Toddy was not procurable here;, I had tried to get some
for making bread. The coco-nuts growing in the town,
although luxuriant enough, were very few in number, not more
than thirty or forty trees altogether. Sheep and goats, too, I
found very dear ; I bought four for my people’s promised feast
and paid the following high prices for them—
Rupees. Annas.
12 12
9 —
6
27 12
2 goats ...
1 large sheep
1 smaller
At first they wanted eleven rupees for the large sheep !
I had now been three days at Kionga, and all my arrangements
being completed I prepared to start on the morrow,
June 16, for Homw6. In the evening Mohamed bin Saif
came to pay a final visit; I regaled him with coffee, sweet
biscuits, and cigarettes, giving him besides a bottle of coffee,
biscuit and jam tins, and another complete suit of clothes
which he expressed a wish for, although this greatly
diminished my very scanty stock of wearing apparel. I
promised to send him an English watch when I got back to
Lamu, and this was afterwards duly sent to him.
In return he faithfully promised to see all my belongings
safely sent off to Homw6 and carried up to my camp, but all
these fine promises turned out. to be mere words ; for eventually
I had to settle everything with the captain of my dhow,
who declared that nothing whatever had been sent to him ; I
also had to hire a fishing-canoe to carry down the balance
of my goods. This is a sample of the Bajoni character; I
found them always very full of promises, but deceitful and
treacherous.
Having got rid of Mohamed bin Saif, I was next interviewed
by the Kionga Waze, who came to ask 'for a written
testimonial to say that I had been well treated by them,
winding up with a request for a present, which these people
asked for in the calmest and most bare-faced manner
possible!
The temperature record during these last three days was as
follows—
June 13. June H- June 15.
6 a.m., 76° • 7^° ... ... 76°
10 a.m., 82° (Fine) •••• 82° (Fine) ... 8i°
4 p.m., 78° ... 81
6p.m., 77° 79 79°