nearly twenty-four hours for its completion. It was
effected in the following manner. One of my men sat
in the stern of a canoe, and held the head of an anima]
(camel, horse, or donkey) above water; two natives in
the bow propelled the canoe across the stream. By this
means all my animals were transported in safety. The
exercise incident to the superintendence of'this crossing
did not improve my dysentery; nevertheless, I was
forced to push on. Another deserter that day.
The following day I reached Massa, opposite which
Lieutenant von Hohnel and the canoes were stationed.
Again one man deserted. This time the runaway took
with him a valuable load consisting of flannel and
blankets, which made a serious loss. Lieutenant von
Hohnel seemed to improve and do well in the canoes,
and reported that the natives were thoroughly friendly.
I sent two Somali and twenty-four men under Hamidi
back to our last camp to search on both sides of the
road for the lost load of flannel and blankets, which I
thought might have been thrown into the bush. I sent
this force, as rumours had reached me that a large war-
party was in the neighbourhood.
The Pokomo at Massa are different from their brethren
inhabiting the lower portion of the Tana ; they are
smaller in stature, and speak a different dialect. From
all I could observe and learn, they have few characteristic
customs. Their fear of tempting Galla or Somali
raiders forces them to make it a rule never to keep livestock:
if by chance they get a sheep or goat in trade,
they at once slay it. They cultivate their plantations
sufficiently to provide for their wants, and have, moreover,
stores of grain hidden away to avert famine, in
case of a bad crop. Their method of dividing labour is
as follows. The inhabitants of the village, at least those
that are able-bodied, are divided into two parts, each
taking its turn on alternate days at the cultivation of
the plantations. This keeps them employed but one-
half of the time — the other half they spend in sleep and
idleness. The canoes here are smaller than those used
lower down the river.
At Massa my men took it upon themselves to raid a
plantation of the Pokomo. I promptly punished the
raiders and restored the stolen property. This action
filled the natives with surprise and pleasure, and it
appeared to be the first time that such an event had
happened to them.
Upon leaving, owing to the non-appearance of the
guides, we were compelled to make a late start. When
they at length arrived, I arranged with them to guide us
to a point called Dukuli, said to be about twelve miles,
up the river. The sun was very hot, and my retrievers
appeared to suffer intensely; I gave them all the water
I could spare from my bottle, but it seemed to afford
them no relief. We marched on and on until 2.30
p .m., and my guides seemed either knaves or fools.
They insisted that the camp lay still farther to the front,
although I was confident that had it been the distance
they stated we must long since have passed the place.
But I was too weak and ill to initiate a search for the
camp, which might after all prove fruitless, and so I
struggled on. My men, with their usual thoughtlessness,
had neglected to put water into their bottles, and
in consequence they all suffered from thirst. Owing
to my dysentery I still suffered from weakness; and,