42 THE WANYAMUEZI.
he had demanded, said the cloths were not suitable to
his rank—“ you have better ones than you gave me,
and my head wife must get some ” In short, he so
bullied us by threats of attack that our main stand-by
of porters, 113 “ Wezees,” were frightened into the
dastardly act of deserting us at the most critical part
of the journey.
IY. Wanyamuezi.—The 115 porters we left the seaport
with were of the class of the Wanyamuezi, and
we had good opportunity for observing their habits
and character. They were average-sized, slim-limbed
negroes, many of them with handsome countenances
and incisions of caste above the cheek-bones; they
were dressed in goat-skins hanging loosely in their front
from the right shoulder; most of them with a shabby
small bow and a couple of arrows; a few of the better
sort had flint-guns, which they carried awkwardly at
the long “trail,” and pointing to the men behind them.
They are frank and amiable on first acquaintance,
eating or taking anything from your hand, singing
the j oiliest of songs with deep-toned choruses from
their thick necks and throats, but soon trying to get
the upper hand, refusing to make the ring-fence
round camp, showing sulks, making halts, or going
short marches, treating with perfect contempt any
message sent them even to sit apart from your tent,
as the smoke of their fires, the odour of their persons,
and their total want of delicacy annoy you. All
these grievances my companion bore with great
patience, and often got the offenders into humour by
suggesting a harangue at night, to be delivered by
their captain. On an animal being cut up into shares
one day, they so far forgot themselves as to dash
THEIR WOMEN. 43
upon it with the utmost rapidity, and bore off the
whole from our Zanzibar men, who were left in vacant
amazement without redress. On killing a goat, I observed
they never spilt a drop of blood, but smashed
its head with a stick or stone. Out shooting they
were invaluable as guides, first-rate spoorers, and
never at a loss for anything: a pipe would be made
by putting a grit of clay an inch or so into the end of
a tube of bark. “Duncan’s smoking mixture” they
preferred stuffing as far as possible up their noses.
When an animal was shot they always stole the fat.
They had extraordinary knowledge of edible roots
and herbs, and under almost any circumstances would
not starve. They had no particular superstitions or
sacred days, either in the week or year. They were
intelligent and amusing enough, but had no claim to
honour or honesty—113 of them, although handsomely
paid, deserted us, carrying away a considerable quantity
of property. Perhaps they treated us in this way
in consequence of having been badly paid by Arab
traders on former occasions.
A few of their women accompanied u s : quiet,
decent, well-conducted, tidy creatures, generally carrying
a child each on their backs, a small stool and et
ceteras on their heads, and inveterately smoking during
the march. They would prepare some savoury dish of
herbs for their men on getting into camp, where they
lived in bell-shaped erections made with boughs of
trees.