There are no people here now in these lovely wild valleys; but to-day we came to mounds made of old for planting grain, and slag from iron furnaces.

The guide was rather offended because he did not get meat and meal, though he is accustomed to leaves at home, and we had none to give except by wanting ourselves: he found a mess without much labour in the forest.

My stock of meal came to an end to-day, but Simon gave me some of his.

It is not the unpleasantness of eating unpalatable food that teases one, but we are never satisfied; I could brace myself to dispose of a very unsavoury mess, and think no more about it; but this maere engenders a craving which plagues day and night incessantly.
_10th January, 1867._--We crossed the Muasi, flowing strongly to the east to the Loangwa River.
In the afternoon an excessively heavy thunderstorm wetted us all to the skin before any shelter could be made.

Two of our men wandered, and other two remained behind lost, as our track was washed out by the rains.