They now began to feel the fatigues of a long continued journey; they reached Rokanka on the 25th of April, much fatigued, and deprived of water, the inhabitants of the village either being unable or unwilling to supply them with any; and being afraid to enter the woods in search of it, from the whistle of the Purrah being heard in the neighbourhood. The Purrah are a sort of “Robin Hood gang,” who infest the woods, occasionally making an inroad upon some peaceful village, which they invariably plunder; the inhabitants keeping hidden, and never attempting any resistance. They are tatooed in a manner peculiar to themselves, and have gradations of rank in their community. At stated times they hold assemblies, on which occasions, the country is in the greatest alarm, for notices are dispersed abroad concerning them, and the people are obliged to attend; they settle all differences, and inflict capital punishments, according to their pleasure, so that in fact, they are the governors of the country, and Lieutenant Laing says, “that from the nature of their power, and the purposes to which it is applied, they will probably be found a most serious obstacle to its civilization.” On leaving Rokanka the next day, they came in sight of a stream, after walking about an hour and a quarter, and having suffered so much from thirst, for thirty hours preceding, they were so eager to enjoy it, and indulged so freely in it, that on reaching a town four miles farther, the whole party were attacked with the most violent spasms, Lieutenant Laing suffering particularly, it being six days before he was at all restored to his usual health. He found some difficulty in procuring permission to depart from Ma-Bung, which was the name of his present residence, being obliged to hold a palaver, as they termed it, with the head men of the place; and it was only after a _very long palaver_ with his interpreter and them, that he was suffered to depart, upon making presents of tobacco, powder, white baft, and rum. This custom of presenting gifts at every place, was a serious evil, but it was one without which it was impossible to proceed, and occasionally, his attendants and the inhabitants engaged in a scuffle, sometimes difficult to suppress. It is unnecessary to follow his motions minutely; the reader may find them interestingly and particularly recorded in his travels published in 1825, and edited by his friend Captain Sabine. It is sufficient to mention that on the 7th of May he reached the last town of the Timmannee country; called Ma-Boom, part of which was inhabited by Koorankos, in which part he took up his residence, as through that country it was now his intention to proceed.