THE HOME FROM HOME	45
Bolahun; it would be as well to stay there a few days
and try to get carriers to go through with me to
Monrovia. He examined the route suggested by the
Secretary of the Interior; that had got to be avoided
as far as possible; though I should have to follow
it to Zigita. On the blank spaces of the English
map, Mr. D. made his pencilled suggestions; he
couldn't be really sure to a matter of ten miles
where to put the places he mentioned; the English
map confused him with its inaccuracies. At last he
gave it up altogether, and I simply wrote the names
down in my notebook, spelling them as best I might:
Mosambolahun, Gondolahun, Jenne, Lombola, Gbey-
anlahun, Goryendi, Bellivela, Banya. But it is un-
necessary to give them all here, for as it turned out I
did not follow this route at all, didn't even aim at
Monrovia, which had been my object when I sailed.
Circumstances in a country where the only way to
travel is to know the next town or village ahead and
repeat it as you go, like the Syrian woman in Little
Arthur's History who said "Gilbert, London" across
England, were to alter my plans again and again until
my small book was filled with lists of probably mis-
spelt names in smudged pencil of places I never suc-
ceeded in finding. Examining it now I discover this
cryptic entry: "Steamer calling C. Palmas and Since.
Keep S. dark. Get off at S. Take the beach to Setta
Kru, Nana Kru. At N.K., Dr. V., Am. missionary.
To Wesserpor or Dio. Tell people to take me to
Nimley. On to New Sasstown and C.P."
This is the record of another plan which came to
nothing through lack of money and exhaustion. I
had brought with me from England a letter of intro-