He found here a caravan which had been despatched by the British Consul a hundred days before to the relief of Dr Livingstone; but which, its leader making as an excuse that he was unable to obtain a fresh number of _pagazis_, had hitherto remained inactive. The climate of Bagomoyo is far superior to that of Zanzibar. In its neighbourhood a French Jesuit mission has been for some time established, with ten priests and as many sisters, who have been very successful in educating two hundred boys and girls. The priests sumptuously entertained Mr Stanley with excellent champagne and claret, while some of their pupils, among whom they had formed an excellent brass band, amused them with instrumental music and French songs. He divided his expedition into five caravans, the first of which he started off on the 18th of February, although it was not till March 21st that he with the largest was able to commence his journey westward. Altogether the expedition numbered on the day of departure, besides the commander and his two white attendants, twenty-three soldiers, four chiefs, one hundred and fifty-three _pagazis_, and four supernumeraries. Every possible care had been bestowed on the outfit, and in nothing that it needed was it stinted. Bombay proved to be as honest and trustworthy as formerly, while Ferajji and Mabruki turned out true men and staunch, the latter, on one occasion, finding a difficulty in dragging the cart, having brought it along on his head rather than abandon it. The Kinganni river was reached by a bridge rapidly formed with American axes, the donkeys refusing to pass through the water. The country due west of Bagomoyo was found to be covered with towns and villages which were previously unknown. Soon after starting, Omar, the watch-dog was missing, when Mabruki, hastening back, found him at the previous halting-place. One of the caravans at the same place was detained by the sickness of three of the _pagazis_, whose places it was necessary to supply. Stanley soon had to experience the invariable troubles of African travellers. His two horses died within a few hours of each other, both, however, from disease of long standing, and not from the climate. Few men were better able to deal with the rogueries of the petty chiefs he met with than Mr Stanley. He had always a ready answer, and invariably managed to catch them in their own traps, while the "great master," as he was called, managed to keep all his subordinates in pretty good order.