Our friends crossed to the other bank of the river and made a short excursion into the Usoga country. They visited several of the native villages, but saw nothing remarkable in any of them. Abdul said it would not be altogether safe to go far from the bank of the Nile, as the natives had a reputation for treachery; and though they were at peace with M'tesa they had no great love for him, and might not hesitate to make trouble for his guests. A little before nightfall they returned to the falls, and crossed the river again to the other shore. The camp had been formed on the southern side of the point, where the boats were brought to land in descending from the lake. As a matter of precaution the boats were partly drawn on shore, so that they could not be carried away by stealth during the night. The boys slept within sound of the falls, and they both agreed in the morning that the rippling of the waters was the most agreeable music they had heard for many a day. Just about daybreak they were roused by Ali, who crept softly to their side and said there were suspicious movements among the natives on the opposite bank, and the Doctor had given orders for them to be awakened. They were up in an instant and seized their rifles, prepared to enter into a fierce battle and repel an attack of the blood-thirsty natives of Central Africa. The alarm proved to be of brief duration. It turned out that the natives had no hostile intentions--at least, they disclaimed anything of the kind--but the movements on the bank were caused by their driving their stock down to be watered. To prove the truth of their declaration, a large herd of cows and oxen soon made its appearance and crowded into the water, as if suffering from thirst. The cattle having drank their fill the herd was driven back, and soon disappeared altogether. Abdul said it was all very well for the natives to declare that their intentions were pacific, but he observed they all carried spears, and many of them were equipped with shields and battle-lances, as though they expected to do something more than take care of domestic cattle. Probably the fact that the party from Rubaga was on the alert, and had their boats drawn up in a secure place, prevented an attack. The people of Usoga have had sufficient acquaintance with the weapons of the white man to know they could not cross the river in face of the rifles of Doctor Bronson and his party without suffering severely in the minutes required for the transit.