on at once, as Suwarora was anxious to see us, and had
ordered his Wakungii not to molest us. Thieves that
night entered our ring-fence of thorns, and stole a cloth
from off one of my men while he was sleeping.
We set down Suwarora, after this very polite message,
To Kariwami’s, s. regular trump, and walked up the hill of
N’yakasenye with considerable mirth, singing
his praises; but we no sooner planted ourselves on the
summit than we sang a very different tune. We were
ordered to stop by a huge body of men, and to pay
toll.
Suwarora, on second thoughts, had changed his mind,
or else he had been overruled by two of his officers—
Kariwami, who lived here, and Virembo, who lived two
stages back, but were then with their chief. There was
no help for it, so I ordered the camp to be formed, and
sent Nasib and the mace-bearers at once off to the palace
to express to his highness how insulted I felt as his
guest, being stopped in this manner, even when I had
his Kaquenzingiriri with me as his authority that I was
invited there as a guest. I was not a merchant who
carried merchandise, but a prince. like himself, come on a
friendly mission to see him and Riimanika. I was waiting
at night for the return of the messengers, and sitting
out with my sextant observing the stars, to fix my position,
when some daring thieves, in the dark bushes close
by, accosted two of the women of the camp, pretending
a desire to know what I was doing. They were no
sooner told by the unsuspecting women, than they whipped
off their clothes and ran away with them, allowing their
victims to pass me in a state of absolute nudity. I could
stand this thieving no longer. My goats and other things
had been taken away without causing me much distress
of mind, but now, after this shocking event, I ordered
my men to shoot at any thieves that came near them.
This night one was shot, without any mistake about it;,
for the next morning Halt, 27i/i. n i l , „ n wei trlacked him by his
blood, and afterwards heard he had died of
his wound. The Wasiii elders, contrary to my expectation,
then came and congratulated us on our success.
They thought us most wonderful men, and possessed of
supernatural powers; for th e . thief in question was a
magician, who until now was thought to be invulnerable.
Indeed, they said Arabs with enormous caravans had
often been plundered by these people; but though they
had so many more guns than ourselves, they never succeeded
in killing one.
Nasib then returned to inform us that the king had
heard our complaint, and was sorry for it, but said he
could not interfere with the rights of his officers. He did
not wish himself to take anything from us, and hoped we
would come on to him as soon as we had satisfied his
officers with the trifle they wanted. Virembo then sent
us some pombe by his officers, and begged us to have
patience, for he was then fleecing Masiidi at the encamp-
ing-ground near the palace. This place was alive with
thieves. During the day they lured my men into their
huts by inviting them to dinner; but when they got
them they stripped them stark-naked and let them go
again; whilst at night they stoned our camp. After this,
one more was shot dead and two others wounded.
I knew that feiiwarora’s message was all humbug, and
Halt, 28tA. tilat hls officers merely kept about one per
cent of what they took from travellers, paying
the balance into the royal coffers. Thinking I was
now well in for a good fleecing myself, I .sent Bombay off
to Masudi’s camp, to tell Insangez, who was travelling
with him on a mission of his master’s, old Mfisa’s son, that
I would reward him handsomely if he would, on arrival
at Karagiid, get Riimanika to send us his mace here in the