There is, says the sergeant, no
chance of getting any more water on this side of the mountain, save
down at the river at Buea.
This means failure unless tackled, and it is evidently a trick
played on me by the boys, who intentionally failed to let me know of
this want of water before leaving Buea, where it seems they have all
learnt it. I express my opinion of them in four words and send
Monrovia Boy, who I know is to be trusted, back to Buea with a
scribbled note to Herr Liebert asking him to send me up two
demijohns of water. I send cook with him as far as the camp in the
forest we have just left with orders to bring up three bottles of
soda water I have left there, and to instruct the men there that as
soon as the water arrives from Buea they are to bring it on up to
the camp I mean to make at the top of the wall.
The men are sulky, and Sasu, Peter, Kefalla, and Head man say they
will wait and come on as soon as cook brings the soda water, and I
go on, and presently see Xenia and Black boy are following me. We
get on to the intervening hillocks and commence to ascend the face
of the wall.
