days. We must not, he said, talk about Bombay any more,
because everybody said be was detained by the N’yanswengd
(Petberick’s party), and would return here with the new
moon. I would not accept the lie, saying, How can my
“children” at Gani detain my messengers, when they have
received strict orders from me by letter to send an answer
quickly? It was all Kamrasi’s doing, for be bad either
• bidden Bombay, or ordered bis officers to take him slowly,
as he did us, stopping four days at each stage.
Frij again told me be was present when Said Said, the
Sultan of Zanzibar, sent an army to assist the Wagtinya
at Amu, on the coast, against the incursions of the Masai.
These Amu people have the same Wahtima features as
Kamrasi, whom they also resemfble both in general
physical appearance, and in many of them having circular
marks, as if made by cautery, on the forehead and
temples. These marks I took not to be tatooing or decorative,
but as a cure for disease—cautery being a favourite
remedy with both races.
The battle lasted only two days, though the Masai
brought a thousand spears against the Arabs’ cannon.
But this was not the only battle Said Said had to fight
on those grounds; for some years previously he had to
subdue , the Waziwa, who live on very marshy land, into
respect for his sovereignty, when the battle lasted years,
in consequence of the bad nature of the ground, and the
trick the Waziwa had of staking the ground with spikes.
The Wasuahili, or coast-people, by his description, are the
bastards or mixed breeds who live on the east coast of
Africa, extending from the Somali country to Zanzibar.
Their language is Kistiahili; but there is no land Usila-
hili, though people talk of going to the Stiahili in the
same vague sense as they do of going to the Mashenzi,
or amongst the savages. The common story amongst the
Wasuahili at Zanzibar, in regard to the government of
that island, was, that the Wakhadim, or aborigines of
Zanzibar, did not like the oppressions of the Portuguese,
and therefore allied themselves to the Arabs of Muscat—
even compromising their natural birthright of freedom in
o-overnment, provided the Arabs, by their superior power,
would secure to them perpetual equity, peace, and justice.
The senior chief, Sheikh Miihadim, was the mediator on
their side, and without his sanction no radical changes
compromising the welfare of the land could take place;
the system of arbitration being, that the governing Arab
on the one side, and the deputy of the Wakhadim on the
other, should hold conference with a screen placed between
them, to obviate all attempts at favour, corruption, or
bribery.
The former report of the approach of all of my men,
with as many Waganda and cows for me, turned out partly
false, inasmuch as only one of my men was with 102 Waganda,
whilst the whole of the deserters were left behind
in Uganda with cows; and Kamrasi hearing this, ordered all
to go back again until the whole of my men should arrive.
21si.—I was told how a Myoro woman, who bore
twins that died, now keeps two small pots in her house,
as effigies of the children, into which she milks herself
every evening, and will continue to do so five months,
fulfilling the time appointed by nature for suckling children,
lest the spirits of the dead should persecute her.
The twins were not buried, as ordinary people are buried,
under ground, but placed in an earthenware pot, such as
the Wanyoro use for holding pombd. They were taken to
the jungle and placed by a tree, with the pot turned mouth
downwards. Manila, one of my men, who is a twin,
said, in Ngurii, one of the sister provinces to Unyanyembd,
twins are ordered to be killed and thrown into water the
moment they are born, lest droughts and famines or floods
should oppress the land. Should any one attempt to
conceal twins, the whole family would be murdered by
the chief; but, though a great traveller, this is the only