It was now the end of September, and in eleven days' time he should be starting for Ngaboto with the relief column. During this period it was imperative that at least another 200 loads should be obtained, and then it would be necessary to transport them some twenty miles over difficult country to the Lower Save post before the donkeys could be utilized. The food round Mbai was becoming exhausted, and fresh markets would have to be opened. The local chiefs were again called in, and offered all the assistance in their power. The Lagin district, some four miles distant from Mbai, was now tapped, and here an abundance of food was procurable. The natives were extremely friendly, and promised to bring in all they could spare. The cattle captured from the Wa-Sore were slaughtered, and their flesh utilized for the purchase of flour, and in this way some twenty-five loads of flour were procured per diem. The food was now rapidly coming in, but the difficulty regarding its removal to the Lower Save post had to be overcome. The men at the base available for this work were nothing like sufficient, so a consultation was held with the various chiefs of these districts. They received numerous presents from Tracy, and on promise of payment to all the men who would undertake this work, they agreed to his proposals, and provided native carriers to transport the loads of food from Lagin and Mbai to the Lower Save post. The natives, in return for their services, were paid in cowrie shells, which they employ extensively for ornamenting their leather belts. In this manner a very necessary system of native transport was organized on the Elgon spurs, which proved of immense value subsequently to the whole expedition.

Troubles, however, were not yet at an end, for soon the Wa-Ucia, a large mountain tribe who occupy the loftier heights overlooking the Mbai and Lagin districts, descended on our friendlies, whom they raided, thus interfering greatly with the purchase of food. The friendly chiefs applied for

assistance in repelling these hostile attacks, so again Tracy was called upon to protect our allies, and moved out with a column to punish the Wa-Ucia for their aggressive behaviour. On the morning of October 3 he sallied out with a small number of Sudanese and Swahilis, accompanied by a large following of friendly natives, who were burning for revenge.

In order to reach the Ucia strongholds, a lofty rocky escarpment some 2,000 feet in height had to be ascended from the lower terraces or plateaux on which Mbai and Lagin are situated. After a stiff, trying climb, the summit was reached, when the natives at once retired hastily, and disappeared into the bush, abandoning their herds and flocks, which fell into the hands of the punitive force. Considering that the capture of these animals would be a sufficiently heavy punishment, Tracy decided to relinquish the pursuit and return to camp with such spoils as already had been obtained. During the retirement the rear-guard occupied the head of the pass until the remainder of the force and the animals had reached a place of safety below, when it in turn commenced the descent. When the WaUcia observed re retirement they gathered courage, and collected on the flanks, discharging showers of arrows at the retiring force, but were quickly put to flight by a few volleys.

By October 3 sufficient food had been collected and transported by the natives to the Lower Save post to enable Tracy to consider the final arrangements prior to starting with the relief column to meet the Rudolf Column on its return journey. It had originally been his intention to draw in the posts at Lagin, Mbai, and Upper Save, with the object of concentrating the whole force left at the base to the Lower Save post. This, however, he was now unable to do, as the 300 loads of food required for the entire expedition had still to be collected and stored at the Lower Save

post, against the return of the two columns still in the field. As Mbai and Lagin were the only two districts in which food was being procured, he was compelled to maintain these posts, and the garrisons of those places were therefore supplied with trade goods, wherewith to continue the purchase of food, until the full 300 loads had been obtained and transported to the foot of the mountain.

Leaving Mbai on October 5, he marched the twelve miles back to our former Upper Save camp, and there constructed a new post, and placed our Indian hospital assistant, Sajjid Hussain, in command at the base. This man, during Tracy's absence and until the return of my column to Save, carried out this arduous work in a thoroughly efficient and praiseworthy manner, and we found on our arrival, rather more than a month later, he had succeeded in collecting and storing some 280 bundles of flour in the lower Save post, in addition to some 60 loads at other posts. The poor old man, however, was much relieved when we did arrive, as the anxieties and responsibilities of his new position amongst the Swahili porters he regarded with considerable misgiving, and begged that we might never call upon him to remain alone again in charge anywhere. He spoke English exceedingly well, and regarded the Swahilis and Sudanese rather as savages than comrades, so perhaps was not quite happy when requested to rule what he considered a wild, insubordinate, rough crowd.

Some of his remarks at times were very quaint and caused us much amusement. At an early period of the expedition, when Tracy and Bright were left at Save after the rest of us had gone off to Uganda to take part in the operations against the mutineers, they were returning from a visit to Karamojo. Amongst their pets they possessed a tame ostrich, nearly full-grown, which used to accompany them on the march, and solemnly go out grazing every day with the animals and return with them to camp

in the evening. Sajjid Hussain was asked his opinion regarding this curious pet, and replied: 'Oh, sir, it is too tall, but he has a beautiful face!' The idea of associating a 'beautiful face' with an ostrich is unusual, I imagine.

On October 7 Tracy moved his column to the Lower Save post, and on arrival found that the small party despatched to form a food depot at the foot of the Chemorongi Mountains had safely returned. Unfortunately, some twenty 'sogis' were still short of the requisite number, which would have involved a loss in carrying power of forty loads of food. To make good this deficiency, as no more skins were available for the purpose, he had to strip the sacking from the loads of beads and cloth, and even to utilize ordinary sheeting, flimsy as it was, for the manufacture of these primitive panniers. Owing to the many final arrangements that had to be made, he was unable to leave the Lower Save post until October 11, and decided, therefore, to adopt the cross-country route to the Turkwel, which was shorter, but entailed considerable hardship on the men and animals, owing to the scarcity of water, which was barely sufficient for normal requirements.

On October 19 the column reached the food depot at the foot of the Chemorongi Mountains, and here a ten days' issue of food was made to the men without having to draw on the supply being carried by the donkeys. Great difficulty was experienced in the crossing of this mountain range, owing to the steep, rocky nature of the ascent and descent, which occupied the column two long days to overcome. As has previously been described, eventually, on October 22, the Weiwei River was reached by the relief column, who were actually crossing the stream when my advance guard, under Ferguson, arrived upon the scene, and the happy and most timely meeting, to which allusion has already been made, took place.

CHAPTER XVI

MEETING WITH HEADQUARTERS IN BUKORA

On our return to Save I received a letter from Major Macdonald, written at Titi, October 1, some six weeks previously, in which he told me of his plans, and also explained the difficulties and anxieties that were being encountered, owing to the proximity of the Sudanese mutineers, and the possibilities of Dervishes being met with further north again. I naturally experienced no little concern regarding the safety of his column, and decided that, in the event of not hearing further from him in the course of the next ten days or so, I should proceed with a small column to Bukora, in Karamojo, with a view to gathering some information of his whereabouts. On November 14 we all moved up to the Upper Save post in order to obtain the benefit of the fine mountain air and climate, merely leaving below the original garrison of Swahilis, some additional Sudanese, and all our livestock, which consisted of 332 donkeys, 3 camels, 280 goats and sheep, some 50 oxen, and 18 cows.

At Save and the outlying districts were now congregated close on 400 men and women of the expedition, who would require daily some twelve loads of flour for its maintenance, so big inroads would soon be made on the supply already collected by Sajjid Hussain, and if we were to have 300 loads ready against Macdonald's return it behoved us to continue the purchase of food. Bright was to leave shortly for Mumia's, take on the sections of the steel boat left at the Rarosia, and arrange for some 500 loads of food in Kavi