labour supply would be overcome. Of course such people
could only be unskilled labourers, but even so, it would be a
great point gained to secure a number of them, and the
knowledge' that money was to be earned on the plantations
could not fail to attract others. Later on the results of this
experiment will be shown.
In the afternoon I took my first walk through the shamba,
and inspected the cotton, the seed of which had been given
to Suliman by Bell-Smith two years before. It was very
scattered, and that any plants survived at all after the
neglect it had suffered, spoke volumes for its hardiness and
suitability to the country—-it had been planted amongst
pomegranate trees. As a beginning, I proposed clearing
this cotton area with Wanika labourers. Further on there
were a few date-palms which had been planted by Suliman.
Apparently the whole of Magarini Hill had been cleared by
him at one time, but now there were only a few patches of
metamah growing here and there, and even that was rtot in
very good condition. The soil on which the cotton grew was
red loam with strong indications of iron, shown by the black
markings'wherever the upper surface had been washed away ;
elsewhere it was of a rich black sandy loam, and rank
vegetation covered the portions that had lapsed from
cultivation.
The following day (July 23) I went to visit two Wanika
villages. I was.much pleased with these people; they seemed
good-humoured and willing. The nearer village was small,
the other much larger. The head-man or chief of the
smaller village said he could bring me many people, men,
women and children, to work— so I went away, looking
forward with pleasure to the working out of this experiment.
Close by, we obtained a fine view of the country towards the
west, and beyond that, as far as the eye could see, there was
nothing but virgin bush—-the whole of the land presenting
the same undulating character. The Wanika said there was
no river nearer than the Sabaki. This part of the country
was apparently quite unexplored, as they told us that we
were the first Europeans who had entered their villages. A
large crowd surrounded u s ; the women were fairly good-
A WANIKA HEAD-MAN.