The plateau, however, is apparently so flat here, that nothing b a minute survey, or rather following the watercourse, could determine the matter.

Then emerging from the wilderness, we came into the open cultivated district of Tura, or "put down"-- called so by the natives because it was, only a few years ago, the first cleared space in the wilderness, and served as a good halting-station, after the normal ten day's march in the jungles, where we had now been struggling more than a month.
The whole place, once so fertile, was now almost depopulated and in a sad state of ruin, showing plainly the savage ravages of war; for the Arabs and their slaves, when they take the field, think more of plunder and slavery than the object they started on--each man of the force looking out for himself.

The incentives, too, are so great;--a young woman might be caught (the greatest treasure of earth), or a boy or a girl, a cow or a goat--all of the fortunes, of themselves too irresistible to be overlooked when the future is doubtful.

Here Sheikh Said broke down in health of a complaint which he formerly had suffered from, and from which I at once saw he would never recover sufficiently well to be ever effective again.

It was a sad misfortune, as the men had great confidence in him, being the representative of their Zanzibar government: still it could not be helped; for, as a sick man is, after all, the greatest possible impediment to a march, it was better to be rid of him than have the trouble of dragging him; so I made up my mind, as soon as we reached Kaze, I would drop him there with the Arabs.