hut with Mwalim Hamis, the porter I had made
headman, who acted as leader of the porters when
they deserted, and went to Hamidi. He said that
about 3.30 a .m . on the day when the porters deserted,
Mwalim Hamis awakened him and said, “ Get your
things ready; we are all going to the coast. Hamidi
has sent me word not to leave a single man behind.”
Gilo refused to go.
He swore that these words of Mwalim Hamis conveyed
the first intelligence he had of the porters’
plans; and he thought not more than four or five of
the men had known anything of the planned desertion,
until notified a few hours before they took their
leave.
Gilo said that when he first heard the words from
Mwalim Hamis, he thought he ’would come at once
and tell me of the plans; but that he was afraid he
would be discovered and killed by the porters.
Some of the traders came to me, and told me they
knew the desertion had been planned, but that they
were accustomed to such rumours about caravans, and
had attached no importance to it. The traders at
this time were having almost daily squabbles with
the Daitcho; so I was forced to interpose to prevent
trouble. Our only safety lay in maintaining the
friendliest relations with the Daitcho, as they would
then warn us of any proposed attack upon us, undertaken
by the Embe or some other neighbouring tribe.
On January 27, Hussein Mahomet, the Soudanese,
came to me, and after repeating his former statement,
added that on the day of their desertion, while on
the march to the river, Moussa told him that Hamidi
had sent the following orders to Mwalim Hamis, who
represented Hamidi at the zeriba: that should I give
orders to the Soudanese or Somali to seize the porters
as they were running away, the porters were to
attack the Soudanese and Somali with clubs, disarm
them, bind George and me, and then take us with
them to the coast. Had not the desertion been so
W a k a m b a W a r r io r s
utterly unaccountable, I should not have paid much
attention to these words; but as it was, I was willing
to listen to anything which would throw light on the
action of the porters. I knew that no Zanzibari
would dare form such a plan as binding a European,
without the sanction and prompting of some higher
power than his own intelligence. Hamidi and the
porters were perfectly well aware that no European —