“ What are you going to live on while on the road
back?”
When they heard this question they looked more sulky
and, if possible, more idiotic than before; and the answer
came slowly and without spirit:
“ We will go back to Kunyungwi in the morning! ”
“ All right,” I replied. “ Go; but remember that Chakun-
dakoro will hear of this ! ”
The mention of the ogreish name produced much murmuring.
Poor old Misiri looked much as he usually did,
comical but greatly worried; he, no doubt, had his conscience
pricked by the knowledge that he had eaten most
of the food which had been brought on for me. Possibly,
however, his melancholy humour was due to the fact that
the supplies had “ given out.” Be this as it may, he
declared that he was ready to stay with me whatever
happened. In my small bag of valuables I had reserved
two packets of maizina, which now came in very opportunely.
The five Landin who had remained with me now came
forward without any ceremony, and said they wanted cloth,
otherwise they would leave. The trouble of this demand
was that I could not give to one without giving to all, and
my supply was very limited. At the same time, I had an
idea that should I give the Landin cloth, they would go off
to their country, leaving me all the sooner to my own
resources.
I inquired how far it was to a town or village. The
reply intimated that it was a long way to the king s town ,
but after a considerable amount of questioning, I extracted
the information that there was an Angoni village a good
day’s march from where we then were. We could not reach
the place, however, until late in the evening.
Having learned this much, I announced that to all who
would continue with me I would give an extra fathom of
cloth on our arrival at the village, but not an inch before
that time.
“ As for your hunger,” I continued, “ you have yourselves
to blame. Enough was provided for you, but by your own
choice you threw it down, and left it to rot in the valley of
the Zambesi! ”
Delay would be positively disastrous now. One course
only could be pursued, and I would have to use all the
energy I possessed in order to get the Maravi to obey
commands.
What would have happened if they had all disappeared,
and left me solitary in this strange land, without the
means of carrying the few valuables—a better term would
be “ indispensables ”—which I had with me would be difficult
to imagine. Should the worst come, I determined
that the struggle to avert catastrophe should be a hard
one.
Three o’clock in the morning saw me up and stirring
about the camp. The JMEaravi to the last refused to go.
The Landin had started ahead, so it became absolutely
necessary to use very forcible language, backed up by a
good deal of threatening, before the reluctant Maravi could
be got off. I had to lift each individual’s load, and literally
drive them all out of the camp.
Even when they were on the road the troublesome people
would not move at anything like a good pace; for at the
best their rate of progress was a miserably worn-out sort of
travel, under which circumstances the Landin were soon
entirely lost to view. I poured out maledictions upon the
whole race, telling them that should they fail to reach the
town upon that night, wherever the place was, I would
VOL. xi. o