FROM KAVES TO TIMBUKTU 59 Osterman, who had already rendered us so many services, was now at KoHkoro superintending the building of canoes for the re-victualling of the river stations, and he was ready to help us again in every way. We succeeded in putting our three little barks in order, but we never made them as watertight as they were originally, and especially with the Auc the leakage was a constant source of anxiety to us all through our trip.

Our engineer, Sauzereau, meanwhile was busy putting the Davoust together, an operation the difficulty of which was greatly increased by the fact that several of the sections had got bent and twisted, either on the road or during the time when she was left at Badumbe. In her case also we had to resort various ingenious contri\'ances, supplementing the original metal with pieces of I wood or iron rods. I On November 19 we launched her, but the water rushed in in floods through the badly fitting joints, and our unfortunate vessel seemed more like a huge strainer than anything else. Well, we must tighten the bolts somehow ! So in somewhat primitive costumes we armed