_12th April, 1868._--I think of starting to-morrow for Bangweolo, even
if Casembe refuses a passage beyond him: we shall be better there than
we are here, for everything at Kabwabwata is scarce and dear. There we
can get a fowl for one string of beads, here it costs six: there fish
may be bought, here none. Three of Casembe's principal men are here,
Kakwata, Charley, and Kapitenga; they are anxious to go home, and
would be a gain to me, but Mohamad detains them, and when I ask his
reason he says "Muabo refuses," but they point to Mohamad's house and
say, "It is he who refuses."

[A very serious desertion took place at this time amongst Dr.
Livingstone's followers. Not to judge them too harshly they had become
to a great extent demoralised by camp life with Mohamad and his horde
of slaves and slavers. The Arab tried all he could to dissuade the
traveller from proceeding south instead of homewards through Ujiji,
and the men seem to have found their own breaking-point where this
disappointment occurred.]

_13th April, 1868._--On preparing to start this morning my people
refused to go: the fact is, they are all tired, and Mohamad's
opposition encourages them. Mohamad, who was evidently eager to make
capital out of their refusal, asked me to remain over to-day, and then
demanded what I was going to do with those who had absconded. I said,
"Nothing: if a magistrate were on the spot, I would give them over to
him." "Oh," said he, "I am magistrate, shall I apprehend them?" To
this I assented. He repeated this question till it was tiresome: I saw
his reason long afterwards, when he asserted that I "came to him and
asked him to bind them, but he had refused:" he wanted to appear to
the people as much better than I am.