had, as I said, about fifty. I gave out thirty-two Remingtons
and two Sniders, and for the rest, Enfield muzzle-loaders, and
served each man with twenty rounds of amunition. I was
much pleased with the readiness and zeal shown by the
Magarini people, who had marched down in the night. We
got to Weaver’s camp about one o’clock, and found Mr. Burt
there. Here I heard that the Witu people were supposed to
be at Merikano, only about three hours from Jelori, and that
messengers were passing down to the Liwali of Takaungu.
We pushed on in the afternoon, sending two askaris ahead
with a Swahili letter to the Mission catechist at Jelori to say
we were coming, and telling him to summon all the Giryama
chiefs to meet us. Weaver, going on ahead with the vanguard,
got a start when he came upon an old camp below Sekoki
Hill full of armed men ; they turned out however to be the
Wa-Giryama who had come to meet us with the catechist.
They were all ready for war with naked arrows in their hands,
and said their chiefs would come next day for a big shauri.
We at once set all our people to strengthen the boma, as,
if the report were correct, the Witu force would attack Jelori
in the morning. Weaver and I arranged that one of us should
always be on the alert, night and day, and we divided the
twenty-four hours into watches. The outposts, one ahead and
one behind, were visited every hour day and night, eight men
being placed at each during the day and sixteen at night.
Having made the boma secure, we cleared away p i bush
and treés as far as the river, of which we now had a view. It
became dreadfully hot inside the boma, as the high fence all
round excluded every breeze, and our tents were so like an
oven in temperature that we had to throw water over the
smaller one to keep the inside cool, being afraid lest the
ammunition stored there should get over-heated.
On thè ioth I was very busy making shauri and alliances
with the Wa-Kamba, and Wa-Giryama. The latter came into
■camp over 300 strong with their chief, singing their war-
songs and afterwards going through their war-dance. The
Wa-Kahoma and Wa-Choni tribes also declared themselves
ready now and at any time to take up arms for the Company.
There was no doubt that the people were in earnest, and all