Guinea-fowlabounded，butnograincouldbepurchased，forthepeoplehadcultivatedonlytheholmesalongthebankswithmaizeandpumpkins。Timeenoughhadnotelapsedsincetheslave-trader\'sinvasion，anddestructionoftheirstores，forthemtoraisecropsofgrainontheadjacentlands。Todealwiththemforafewheadsofmaizewasthehungrybargainingwiththefamished，sowehastenedonsouthwardsasfastastheexcessiveheatwouldallowus。Itwasimpossibletomarchinthemiddleoftheday，theheatwassointolerable；andwecouldnotgoonatnight，because，ifwehadchancedtomeetanyoftheinhabitants，weshouldhavebeentakenformarauders。
Wehadnowthundereveryafternoon；butwhileoccasionalshowersseemedtofallatdifferentparts，nonefellonus。Theairwasdeliciouslyclear，andrevealedallthelandscapecoveredeverywherewithforest，andboundedbybeautifulmountains。Onthe31stOctoberwereachedtheMukuru-Madse，afterhavingtravelled660geographicalmiles，or760Englishmilesinastraightline。Thiswasaccomplishedinfifty-fivetravellingdays，twelvemilesperdiemonanaverage。Ifthenumerousbendingsandwindings，andupsanddownsofthepathscouldhavebeenmeasuredtoo，thedistancewouldhavebeenfoundatleastfifteenmilesaday。
ThenightwesleptattheMukuru-Madseitthunderedheavily，but，asthishadbeenthecaseeveryafternoon，andnorainhadfollowed，weerectednoshelter，butduringthisnightapouringraincameon。
Whenverytiredamanfeelsdeterminedtosleepinspiteofeverything，andthesoundofdroppingwaterissaidtobeconducivetoslumber，butthatdoesnotrefertoanAfricanstorm。If，whenhalfasleepinspiteofaheavyshoweronthebackofthehead，heunconsciouslyturnsonhisside，thedropsfromthebranchesmakesuchcapitalshotsintohisear，thatthebrainringsagain。
Wewereoffnextmorning，the1stofNovember，assoonasthedaydawned。Inwalkingaboutsevenmilestotheship，ourclotheswerethoroughlydriedbythehotsun，andanattackoffeverfollowed。Werelatethislittleincidenttopointoutthealmostcertainconsequenceofgettingwetinthisclimate，andallowingtheclothestodryontheperson。Evenifwewalkinthemorningswhenthedewisonthegrass，andonlygetourfeetandlegswet，averyuneasyfeelingandpartialfeverwithpainsinthelimbsensue，andcontinuetillthemarchonwardsbathestheminperspiration。HadBishopMackenziebeenawareofthis，which，beforeexperiencealonehadtaughtus，entailedmanyaseverelesson，weknownoearthlyreasonwhyhisvaluablelifemightnothavebeenspared。ThedifferencebetweengettingtheclothessoakedinEnglandandinAfricaisthis: