184 JOURNEY WITHOUT MAPS

darkness in the bush, an answer did come, from
between the big trees, from across .the water, and
presently a tired angry band rejoined us. Among the
many paths which had to be closed with sprays, one
had been left open and they had taken it. The path
had narrowed into nearly nothing at all, but they
went on, Laminah cutting a way for them with the
sword he wore, until they reached a closed wall of
greenery and knew they were lost. In such densely
overgrown country it was easy enough to be lost com-
pletely within a mile of a village and for all they
knew they might be ten miles from any other human
beings. If it had not been for the river I should have
gone straight on to Bamakama without knowing that
they were lost, and if Laminah had not found a man
who guided them to the St. Paul, a piece of luck they
couldn't have expected when once they had strayed
off the main path, we should have been permanently
separated, for my cousin had no idea of the route I
intended to follow the other side of the St. Paul.

Another four hours' marching along narrow wind-
ing trails through thick elephant grass brought us to
Bamakama. Here there was a rest-house for travellers
outside the village in a small rotting compound, bitf
it was so long since any white man had used it that
it was in a horrible state of decay, the hut was full of
bugs, and suddenly as we drank our tea an army
of flies descended on the compound, settling all over
our faces and the food. The monkey sat in a corner
moaning like a child, and as the sun declined and
the flies left us, the cockchafers came, detonating
against the wall. A rat had died under the floor, and
"the smell of decay settled over the compound. This