238 TR A V E L S IN EAST AFRICA CHAP.
important, matters, such as quarrels, wife-beating, thefts, etc.,
and it was amusing to notice how they still adhered to many
of their old customs. Thus my formal consent to a marriage
was always asked for by the contracting parties. There was
a good deal of sickness at times amongst them; they appeared
particularly liable to chest and lung complaints, which often
proved fatal.
The new overseer was a zealous and hard-working man,
and the various shambas soon presented a very different
appearance from what they did when I first saw them. The
metamah and oil-grain harvests had been good, so what
with the sale of these grains and considerable estate produce,
prospects appeared flourishing, for we had also collected the
considerable number of 18,600 coco-nuts from the estate
trees.
In my daily walks to and fro I had often remarked in the
neighbourhood of M Pandjani shamba a very well-kept-up
banana plantation, belonging, I was told, to an Arab who
did not grow any other produce. He kept his slaves constantly
' cleaning and weeding the plants, which certainly
looked remarkably well. The fruit he exported to Lamu.
Immediately after my return, M’Doro, the' Wanika head-man,
accompanied by a large' number of his people, came to see
me, and brought me fowls and a quantity of eggs. They had
only heard of my return the night before, and came to see me
at once. They now fully 'realized the advantages of paid
labour, and made most anxious inquiries as;to when Tshould
want Wanika again, declaring that the whole of their-village
was ready to come when required, and finally made a request
which gave me much pleasure. They asked my permission
to open up new land for cultivation close to Magarini Hill.
I told them that I was delighted to grant their request, and
informed them that it was the Company’s intention to experiment
with various products, such as cotton and tobacco,: the
seeds of which I would supply to them, so there would be
work available for all, men, women* and children. The Wanika
seemed thoroughly pleased, and frequently gave expression
to their satisfaction during my short address. I then went off
with them to look at the land they wanted. It was situated