tablished friendly relations, trade was carried on with
great vigour; but when visited by strangers, as they
have no idea of establishing trade with the outside
world, the chief desire seemed to be to rob them,
and possess the wealth of the stranger with as little
cost to themselves as possible.
These were the people with whom we were to make
a treaty. We intended and hoped that the treaty, once
ratified, would go far toward enabling Europeans and
traders from the coast to enter the Embe country without
danger and transact business with them.
The next day, shortly after noon, Liria came to my
tent, and with solemn mien informed me that the elders
of the Embe were gathered together for the purpose
of going through the ceremony of muma with me.
After a short chat, I went with him to a hill a short
distance above our camp, and there saw about fifty of
their influential men gathered together. Among their
number I recognized several who had made trouble
with us during our former stay in this country, in
February. After an exchange of greetings, Lieutenant
von Hohnel and I accompanied them to a small island
formed by a fork in a brook near by. They told us
that this island was sacred to muma-making of the
gravest type. Twenty selected elders joined us here,
and hundreds of men, young and old, were crowded
together, overlooking the ceremony. The first order
given was for the removal of all weapons from the
island, as the muma was to be a peace muma, and the
presence of any sort of weapon would render all efforts
invalid. This was followed by the presentation of a
small stick covered with thorns to Lieutenant von
Hohnel and me, and we were instructed to remove
each thorn carefully from the stick. This completed,
cheers went up from the resounding hills. Then a
female sheep was brought and offered up as a sacrifice;
next a small palm branch was given to each of us —
one, likewise, being retained in the hands of each of
the elders, and each branch having been dipped in the
blood of the sheep. Waving them on high, we all
declared our everlasting friendship for one another,
and called down curses upon the one who should first
endeavour to break the bond of amity and peace.
Then a small strip of skin was cut from each of the
hind legs of the sheep, and, a hole being punched in
these, they were placed upon our fingers as rings.
This completed the ceremony, and we returned to
camp, more than 1000 natives accompanying us, beating
their bows and arrows together, and shouting:
“ The European is now the brother of the Embe!
The European is now the brother of the Embe! ”
Arrived at our camp, we presented the old men
with gifts, which drew from them expressions of satisfaction
and pleasure, and they said that henceforth all
white men would be welcomed as brothers. I hastened
to add that the same treatment must be accorded all
Zanzibari traders from the coast. To this, eventually,
they unwillingly agreed. They then asked us for
“ medicine ” with which to fight a rival tribe, which
inhabited a part of the country three or four days’
journey from them. To this request we replied that
the time was unsuited for the making of war medicine;
for, should we do so, it would probably have a dire
effect upon the peace muma we had just celebrated.