a measuring-stick. Eight such measurements usually
make about four yards. It was needless to explain
to them that we considered this price perfectly ludicrous.
On the coast a donkey can be purchased for
ten doty (forty yards) of drill, where drill was easily
procured, and where the owner of the donkey had
been to the expense of bringing his beast. Among
the entire tribe of these savages there was perhaps
not twenty yards of cloth; yet they wished us to give
them half as much again as was asked at the coast.
We then refused to trade. In order to impress
them we produced the red blankets, thinking we
should thereby excite their cupidity. We also spread
out before them some Scotch plaid shawls. The appearance
of the latter they greeted with derisive
shouts, and Lomoro took one of them in his hand,
waved it above his head, and attracted to it the attention
of the assembled warriors outside the zeriba.
It seemed to madden them as a red rag does a bull.
After some questioning, we learned that the Rendile
loathed any colour but white — a most curious instance
! for all negroes are notoriously fond of bright
colours.
We had spent more than an hour in fruitless endeavour
to arrive at some sort of trade with these people.
Each moment the assembled warriors outside our camp
grew more impatient; and soon the air rang with
savage shouts. I thought they were about to attack
u s ; and so I quietly went about among my men, and
told them to load their rifies, and place two extra
cartridges in their hands. The shouts grew louder
and louder; when suddenly the Somali came to us,
and said they could understand sufficient of what the
Rendile were saying, to gather that they were preparing
to fall upon us.
Both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had been so much
irritated by the unreasonable behaviour of these people,
that we would have almost welcomed a struggle, as a
relief to our feelings. It flashed across my mind that
we should never be in a better position to attack them
than at that time. We were in a strong zeriba, water
near at hand, and plentiful food and ammunition supplies.
Seated in front of us were, as far as we could
learn, the three greatest chiefs of the Rendile, entirely
at our mercy. We did not wish to begin a struggle;
but if one arrow had flown, or a spear been cast through
the zeriba, we should at once have entered into the
spirit which prompted the action. Three well-directed
volleys fired through the thorns of our zeriba would
have laid many of the warriors low, and dispersed the
remainder; then we could have retained the three chiefs
as hostages, and forced the Rendile to trade on satisfactory
terms.
The shouting continued. The three chiefs sat quiet,
and eyed us narrowly, doubtless seeking for some indication
of fear. A t length I told them that we had
made blood-brothers with the Rendile, and in consequence
we were loath to treat them in any but the
most friendly manner; but that in our country we were
not accustomed to such shouts and cries as then filled
the air, and we were compelled to construe them as
signs of hostility; also, that unless quiet was at once
restored, the Rendile would discover in short order
what manner of men we were.