"Because to provide 600 carriers is a large order. He will not be here in fifteen days or even twenty days. We must be reasonable with the man. He is not an European--taught to be rigidly faithful to his promise. Inshallah! was it he said? To-morrow--Inshallah means the day after--or five days hence, or ten days. But what does it matter to you if he does not come within twenty days? The _Stanley_ will not be here until the 10th, or perhaps the middle of August; that will be about seven weeks--forty-two days--hence. He has abundance of time. What do you want to look after 600 men in your camp doing nothing, waiting for the steamer? Idle men are mischievous. No; wait for him patiently until the _Stanley_ comes, and if he has not appeared by that time he will not come at all." "But it will be a severe job for us if he does not appear at all, to carry 500 or 600 loads with 200 carriers, to and fro, backwards and forwards, day after day! "Undoubtedly, my dear Major, it is not a light task by any means. But which would you prefer; stay here, waiting for us to return from the Albert, or to proceed little by little--gaining something each day--and be absorbed in your work?" "Oh, my God! I think staying here for months would be a deuced sight the worse." "Exactly what I think, and, therefore, I made these calculations for you. I assure you, Major, if I were sure that you could find your way to the Albert, I would not mind doing this work of yours myself, and appoint you commander of the advance column, rather than have any anxiety about you." "But tell me, Mr. Stanley, how long do you suppose it will be before we meet?" "God knows. None can inform me what lies ahead here, or how far the forest extends inland. Whether there are any roads, or what kind of natives, cannibals, incorrigible savages, dwarfs, gorillas. I have not the least idea. I wish I had; and would give a handsome sum for the knowledge even. But that paper in your hand, on which I have calculated how long it will take me to march to the Albert Nyanza, is based on this fact. In 1874 and 1875 I travelled 720 miles in 103 days. The distance from here to the Albert Nyanza is about 330 geographical miles in a straight line. Well, in 1874-75, I travelled 330 geographical miles--Bagamoyo to Vinyata, in Ituru, in 64 days; from Lake Uhimba to Ujiji, 330 miles, in 54 days. These were, of course, open countries, with tolerably fair roads, whereas this is absolutely unknown. Is it all a forest?--then it will be an awful work. How far does the forest reach inland? A hundred--two hundred--three hundred miles? There is no answer. Let us assume we can do the journey to the Albert in three months; that I am detained a fortnight, and that I am back in three months afterwards. Well, I shall meet you coming toward me, if Tippu-Tib is not with you, the latter part of October or November. It is all down on that paper.