brindled gnti, four water-boc, one pallah-boc, and one
pig,—enough to feed abundantly the whole camp round
lhe feast was all the better relished as the men knew
well that no Arab master would have given them what
he could sell ; for if a slave shot game, the animals would
be the master’s, to be sold bit by bit among the porters,
and compensated from the proceeds of their pay. In the
variety and number of our game we were disappointed,
partly because so many wounded got away, and partly
because we could not find what we knew the park to
contain, m addition to what we killed—namely, elephants,
r oceros, giraffës, buffaloes, zebra, and many varieties
ot antelopes, besides Hons and hyenas. In fact, “ the
park,” as well as all the adjacent land at the foot of the
hills, is worth thinking of, with a view to a sporting
tour as well as scientific investigation.
. ^ circumstance arose here, which, insignificant though
it appeared, is worth noting, to show how careful one
must be in understanding and dealing with negro servants.
Qmte unaccountably to myself, the general /of
my Wanguana, Baraka, after showing much discontent
with his position as head of Captain Grant’s establishment,
became so insolent, that it was necessary to displace
hun, and leave him nothing to do but look after the men
This promoted Frij, who enjoyed his rise as much as
Baraka, if his profession was to be befieved, enjoyed his
removal from that office. Though he spoke in this manner,
still I knew that there was something rankling in his
mind which depressed his spirits as long as he remained
with us, though what it was I could not comprehend, nor
did I fully understand it till months afterwards. It was
ambition, which was fast making a fiend of him; and
had I known it, he would, and with great advantage too
have been dismissed upon the spot. The facts were
these: He was exceedingly clever, and he knew it. His
command over men was suiprising. At Zanzibar he was
the Consul’s right-hand man: he ranked above Bombay
in the consular boat’s crew, and became a terror even to
the Banyans who kept slaves. He seemed, in fact, in his
own opinion, to have imbibed all the power of the British
Consul who had instructed him. Such a man was an
element of discord in our peaceful caravan. He was far
too big-minded for the sphere which he occupied; and
my surprise now is that he ever took service, knowing
what he should, at the time of enlistment, have expected,
that no man would be degraded to make room for him.
But this was evidently what he had expected, though he
dared not say it. He was jealous of Bombay, because he
thought his position over the money department was
superior to his own over the men; and he had seen
Bombay, on one occasion, pay a tax in Uzaramo—a transaction
which would give him consequence with the native
chiefs. Of Sheikh Said he was equally jealous, for a like
reason; and his jealousy increased the more that I found
it necessary to censure the timidity of this otherwise
worthy little man. Baraka thought, in his conceit, that
he. could have done all things better, and gained signal
fame, had he been created chief. Perhaps he thought he
had gained the first step towards this exalted rank, and
hence his appearing very happy for the time. I could
not see through so deep a scheme, and only hoped that
he would shortly forget, in the changes of the
life, those beautiful wives he had left behind him which
Bombay in his generosity tried to persuade me was the
cause of his mental distraction.
Our halt at the ford here was cut short by the increas-
To Kirtirtt, 19th big sickness of the Hottentots, and the pain'
ll bil fact that Captain Grant was seized with
fever* We had to change camp to the Httle village of
* It was such an attack as I had on my former journey; hut while mine
ceased to trouble me after the first year, his kept recurring every fortnight
until the journey ended. s i