I went straight to the Liwali’s shamba, which I had previously
found a most comfortable camping-place, and had my tent
pitched under a large spreading mango tree, with a good well
close by, and a view of the sea from my tent. The shamba
was a little outside the town—-a decided advantage!
I reported myself at the office on my arrival, and had
breakfast with Anstruther, In the afternoon I paid off my
large following, returning my surplus ammunition to the
stores, pleased to think that the few cartridges expended had
been fired solely in friendly salutes. My Wanika were so
anxious to go home, that I paid them off and let them go at
once, and arranged for some of the estate people at Magarini
to come for my things.
I was detained at Melindi on various matters, finally starting
for Mombrui on October 12. I walked by the sea-shore,
Anstruther coming a part of the way with me. I had sent
my things on ahead, so that on leaving Anstruther I found
myself alone, which, after the crowd of people I had lately
had always around me, felt quite odd. I crossed the Sabaki
all right, and found a couple of donkeys waiting on the other
side, together with some most welcome green coco-nuts, sent
by my ever-thoughtful friend, the Liwali of Mombrui, by
whom and the elders I was most cordially welcomed on my
arrival, the Liwali insisting on'my stopping at his house as
before. I was very sorry to receive unsatisfactory reports of
Ali bin Jumah, the overseer at Magarini— whom, by the way,
I had found at Melindi, and had at once sent back to his
work with a sharp reprimand.
I was now told that Mr. Ali was strongly suspected by the
Liwali of having sold a certain amount of estate produce and
coco-nuts for his own profit. The Liwali had a bad opinion
of him, remarking that “ big talkers were never worth much.”
This was not encouraging, and made me rather distrustful
of the Swahili character. The Liwali admitted that everybody
cheated and stole who got a chance, he also told me
that, having questioned Ali one day about some trivial theft
of a balance of money left over from the purchase of some
rope, Ali bin Jumah exclaimed : “ Was it worth my while to
steal only a rupee and a half! ”
I returned to Magarini early next morning, and determined
to hold a strict inquiry into this and other matters. I found
everything very satisfactory, and was much pleased with the
appearance of the cotton, which had come on very well, though
rats had destroyed a good deal of the last-sown seed, leaving a
good many vacancies. In the general report on the estate
works given me by Ali bin J umah, he emphasized the fact
that he had not yet begun to gather coco-nuts. There was, of
course, a crop of small troubles awaiting me: one of the estate
donkeys had run away, and had not yet been found; there
were disputes to settle among estate hands ; and a native tailor,
whom I had got up to teach some of the younger boys what I
thought was'a useful trade, had not only run away with his
three apprentices, but had stolen a lot of clothes which he had
orders to make, besides having borrowed money right and
left. I soon had him caught and punished and recovered the
boys.
I now hoped to settle down at Magarini, where a good many
things demanded my attention, but I had to set off on another
expedition sooner than I expected, for two days after my
return I received, on October 15, a confidential letter from
Melindi, advising me that from information received at
Mombasa, a slave caravan estimated at about seventy souls
was coming down the Sabaki route, and was evidently bound
for Mombrui. The Administrator desired me to do my utmost
in co-operation with the Company’s officer at Melindi to
intercept it. This, I may explain, was .one of those trading
caravans to the interior which combine slave-trading with
their legitimate business, and try to run their contraband
human merchandise to the coast unobserved by the authorities,
and thence ship them for sale to-Pemba or Muscat at the first
opportunity.
Mr. Wilson, who was at Melindi just then, and with whom
I was to co-operate, was proceeding up the Sabaki by the
south bank, so I settled to go up on the north side, This
part of the country being quite unexplored, I had to make some
preliminary inquiries about the way, which I did as quietly as
I could, so as not to cause alarm. I announced to Ali that I
was .merely going up the river a little on the south side to