swampy streams. We were followed by strings of natives, carrying eggs, fowls, honey, bananas, flour, Indian corn, sweet potatoes, firewood, etc., and brisk trade ensued after camp had been pitched. Pushing on some fifteen and a half miles next day through mostly uninhabited country, we reached the foot of the Samia Hills, and, fording a swampy stream, camped near two large villages, from which the natives brought flour for sale. On December 6 we continued through the Samia range, and, on reaching the western slopes, obtained our first view of the Victoria Nyanza at the mouth of the Sio River. The latter was reached after encountering several bad swamps eight miles from the start, and we were occupied some time in dodging up an old fish weir to enable the caravan to cross, as the water was out of the depth of our men. We spent one and a half hours in getting over to the far bank, which was only thirty to forty yards distant, and then proceeded for another six miles before camping. Many villages were passed during the latter portion of the march, and camp was soon swarming with natives dressed in the Garden of Eden style, hawking their goods for sale. A sixteen-mile march next day, the first nine of which were through uninhabited grass-land, until we came upon the famous banana plantations of Usoga (through which we wound our way for the last seven miles), brought us to our first camping-ground in that country, near a large rock pool. We were visited by the chief, Namarungi, who, accompanied by a large following of men and women, came to pay us his respects in the afternoon, bringing us many bananas for our porters. He was preceded by men carrying a highbacked chair, of which he seemed inordinately proud, and in which he sat outside my tent for a long time, smoking the cigarettes Osborn and I offered to him, and sipping pombé (drink made from banana-juice) out of a gourd bowl, with a long hollow stem leading into it. The change from the naked savages of yesterday to the well-clothed partial civilization of to-day was peculiarly abrupt, as here now we were seated amongst men and women, all of whom were decently, and not unpicturesquely, clad in long flowing togas of a ruddy brown colour, made of fibre, and fastened by a knot at the top of one shoulder. The features were more refined and intelligent, whilst not a few of the women were almost pretty, even to a European mind. In Kavirondo, Usoga, and Uganda at this time the natives were suffering much from 'jiggers,' tiny insects which burrow right under the toenails of individuals, and lay their eggs in a small skin-like sack. If this is not at once removed, and the eggs are allowed to hatch, or the sack broken when being extracted, in a short time repulsive sloughing ulcers are formed, which eat away the whole of the toe and, indeed, in some cases I have seen natives with no toes at all, the whole foot having been converted into a horrible mass of corruption through neglect. Several of the Wasoga came to us for treatment for these dreadful ulcers, which we thoroughly cauterized with nitrate of silver, and then dressed with iodoform. Continuing some eleven miles next day through endless plantations of bananas and tall, fine trees-the homes of numerous grey parrots-and crossing several swampy streams, the rustic bridges over which had for the most part been destroyed by the mutineers during their passage through this country, we reached Wakoli's. Few huts are seen along the road, for these are scattered in twos and threes amongst the plantations, and are seldom visible from the track, although the population of Usoga is large. The old Wakoli stockade appeared to be entirely occupied by Masai, and after camp had been pitched several of them came and asked me to go round there and treat some of the sick, who were so lame from jiggers that they were unable to walk. I spent one and a half hours during the afternoon with them, many of the wretched women and children being in a dreadful condition. They were so plucky, though, and when I told the women I should hurt them by cauterizing their ulcers, they merely replied, 'We are Masai,' and never flinched. Even toddling infants brought to me by their mothers sat down with a grim look on their little faces and uttered no sound, for their mothers kept repeating to them that they were Elmoran (Masai warriors), so must be brave and not mind the pain. It was really splendid; the Swahili usually writhes and groans, and yet here were young girls, tiny infants, and old women barely grimacing as the caustic burnt into them, and merely catching tightly hold of each other when being operated upon. They were so grateful, too, and I returned to camp feeling happier for being, in some small degree, able to do a little for this brave people. A longish march of about fourteen miles next day, during which we were compelled to cross no less than eleven swampy streams, the bridges over which had nearly all been destroyed, brought us to Makoba's, only one march now from Lubwa's, and here I received a note from Major Macdonald in reply to one I had sent some days before, saying I hoped to be with him on December 10. Recently very heavy rains had been falling, and for the first three miles of our march on that day we were floundering about in swamp; but subsequently the track improved, and we passed through some beautifully wooded glades before reaching the mission station at the foot of the eastern slopes of Lubwa's Hill. The ascent accomplished, we found ourselves on the crest near the fortified camp, surrounded by a strong loopholed wall of stone and logs, and were shortly welcomed by our Chief, who came out to meet us. CHAPTER VII THE MUTINY OPERATIONS (CONTINUED) I MUST now ask the reader to again accompany me throughout the mutiny operations; but before proceeding to narrate the course of events, let me briefly describe the position at Lubwa's on our arrival. From October 18 to the beginning of December, when reinforcements began to arrive, the Government troops consisted of 17 Sikhs, of whom 7 had been killed or wounded, and of an average of 350 partly trained Swahilis, mostly merely armed porters of the expedition, who had suffered a loss of 57. The Waganda force of 1,600 guns, chiefly muzzle-loaders, were perhaps equal to a tenth of the same number of Sudanese, whilst the 500 Wasoga were of still less account. During this period two engagements and seven skirmishes had taken place, in which our losses amounted to Lieutenant Fielding killed, Mr. Jackson dangerously wounded, Dr. Macpherson slightly so, 19 Government troops killed and 45 wounded, and 342 Waganda and 115 Wasoga killed and wounded, making a total loss already of 524. The Sudanese mutineers still numbered between 400 and 500 effective men, and were occupying a very strong position on the margin of the lake, and could obtain with ease plenty of food in the shape of bananas, with which the entire peninsula was densely covered. On the hill overlooking the peninsula, at a range of about 3,000 yards from the enemy's fort, was the main fort of the Government forces, whilst to the right was the large Waganda encampment, and out on the left flank that |