358 THE EXPLORATION OF THE NIGER It was Tedian Diarra, a big Bambarra,.who had acted as guide to General Dodds in the Dahomey campaign, who solved the mystery at last, and told us that the man had been a porter at Say to the Decoeur expedition. He had been taken ill with an attack of some discharge from the joints, and had been left under the care of the chief of the village to be handed over to the first Frenchman who should happen to pass. The poor fellow, whose name was Atchino, — at least that is what we always called him, — was trying to explain to us that he came from the village of Agony on the Weme. He had feared he should never see his native village again, with its bananas and oil palms ; but as soon as he heard of our arrival at Say, he came to take refuge with us. Later I indemnified the man who had taken care of him for the expense he had been put to. We made this Atchino our gardener, and he turned out a very useful fellow, a decided acquisition to our small staff.

Monday April 13. — We finished the repairs of the Aiibe. She still let the water in like a strainer, but, as we always said, we were used to that. This expression, " used to it," was perpetually employed by us all, and it enabled us to bear with philosophy all our troubles. It is, in fact, the expression which gilds the bitterest pills to be swallowed on an exploring expedition, and no one need dream of starting on such a trip as ours if they cannot adopt what we may call the philosophy of use and wont on every occasion. Have twenty-five of us got to pack into a boat about the size of my hand ? What does it matter ? go on board, you'll get used to it. Have we got to find place for provisions and things to exchange with the natives when there is no more room? Never mind, ship them all, we shall get used to them when we settle down. Are you in a hostile district ? Do rumours of war, of approaching columns of thousands and thousands of