At last, seeing that we took no notice of him, he sent us a present; I returned three times its value.
_8th November, 1872._--The large donkey is very ill, and unable to climb the high mountain in our front.

I left men to coax him on, and they did it well.

I then sent some to find a path out from the Lake mountains, for they will kill us all; others were despatched to buy food, but the Lake folks are poor except in fish.
Swifts in flocks were found on the Lake when we came to it, and there are small migrations of swallows ever since.

Though this is the very hottest time of year, and all the plants are burnt off or quite dried, the flowers persist in bursting out of the hot dry surface, generally without leaves.

A purple ginger, with two yellow patches inside, is very lovely to behold, and it is alternated with one of a bright canary yellow; many trees, too, put on their blossoms.