he begged us to consider his estate our own, even to the
extent of administering his justice, should any Mzaramo
be detected stealing from us. Our target-praetice, whilst
instructing the men, astonished him not a little, and produced
an exclamation that, with so many guns, we need
fear nothing, go where we would. From this place a good
view is obtained of Uzdgura. Beyond the flat alluvial
valley of the Kingani, seven to eight miles broad, the
land rises suddenly to a table-land of no great height, on
which trees grow in profusion. In fact it appeared, as
far as the eye could reach, the very counterpart of that
where we stood, with the exception of a small hill, very
distant, called Phongud
A very welcome packet of quinine and other medicines
reached us here from Rigby, who, hearing our complaints
that the Hottentots could only be kept alive by daily
potions of brandy and quinine, feared our supplies were
not enough, and sent us more.
We could not get the Sultan’s men to chum with the
Wanguana proper; they were shy, like wild animals—
built their huts by themselves—and ate and talked by
themselves, for they felt themselves inferiors; and I had to
nominate one of their number to be their immediate chief,
answerable for the actions of the whole. Being©; in the
position of “ boots ” to the camp, the tending of goats fell
to their lot. Three goats were missing this evening,
which the goatherds could not account for, nor any of
their men. Suspecting that they were hidden for a private
feast, I told their chief to inquire farther, and report. The
upshot was, that the man was thrashed for intermeddling,
and came back only with his scars. This was a nice sort
of insubordination, which of course could not be endured.
The goatherd was pinioned and brought to trial, for the
double offence of losing the goats and rough-handling his
chief. The tricking scoundrel—on quietly saying he could
not be answerable for other men’s actions if they stole
I goats, and he could not recognise a man as his chief
| whom the Sheikh, merely by a whim of his own, thought
proper to appoint—was condemned to be tied up for the
I night, with the prospect of a flogging in the morning.
I Seeing his fate, the cunning vagabond said, “ Now I do
I see it was by your orders the chief was appointed, and
j not by a whim of Sheikh Said’s ; I will obey him for the
future ;” and these words were hardly pronounced than
I the three missing goats rushed like magic into camp,
; nobody of course knowing where they came from.
Skirting along the margin of the rising ground over-
To Thümba looking the river, through thick woods, clear-
1 Lhêrê, 7th. e(j in places for cultivation, we arrived at
I Thümba Lhéré. The chief here took a hongo of three yards
I merikani and two yards kiniki without much fuss, for he
I had no power. The pagazis struck, and said they would
I not move from this unless I gave them one fundo or ten
I necklaces of beads each daily, in lieu of rations, as they
I were promised by Ladha on the coast that I would do so
I as soon as they had made four marches. This was an ob-
I vious invention, concocted to try my generosity, for I had
I given the kirangozi a goat,, which is customary, to “make
I the journey prosperous”—had suspended a dollar to his
I neck in recognition of his office, and given him four yards
| merikani, that he might have a grand feast with his
; brothers ; while neither the Sheikh, myself, nor any one
I else in the camp, had heard of such a compact. With
1 high words the matter dropped, African fashion.
| The pagazis would not start at the appointed time, hop-
I To Mühtigtté, ing to enforce their demands of last night ;
so we took the lead and started, followed by
■the Wanguana., Seeing this, the pagazis cried out with
I one accord : “ The master is gone, leaving the responsib
il i ty of his property in our hands ; let us follow, let us
■ follow, for verily he is our father ;” and all came hurrying
■.after us. Here the river, again making a bend, is lost to