215 CHAPTER XXVII.

THE .TELABBA.

ly baggage — Dokumeseie — Sultan Uaiula — The great river to the south of Bagangoi — Indian elephants — Ox carts — Trained bulls — Ziber Pasha — The Jelabba — The commercial future — The seribe — Leopard in the camp — Athanassiade's slave — Dragomans killed — The English mission — Mason's voyage on the IMwutan — Zige — Arrival of new troops — The post delayed.

Although the water sank daily, in some places it still exceeded the height of a man, and if I had now continued my journey I should have run the risk of losing all the material for my expedition.

October, ] 878. — A few days ago, after waiting for more than a month, I got back part of my personal baggage, but in what a state ! Not to mention the provisions, all of which I had to throw away, my clothing was completely spoiled, although it had been shut up in very stout boxes. Three women who had followed the baggage caravan were drowned, and most of the men arrived with horrible wounds in their legs, the effect of the grass and cane through which they had marched. A soldier who had wandered away from the caravan had been wounded by the savages. I had quite decided to leave this on the 12th inst., but two considerations obliged me to wait until the end of the month. One was the high grass and the flood, and the other the want of forage all along the route as far as Abi Muri's seriba, which is about fifteen days' march from here.