11th February, 1872.—­Rain nearly all night.  Scarcely a day has passed without rain and thunder since we left Tanganyika Across a flat forest again, meeting a caravan for Ujiji.  The grass is three feet high, and in seed.  Reach Chikuru, a stockaded village, with dura plantations around it and pools of rain-water.

12th February, 1872.—­Rest.

13th February, 1872.—­Leave Chikuru, and wade across an open flat with much standing-water.  They plant rice on the wet land round the villages.  Our path lies through an open forest, where many trees are killed for the sake of the bark, which is used as cloth, and for roofing and beds.  Mr. Stanley has severe fever.

14th February, 1872.—­Across the same flat open forest, with scraggy trees and grass three feet long in tufts.  Came to a Boma.  N.E.  Gunda.

15th February, 1872.—­Over the same kind of country, where the water was stagnant, to camp in the forest.

16th February, 1872.—­Camp near Kigando, in a rolling country with granite knolls.

17th February, 1872.—­Over a country, chiefly level, with stagnant water; rounded hills were seen.  Cross a rain torrent and encamp in a new Boma, Magonda.

18th February, 1872.—­Go through low tree-covered hills of granite, with blocks of rock sticking out:  much land cultivated, and many villages.  The country now opens out and we come to the Tembe,[16] in the midst of many straggling villages.  Unyanyembe.  Thanks to the Almighty.

FOOTNOTES: 

[14] The reader will best judge of the success of the experiment by looking at a specimen of the writing.  An old sheet of the Standard newspaper, made into rough copy-books, sufficed for paper in the absence of all other material, and by writing across the print no doubt the notes were tolerably legible at the time.  The colour of the decoction used instead of ink has faded so much that if Dr. Livingstone’s handwriting had not at all times been beautifully clear and distinct it would have been impossible to decipher this part of his diary.—­Ed.

[15] Thus the question of the Lusize was settled at once:  the previous notion of its outflow to the north proved a myth.—­ED.

[16] Tembe, a flat-roofed Arab house.

CHAPTER VII.

Determines to continue his work.  Proposed route.  Refits.  Robberies discovered.  Mr. Stanley leaves.  Parting messages.  Mteza’s people arrive.  Ancient geography.  Tabora.  Description of the country.  The Banyamwezi.  A Baganda bargain.  The population of Unyanyembe.  The Mirambo war.  Thoughts on Sir S. Baker’s policy.  The cat and the snake.  Firm faith.  Feathered neighbours.  Mistaken notion concerning mothers.  Prospects for missionaries.  Halima.  News of other travellers.  Chuma is married.