ABSTRACT
Aug . .z oth. Stanley sent out three foraging parties today to get food for the people who are getting terribly weak from want of food, some of the men are mere walking skeletons & all are suffering from hunger, if this scarcity of food goes on for many days more we shall lose a lot of men. Stairs went ahead & returned having found nothing but he captured an old man & woman, husband & wife who were very communicative--Stanley christened them Ananias & Saphirah-& they promised to lead us to a village the next day where they was plenty of food to be got in the shape of goats. From them we learned that the name of this village is Uteri & that yesterday its people went out to fight another village & killed five of its people, they were returning in the evening triumphant, when they found we had occupied their village. Nelson went across the river & brought back a goat & a few bananas, besides ivory hammers knives & spears. These hammers are made of the small end of the tusk & are used for beating bark into cloth. I went back upon yesterdays track & followed a big path into the country. We came upon a stockaded village which we surprised but we could not get through the stockade quick enough & the natives got away with the goats. We got a large quantity of plantains & vegetable & I loaded up 8o men with them. One of my men got an arrow through his throat but it is not a dangerous wound.2 I was disgusted with the cowardice of the four men with
him they ran away from one native with a bow & arrows when they were armed with guns-I felt inclined to shoot them. I captured a little girl who did not mind being captured, but was miserable & made a great fuss when her necklace of teeth was taken from her as a curiosity.
