man. His people, though professing to be
Wanyamwezi, are a mixture o f Wahha and
Wazinja. He has constructed a strong village,
and surrounded it with a fosse 4 feet deep and
6 feet wide, with a stockade and “ marksmen’s
nests” at intervals round it. The population of
the capital is about 2000.
Boma Kiengo, or Msera, lies five miles south-
south-east from the capital, and its chief, seeing
that we had arrived at such a good understanding
with the king, also exerted himself to create
a favourable impression.
Musonga lies twelve miles south-south-east
o f Boma Kiengo, and is the most northerly
village o f the country o f Urangwa. On the
18th April, a march o f fifteen miles enabled us
to reach the capital, Ndeverva, another large
stockaded village, also provided with “ marksmen’s
nests,” and surrounded b y a fosse.
W e were making capital marches. The petty
kings, though they exacted a small interchange
o f g if ts , which compelled me to disburse cloth
a little more frequently than was absolutely necessary,
were not insolent, nor so extortionate
as to prevent our intercourse being o f the most
friendly character. But on the d ay we arrived
at Urangwa, lo! there came up in haste, while
we were sociably chatting together, a messenger
to tell us that the phantom, the bugbear, the
terror whose name silences the children o f Unya-
[ April 18,1876.| THE TERROR OF AFRICA UPON US. 3 1 9
[ Ndev erva . J
mwezi and Usukuma, and makes women’s hearts,
bound with fear; that Mirambo himself was coming—
that he was only two camps, or about
twenty miles, away—-that he had an immense
army o f Ruga-Ruga (bandits) with him!
T h e consternation at this news, the dismay
and excitement, the discussion and rapid interchange
o f ideas suggested b y terror throughout
the capital, may be conceived. Barricades were
prepared, sharp-shooters’ platforms, with thick
bulwarks o f logs, were erected. T h e women
hastened to prepare their charms, the Waganga
consulted their spirits, each warrior and elder
examined his guns and loaded them, ramming
the powder down the barrels o f their Brummagem
muskets with desperately vengeful intentions,
while the king hastened backwards and forwards
with streaming robes o f cotton behind him, animated
b y a hysterical energy.
I had 175 men under my command, and forty
o f the Arabs’ people were with me, and we
had many b ox es o f ammunition. T h e kin g recollected
these facts, and said, “ Y o u will stop
to fight Mirambo, will you not?”
“ Not I, my friend; I have no quarrel with
Mirambo, and we cannot join every native to
fight his neighbour. If Mirambo attacks the
village while I am here, and will not g o aw ay
when I ask him, we will fight, but we cannot
stop here to wait for him.”