yards— and what with the holes and thick mud made by
hippos, it was very difficult to keep one’s feet. We reached
our camping-place, twenty miles from Makongeni, at | P-m-
During the night I heard two lions roaring on the opposite
side of the Sabaki; they were the first I had heard, and
certainly on a calm, silent, moonlit night the sound is very
awesome.
I had spoken sharply to the head-man about the very
indifferent marching of the Watoro the day before, and my
words had a good effect, as they stepped out better next day.
We got over the remainder of the distance to the half-way
camp in four hours.
Here I found Weaver had built a good strong shed, where I
piled all the loads, and then sent all the porters, including my
own men, back to last night’s camp, where they were to sleep
that night, starting again for Makongeni next day for fresh
loads.- '
The weather had been very hot, the thermometer readings
for the day in the shade being— 6 a.m., 709; 2 p.m., 92°;
6 p.m., 80°.
The roaring of the lions at night frightened my small party
of six men so much that I was obliged to keep two big fires
burning all night to reassure them.
I remained here, superintending the forwarding of the
stores to the stockade, until January 7, 1892 (twenty-four
days). 5.
The temperature in the morning during this time was 70°
to 76°, afternoon 90° to 97°, and evening 74° to 84°, During
my stay I traversed all the country around, which possessed
much the same characteristics as that already described, with
the addition of a good deal of n’konge aloe.
On December 20, on returning to my camp after one of
my excursions, I found that 'Mr. Foaker, one of the Company’s
officers, had arrived from Machako’.s, a station on the Uganda
road about 250 miles inland, with a party of twenty-four
porters and sixteen askaris. He had left Machako’s on Novem-
ber 26, and had been twenty-five days on the road, on his
way to join the Railway Survey party. In coming down, Mr.
Foaker had had to cut his way through to No. 2 Stockade, the
path being completely overgrown; it had taken him six days to
reach that stockade from the preceding one. Game, especially
rhinoceros, he reported as very plentiful, particularly above
the junction of the Tzavo with the Sabaki. He once saw six
ions eeding on a water-buck ; all were maneless, but they
bolted when they caught sight of him. There were no
unaloes, the rattle epidemic having killed them all, and
numberless skulls lay along the wayside. Once the caravan
was scattered by a rhinoceros charge; they had come right
upon two, which immediately charged them, compelling
b oaker and all his people to scale a bank to escape. One of
the rhinos actually chased Foaker along the top; he only
escaped by rapidly sliding down again. On the road they
met a large party of Wa-Kamba (natives of the country around
Machakos) going to Mombasa to sell cattle, and at first
thought they were Masai. Two hours before reaching
No, 2 Stockade there had been numbers of elephants on the
path, ploughing it up.
Another incident was the receipt of news by one of my
caravans from Makongeni, that f8ur Arabs had come up there
from Mehndi, and had gone into every house searching for
runaway slaves ;- but the slaves in question had gone on to
Fuladoyo. M’Soma wished to fight the Arabs, but I sent
word to him to await my return, when I would inquire into
the matter,
^ Up to the 24th I had received four caravan loads of stores
from Makongeni, and on this day the first party of Weaver’s
porters came down, having completed the road to the
stockade, whereupon I began the final work of transporting
the loads up to it,
r ,Th,iS,half‘Way camP was an awful place for deadly snakes.
I had thought the flies bad enough, but they were worse and
the readër will agree with me when I give him one day’s
experience. This is how I spent Christmas Day
In the morning, just after I had got up, I saw one-going
under the mats of my tent, and on lifting them up I found a hole
under the head of my bed. Shortly afterwards’ my servant
found another coiled up amongst my boots ; it escaped before
he could kill it. In the afternoon, whilst I was sitting reading