children, and despoiling everything they held dear to
them. They did not wish to rob me, and would give up
their hire, but not one step more would they advance.
Makaka then came forward and said, “ Just stop here
with me until this ill wind blows over;” but Baraka,
more in a fright at Makaka than at any one else, said, No
—he would do anything rather than th a t; for Makaka’s
bullying had made him quite ill. I then said to my men,
“ If nothing else will suit you, the best plan I can think
of is to return to Mihambo in Bogue, and there form a
depot, where, having stored my property, I shall give the
Pig a whole load, or 63 lb., of Mzizima beads if he will O / 7 7 take Baraka in disguise on to Suwarora, and ask him to
send me eighty men, whilst I go back to Unyanyem.be to
see what men I can get from the late Miisa’s establishment,
and then we might bring on Grant, and move in a
body together,” At first Baraka said, “ Do you wish to
have us killed ? Do you think if we went to Siiwarora’s
you would ever see us back again ? You would wait
and wait for us, but we should never return.” To which
I replied, “ Oh, Baraka, do not think so ! Bombay, if he
were here, would go in a minute. Suwarora by this time
knows I am coming, and you may depend on it he will
be just as anxious to have us in Usui as Makaka is to
keep us here, and he cannot hurt us, as Rumanika is over
him, and also expects us.” Baraka then, in the most
doleful manner, said he would go if the Pig would. The
Pig, however, did not like it either, but said the matter
was so important he would look into the magic horn all
night, and give his answer next morning as soon as we
arrived at Mihambo.
On arrival at Mihambo next day, all the porters
Return to brought their pay to me, and said they would
Mihambo, 19th. not go, for nothing would induce them to
advance a step farther. I said nothing; but, with “ my
heart in my shoes,” I gave what I thought their due
for coming so far, and motioned them to be off; then
calling on the Pig for his decision, I tried to argue again,
though I saw it was no use, for there was not one of my
own men who wished to go on. They were unanimous in
saying Usui was a “ fire,” and I had no right to sacrifice
them. The Pig then finally refused, saying three loads
even would not tempt him, for all were opposed to it.
Of what value, he observed, would the beads be to him
if his life was lost ? This was crushing; the whole camp
was unanimous in opposing me. I then made Baraka
place all my kit in the middle of the boina, which was a
very strong one, keeping out only such beads as I wished
him to use for the men’s rations daily, and ordered him
to select a few men who would return with me to Kaze ;
when I said, if I could not get all the men 1 wanted, I
would try and induce some one, who would not fear, to
go on to Usui; failing which, I would even walk back
to Zanzibar for men, as nothing in the world would ever
induce me to give up the journey.
This appeal did not move him ; but, without a reply,
he sullenly commenced collecting some men to accompany
me back to Kaze. At first no one would g o ; they then
mutinied for more beads, announcing all sorts of grievances,
which they said they were always talking over to
themselves, though I did not hear them. The greatest,
however, that they could get up was, that I always paid
the Wanyamiiezi “ temporaries ’’ more than they got,
though “ permanents.” “ They were the flesh, and I was
the k n i f e I cut and did with them just as I liked, and
they could not stand it any longer. However, they had
to stand i t ; and next day, when I had brought them to
reason, I gave over the charge of my tent and property to
Baraka, and commenced the return with a bad hitching
cough, caused by those cold easterly winds that blow over
the plateau during the six dry months of the year, and
which are, I suppose, the Harmattan peculiar to Africa.