Kwihara.  Friday, 11th August, 1871.—­Arrived to-day from Zimbili, village of Bomboma’s.  I am quite disappointed and almost disheartened.  But I have one consolation, I have done my duty by the Arabs, a duty I thought I owed to the kindness they received me with, now, however, the duty is discharged, and I am free to pursue my own course.  I feel happy, for some reasons, that the duty has been paid at such a slight sacrifice.  Of course if I had lost my life in this enterprise, I should have been justly punished.  But apart from my duty to the consideration with which the Arabs had received me, was the necessity of trying every method of reaching Livingstone.  This road which the war with Mirambo has closed, is only a month’s march from this place, and, if the road could be opened with my aid, sooner than without it, why should I refuse my aid?  The attempt has been made for the second time to Ujiji—­both have failed.  I am going to try another route; to attempt to go by the north would be folly.  Mirambo’s mother and people, and the Wasui, are between me and Ujiji, without including the Watuta, who are his allies, and robbers.  The southern route seems to be the most practicable one.  Very few people know anything of the country south; those whom I have questioned concerning it speak of “want of water” and robber Wazavira, as serious obstacles; they also say that the settlements are few and far between.

But before I can venture to try this new route, I have to employ a new set of men, as those whom I took to Mfuto consider their engagements at an end, and the fact of five of their number being killed rather damps their ardor for travelling.  It is useless to hope that Wanyamwezi can be engaged, because it is against their custom to go with caravans, as carriers, during war time.  My position is most serious.  I have a good excuse for returning to the coast, but my conscience will not permit me to do so, after so much money has been expended, and so much confidence has been placed in me.  In fact, I feel I must die sooner than return.

Saturday, August 12th.—­My men, as I supposed they would, have gone; they said that I engaged them to go, to Ujiji by Mirambo’s road.  I have only thirteen left.

With this small body of men, whither can I go?  I have over one hundred loads in the storeroom.  Livingstone’s caravan is also here; his goods consist of seventeen bales of cloth, twelve boxes, and six bags of beads.  His men are luxuriating upon the best the country affords.

If Livingstone is at Ujiji, he is now locked up with small means of escape.  I may consider myself also locked up at Unyamyembe, and I suppose cannot go to Ujiji until this war with Mirambo is settled.  Livingstone cannot get his goods, for they are here with mine.  He cannot return to Zanzibar, and the road to the Nile is blocked up.  He might, if he has men and stores, possibly reach Baker by travelling northwards, through Urundi, thence through Ruanda, Karagwah, Uganda, Unyoro, and Ubari to Gondokoro.  Pagazis he cannot obtain, for the sources whence a supply might be obtained are closed.  It is an erroneous supposition to think that Livingstone, any more than any other energetic man of his calibre, can travel through Africa without some sort of an escort, and a durable supply of marketable cloth and beads.