A RAINY DAY. 51 midday rest under a group of trees, and near little pools of water. A bush with shining dark green camellia-like leaves and white blossoms, resembling a passion-flower, the stamens of which were of a yellowish white colour, and the pistils red and yellow, was quite new tome. The red berries are eaten by children.

My companion, Kapémpe, a Matongali of Kabréga’s, enter-_ tained me by mimicking in a most amusing way the gestures of the porters who found their burdens too heavy. These people express astonishment in a way quite new to me—a rapid raising of the closed fists to the crown of the head, from which they are drawn energetically to the forehead. The rumbling of thunder in the distance and dark clouds overhead warned us_ to start, but we were hardly on our way, when the rain poured down in torrents. Every moment a porter would stop to cover himself with a banana-leaf, or to take off the ox-hide which serves him for a dress, in order to protect it from the rain, which renders it hard. In this way the whole column was brought to a standstill—a very pleasant episode in such rain as this, which poured in at one’s collar and out at one’s boots! Then, in great haste, we again started forward, through bananas and whorled eriodendrons, till, after a march of 73 hours, we reached Kisuga, where we were obliged to rest the next day to dry our baggage.

When at last we were ready to start, one of the soldiers who accompanied me was taken ill, I expect, from fear of the dangers he apprehended on the journey. I had therefore but one soldier left to take charge of my horse, and my two servants, boys between ten and twelve years of age—an imposing escort! Being put on my guard by Baker’s account of Kabréga’s talent for begging, I left everything that was not absolutely indispensable, even my gun, in Kistga; and then we started in the direction of Londt, along the road we had previously trodden, through tall grass and numerous banana groves, in which reddish-yellow passion-flowers threw their tendrils across our path. The porters marched in total silence, a contrast to the noisy Waganda; no drum was carried with us. Our halts became frequent, and the porters seemed to be very hungry, as on every possible