listen to any reference being made to myself; badgered
and bullied over every article that he extracted; and,
finally, when he found compliance with his extortionate
requests was not readily granted, he beat the war-drums
to frighten the porters, and ordered the caravan out of his
palace, to where he said they would find his men ready to
fight it out with them. It happened that Grant had just
given Rtihe a gun when my note arrived, on which they
made an agreement that it was to be restored, provided
that, after the full knowledge of all these transactions had
reached us, it was both Lumeresi’s and my desire that it
should be so.
I called Lumeresi (27th), and begged he would show
whether he was the chief or not, by requiring Rtihe to
disgorge the property he had taken from me. His Wan-
yapara had been despised, and I had been most unjustly
treated. Upon this the old chief hung down his head,
and said it touched his heart more than words could tell
to hear my complaint, for until I came that way no one
had come, and I had paid him handsomely. He fully
appreciated the good service I had done to him and his
country by opening a road which all caravans for the
future would follow if properly dealt with. Having two
heads in a country was a most dangerous thing, but it
could not be helped for the present, as his hands were too
completely occupied already. There were Rohinda, the
Wattita, and M’yonga, whom he must settle with before
he could attend to Ruhe; but when he was free, then
Rtihe should know who was the chief. To bring the
matter to a climax, Mrs Lumeresi then said she ought
to have something, because Rtihe was her son, whilst
Lumeresi was only her second husband and consort, for
Ruhd was born to her by her former husband. She therefore
was queen.
Difficulties now commenced again (28th). All the
Wanguana struck, and said they would go no farther. I
argued—they argued; they wanted more pay-—I would
not give more. Bombay, who appeared the only one
of my men anxious to go on with Grant and myself,
advised me to give in, else they would all run away, he
said. I still stuck out, saying that if they did go, they
should be seized on the coast and cast into jail for desertion.
I had sent for fifty more men on the same terms
as themselves, and nothing in the world would make me
alter what had been established at the British Consulate.
There all their engagements were written down in the
office-book, and the Consul was our judge.
29th to 4th.—This shut them up, but at night two of
them deserted; the Wanyamuezi porters also deserted,
and I had to find more. Whilst this was going on,
I wrote letters and packed up my specimens, and sent
them back by my late valet, Rahan, who also got orders
to direct Sheikh Said to seize the two men who deserted,
and take them down chained to the coast when he went
there. On the 4th, Ltimeresi was again greatly perplexed
by his sovereign Rohinda calling on him for some
cloths; he must have thirty at least, else he would not
give up Lumeresi’s son. Further, he commanded in a
bullying tone that all the Wahuma who were with Lumeresi
should be sent to him at once, adding, at the same
time, if his royal mandate was not complied with as soon
as he expected, he would at once send a force to seize
Lumeresi, and place another man in his stead to rule
over the district.
Lumeresi, on hearing this, first consulted me, saying
his chief was displeased with him, accusing him of being
too proud, in having at once two such distinguished guests,
and meant by these acts only to humble him. I replied,
if that was the case, the sooner he allowed us to go, the
better it would be for him; and, reminding him of his