BAGAMOYO TO MPWAPWA. 87 cauglit and the rope fastened round him, and he was pushed and dragged down the hank ; when, however, he was halfway down he lost his footing and rolled over into the water ; the rope getting unfastened in the fall, he was swept away hy the stream, and I thought he would have been drowned ; but he was carried to the opposite bank, and was hauled out by the tail and ears by a number of the porters on the other side, who were howling like madmen. It was evident that this place would not do, and further search revealed a sloping spot a little lower down the stream. The approach, however, was blocked up by a fallen tree, but an axe was sent for, and as I made it a rule that a felling axe, hatchet, and crosscut saw should always form part of- the donkeys' loads, it was ready to hand at a moment's notice : a road was quickly cleared, and the four remaining donkeys were soon hauled over. Leaving the bank of the river, we entered a large flat grassy plain, which extended right up to the foot of the Usagara Mountains, several miles away, and encamped a few hundred yards from the belt of forest which fringes the river, the crossing of the Wami having taken nearly four hours. A herd of giraffes was feeding at the edge of the plain as the caravan emerged on to it, and made off with their rapid swinging trot before I could get a shot at them.

Leaving the Wami valley, we continued for a whole day's march along the plain which was under water