their carts and oxen fairly made one shudder at their fluency of language. The very oxen were staggered into making herculean efforts, as such weird and fearsome oaths could surely be no invention of mere mortal man; there was something supernatural and uncanny about it all, and they strove their utmost to reach level ground beyond, when all would be once more peace, and that torrent of abuse should cease to flow and persecute their ears. Juma, the factotum, did not know much English, but what he did was of a stirring nature-picked up from his masters—which, at all events, possessed this advantage, that the oxen seemed to understand and respond to it. Ted was the gentleman, and a most entertaining one he could be, whilst Billy was the working partner. Ted was generally assisted by Juma, and often poor Billy could not make the camp by himself before night. On one occasion when we were camped together, Billy had not turned up when it was dark, and as he had all the food on his cart, we asked Ted to have a cut off the joint with us. From his account, Ted had led a most chequered career: starting life in the Army Medical Staff, he told us, he went through the Egyptian campaign as a sergeant, being present at the battle of Abu Klea, when Burnaby and Sir Herbert Stewart were killed, and also accompanied Sir Charles Wilson in the steamer which went to Gordon's rescue. Subsequently leaving the service, he tried his luck in America, Australia, South Africa, and had gradually worked north into East Africa, where he and Billy entered into partnership, and were now earning a precarious livelihood by carrying loads up country for Smith Mackenzie and other firms. Billy turned up next morning, having sat up in his cart all night keeping lions at bay, which were sniffing round him and trying to bag his two oxen. As he only possessed an antiquated firearm, and not more than two or three cartridges for this weird weapon, I fancy his vigil must have been an anxious one. It would not be easy, either, to obtain ammunition of the class necessary for his battery. The last we saw of Ted and Billy we had to relieve them of their loads, as out on the plains before we reached Mwani we found them seated on their carts with no oxen; these had been stampeded by lions during the night, and the faithful Juma had been despatched to round them up. Whether they were ever found again alive I do not know, nor what eventually became of Ted and Billy-they were no longer on the road when we returned to Mombasa early in 1899. It was a tough life these two Englishmen were leading, and though they often caused us considerable amusement in a goodnatured way, one could not help feeling sorry that they should be compelled to live on a scale almost lower than that of our porters. However, they bore their trials philosophically and with equanimity, and I trust are both earning a livelihood in a more congenial and prosperous sphere. CHAPTER II NDI TO FORT SMITH WHEN the whole expedition had arrived at Ndi, Major Macdonald considered it advisable to make some better arrangements for the supervision of the wheeled transport, as the progress of the heavier Sclater waggons under Corporal Simmons was not satisfactory, and appeared likely to delay the advance of the expedition. The light Indian carts brought from Bombay had proved a great success, as they could easily be man-handled by two or three men over exceptionally bad drifts. Two oxen yoked into the shafts could usually draw, at a fair pace, some fifteen loads over pretty well any ground, and the Sikh Sepoys, who during this period were utilized as bullock drivers, were more or less familiar with the work, which they seemed to enjoy as a change from ordinary regimental routine. We found the larger Sclater carts, which were supposed to be capable of carrying fifty loads drawn by a yoke of ten oxen, to be much overloaded, as the animals were not equal to drawing anything like so heavy a load along the existing road, the grades to and from the numerous drifts being beyond the power of the oxen. Corporal Simmons, also, at this time was prostrated with fever and incapable of much work. The expedition, therefore, was divided into three columns, and moved more or less independently of each other. Major Macdonald and the majority of his officers, accompanied by the porters and donkey transport, formed the main body, whilst Norman Macdonald and Bright were |