CH A P T ER III
FIRST EXPERIENCES ON AN EAST AFRICAN SHAMBA
Preliminary Troubles— Incendiarism— A Refractory Native— A “ Shauri ”
— An Encouraging Change— A Valuable Ally— My Wanrka Labourers—
Agricultural Seasons— Seed-time and Harvest— Various Products— A
Large Muster— Daily Routine— Harvesting Bananas— Natives’ Dislike
of Rain— A Reformed Character— Visits of Inspection— Site for Experimental
Nurseries— A Good Start— Proposed Tour up the Sabaki— Preliminary
Arrangements— Final Instructions— Personnel of my Party—
First Night in Camp.
I FOUND Ali bin Jumah at M’Pandiani. He had been
round all the shambas as instructed; the results were not
much, but showed him to be hard-working and obedient. He
had measured the shambas, but his measurements were not of
much use, and he simply gave me a list of the various products
growing upon them, which I knew before. However, he
showed a willingness to carry out orders as well as he could,
and this was something in his favour.
Ali suggested that the people should be kept working
simultaneously on all the shambas, but this I negatived, and
ordered that the weeding of the shambas should commence
in earnest next day, each one being taken in turn, thoroughly
cleaned and put to rights, after which all the growing trees
were to be counted, so that we might have an exact knowledge
of what each shamba contained. I directed Ali to begin
with Shamba Baraka and to send all the people up there,,
except the watchmen and those guarding the metamah from
the birds. Ali informed me that the sim-sim at Magarini was
now weeded. He obtained permission to reside at M’Pandiani
shamba as it was more central for his work.
It rained during the night, and the morning was wet. The
workpeople, in number forty-three, went off to Shamba
Baraka at 8.30. The Wanika did not turn up, and later in
the morning M’Doro came again and made excuses, promising
faithfully that they should come next day. I was obliged to
content myself with the hope that it might be so.
I ordered thirty or forty hoes to be got for the Wanika,
and arranged for one of the watchmen to act as head-man
and look after them. Twelve of them came next day ;
they straggled in by twos and threes, the first lot coming
about eight o’clock and the last about nine. I put them to
weed the cotton. They were knocked off at eleven o’clock
for mid-day meal, and at one o’clock not a single one had
returned. I was obliged to send off a watchman named
Bakari to hunt them up in their village, and they straggled
back at about 2.30 p.m. I was not disposed to be exacting
on the first day, and paid them myself at 5 p.m. Next
day twenty-eight came— a decided improvement— they
came earlier, and returned about 2 p.m. in the afternoon.
When I went over to Baraka shamba on the first day of the
weeding, etc., I was much pleased with the work done. They
had hoed up a considerable portion of the ground, the
bananas had been trimmed and the old stumps uprooted.
In the afternoon an occurrence took place which illustrated
the demoralized state of the people. The high grass and
bush was fired by one of the people, on purpose, so the man
being brought to me in the evening I warned him that I would
have him punished. Fortunately the fire was put out before
much damage was done. The man who reported that it was
extinguished was so insolent in his behaviour, repeating his
insolence before a number of the others, that I sent for Nakoa
Feruzi, and told him that I would send the offender to the
chain-gang at Melindi, his insolence having been so public
and repeated, that I considered an example necessary.
In the evening Feruzi asked me to forgive the man, but I
refused. Next morning he renewed the appeal, but I remained
firm, and was pleased to see that my determined action had
made an impression.
I continued my usual muster of the sick, whom I had told
to attend every morning and evening for treatment. Coughs,