and the sultan blows on the fire of my mortification by
saying that these are troubled times, and advises our
keeping all together. He says that his differences
have been going on these five years with his eldest
brother, and now he wishes to bring them to a crisis,
which he proposes doing after my return, when he will
obtain powder from me, and will have the preponderating
influence of Arab opinion brought to bear in his
favour by the aid of their guns—an impressive mode
which Africa has of proving right in its own way.
22c?.—After much groaning and grumbling, I got
the sick men on their legs by 7 A.M., and we marched
eight miles to Senagongo, the boma* (palisade) of
Sultan Kanoni, Kurua’s second brother. These two
younger brothers side together against the eldest.
They are all by different mothers, and think the father’s
property should fairly be divided among them. I t is
a glaring instance of the bad effects of a plurality of
wives; and being contrary to our constitutional laws
of marriage, I declined giving an opinion as to who
was right or wrong.
To avoid the seat of war my track was rather tortuous.
On the east or right side the country was open,
and afforded a spacious view; but on the west this
was limited by an irregularly-disposed series of low
hills. Cultivation and scrub-jungle alternated the
whole way. The miserable Goanese, like a dog slinking
off to die, slipped away behind the caravan, and
* Boma—a palisade. A village or collection of huts so fortified is
called so also.
hid himself in the jungle to suffer the pangs of fever
in solitude. I sent men to look for him in v a in :
party succeeded party in the search, till at last night
set in without his appearing. I t is singular in this
country to find how few men escape some fever or
other sickness, who make a sudden march after living
a quiet stationary life. I t appears as if the bile got
stirred, suflused the body, and, exciting the blood,
produced this effect. I had to admonish a s i l ly Beluch,
who, foolishly thinking that powder alone could not
hurt a man, fired his gun off into a mass of naked
human legs, in order, as he said, to clear the court.
The consequence was, that at least fifty pairs got
covered with numerous small bleeding wounds, all
dreadfully painful from the saltpetre contained in the
powder. I t was fortunate that the sultan was a good
man, and was present at the time it occurred, else a
serious row might have been the consequence of this
mischievous trick.
23c?. Halt. We fired alarm-guns all night to no
purpose; so at daybreak three different parties, after
receiving particular orders how to scour the country,
were sent off at the same time to search for Gaetano.
Fortunately the Beluches obeyed my injunctions, and
at 10 a .m. returned with the man, who looked for all
the world exactly like a dog who, guilty of an indiscretion,
is being brought in disgrace before his master
to receive a flogging; for he knew I had a spare
donkey for the sick, and had constantly warned the
men from stopping behind alone in these lawless coun-
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