The Africans cannot stand sneers.  When any mishap occurs in the march (as when a branch tilts a load off a man’s shoulder) all who see it set up a yell of derision; if anything is accidentally spilled, or if one is tired and sits down, the same yell greets him, and all are excited thereby to exert themselves.  They hasten on with their loads, and hurry with the sheds they build, the masters only bringing up the rear, and helping anyone who may be sick.  The distances travelled were quite as much as the masters or we could bear.  Had frequent halts been made—­as, for instance, a half or a quarter of an hour at the end of every hour or two—­but little distress would have been felt; but five hours at a stretch is more than men can bear in a hot climate.  The female slaves held on bravely; nearly all carried loads on their heads, the head, or lady of the party, who is also the wife of the Arab, was the only exception.  She had a fine white shawl, with ornaments of gold and silver on her head.  These ladies had a jaunty walk, and never gave in on the longest march; many pounds’ weight of fine copper leglets above the ankles seemed only to help the sway of their walk:  as soon as they arrive at the sleeping-place they begin to cook, and in this art they show a good deal of expertness, making savoury dishes for their masters out of wild fruits and other not very likely materials.

3rd November, 1867.—­The ranges of hills retire as we advance; the soil is very rich.  At two villages the people did not want us, so we went on and encamped near a third, Kabwakwa, where a son of Mohamad bin Saleh, with a number of Wanyamwesi, lives.  The chief of this part is Muabo, but we did not see him:  the people brought plenty of food for us to buy.  The youth’s father is at Casembe’s.  The country-people were very much given to falsehood—­every place inquired for was near—­ivory abundant—­provisions of all sorts cheap and plenty.  Our headmen trusted to these statements of this young man rather, and he led them to desist going further.  Rua country was a month distant, he said, and but little ivory there.  It is but three days off. (We saw it after three days.) “No ivory at Casembe’s or here in Buire, or Kabuire.”  He was right as to Casembe.  Letters, however, came from Hamees, with news of a depressing nature.  Chitimba is dead, and so is Mambwe.  Chitimba’s people are fighting for the chieftainship:  great hunger prevails there now, the Arabs having bought up all the food.  Moriri, a chief dispossessed of his country by Nsama, wished Hamees to restore his possessions, but Hamees said that he had made peace, and would not interfere.

This unfavourable news from a part where the chief results of their trading were deposited, made Syde and Tipo Tipo decide to remain in Buire only ten or twenty days, send out people to buy what ivory they could find, and then, retire.

As Syde and Tipo Tipo were sending men to Casembe for ivory, I resolved to go thither first, instead of shaping my course for Ujiji.