I02 MORE BASE VISITORS.

of the camp, close to a small pool of water ; and, although in an absolutely putrid condition, the Base ate it with relish, regardless of the fact that they had plenty of freshly killed meat in camp at the time. With such a crowd of natives about as we had, it soon becomes desirable to shift one's quarters : scraps of meat are carelessly thrown about anywhere, and the trees are soon festooned with strips of meat drying in the sun.

The stench caused by quantities of half-putrid meat about the camp can more easily be imagined than described ; it is, more-" over, apt to breed fever and dysentery.

More Bas6 arrived, and joined our camp, and we began to think it was possible to have too much of a good thing ; we had again to explain to them, that, while we should gladly do our best to supply them with meat, yet we could not promise to do so, as our own party was so large without taking into account the Base ; we could say no more when they urged that if there was no meat they would be perfectly satisfied with the fruit of the dJLotmi-'\2\m. and baobab-tree. They certainly added to the picturesqueness of the camp ; we made them keep outside our zariba and they slept in the river's bed, each man planting his spear in the sand, which, as they usually placed them all near together, had a very odd effect. Sometimes we had as many as two hundred of them, then there appeared quite a forest of spears. As they wore scarcely any clothing, and the nights were very cold, they were in the habit of lighting a great number of fires, which they placed very close together, each fire serving for two or three men. When well supplied with meat, they became very merry, and ardent votaries of Terpsichore; and what their dances lacked in grace, they more than made up for by the wildness and picturesqueness which they added to the scene. Some of them began to make themselves useful as well as ornamental, fetching fire-wood for the cook, and carrying