
to distinguish any sound as an answer; however, he
could see the forms of men on the opposite bank.
The other man said that the porter who swam the
Ura, and reached-the Tana, saw all the men and donkeys
on a small island in mid-stream, and that they
had shown by signs that it was impossible for them to
either advance or retreat. If the latter story proved
true, it meant that George and the men with him
would die of starvation; for the island was about
100 yards from the shore, and between there rushed
a mighty torrent.
I sent two of my best swimmers with letters for
George, placed in tightly corked bottles, which they
were to deliver at all hazards. In these letters I instructed
George to fall back upon Ukambani, and if he
became ill on account of the rains, to retire to the
S c e n e o n t h e T a n a
mission station at Kibwezi. I then gave up all hope
of getting out of Daitcho for months.
For a few days the rains did not descend with
much violence, and I hoped they were over. During
this period one of my men returned from the Tana,
and reported that the river was rapidly falling, and
that he expected George and his followers would soon
be able to cross. About sunset on November 15
a man came running to me, while I was in bed, cry