12th April, 1868.—­I think of starting to-morrow for Bangweolo, even if Casembe refuses a passage beyond him:  we shall be better there than we are here, for everything at Kabwabwata is scarce and dear.  There we can get a fowl for one string of beads, here it costs six:  there fish may be bought, here none.  Three of Casembe’s principal men are here, Kakwata, Charley, and Kapitenga; they are anxious to go home, and would be a gain to me, but Mohamad detains them, and when I ask his reason he says “Muabo refuses,” but they point to Mohamad’s house and say, “It is he who refuses.”

[A very serious desertion took place at this time amongst Dr. Livingstone’s followers.  Not to judge them too harshly they had become to a great extent demoralised by camp life with Mohamad and his horde of slaves and slavers.  The Arab tried all he could to dissuade the traveller from proceeding south instead of homewards through Ujiji, and the men seem to have found their own breaking-point where this disappointment occurred.]

13th April, 1868.—­On preparing to start this morning my people refused to go:  the fact is, they are all tired, and Mohamad’s opposition encourages them.  Mohamad, who was evidently eager to make capital out of their refusal, asked me to remain over to-day, and then demanded what I was going to do with those who had absconded.  I said, “Nothing:  if a magistrate were on the spot, I would give them over to him.”  “Oh,” said he, “I am magistrate, shall I apprehend them?” To this I assented.  He repeated this question till it was tiresome:  I saw his reason long afterwards, when he asserted that I “came to him and asked him to bind them, but he had refused:”  he wanted to appear to the people as much better than I am.

14th April, 1868.—­I start off with five attendants, leaving most of the luggage with Mohamad, and reach the Luao to spend the night.  Headman Ndowa.

15th April, 1868.—­Amoda ran away early this morning.  “Wishes to stop with his brothers.”  They think that, by refusing to go to Bemba, they will force me to remain with them, and then go to Ujiji:  one of them has infused the idea into their minds that I will not pay them, and exclaims “Look at the sepoys!”—­not knowing that they are paid by the Indian Government; and as for the Johanna men, they were prepaid 29l. 4s. in cash, besides clothing.  I sent Amoda’s bundle back to Mohamad:  my messenger got to Kabwabwata before Amoda did, and he presented himself to my Arab friend, who, of course, scolded him:  he replied that he was tired of carrying, and no other fault had he; I may add that I found out that Amoda wished to come south to me with one of Mohamad Bogharib’s men, but “Mpamari” told him not to return.  Now that I was fairly started, I told my messenger to say to Mohamad that I would on no account go to Ujiji, till I had done all in my power to reach the Lake I sought:  I would even prefer waiting at