EAGEI TO TABORA AND BACK. 129 men. Next day, the 30th, we continued our journey. An hour's march brought us to the valley of the Monungu, which was flooded : we entered the water about a mile from the river, and it got gradually deeper, till, near the northern bank, it was up to my armpits. On reaching the actual banks of the river, which were a little higher and had only about three feet of water above them, we found that the bridge was completely washed away. Men were sent into the jungle to cut creepers, and with these we formed a handrail which was fastened to trees on either side, and then we crossed by holding on to the rail and feeling for the logs, which had formed the bridge, with our feet. This was such a long operation that it was far on in the afternoon before we were all across, and we had to encamp in the jungle on the opposite side on the first dry spot w Te could find. At night, some lions, attracted by two or three cows we had with us, kept up a concert round our camp. The following day we reached Masimbo, the point at which O'Neill and I had struck the Unyanyembe route when on our way to the Nyanza the previous year. We left Masirnbo on February 2nd, our road lying through cultivated country during the whole march. I went on in advance of the caravan, and, while halting under a tree for the men to come up, saw a man rushing along the road after us with a red blanket on his shoulders streaming in the wind ; he came up to two of my servants and VOL. I. K