On My Requesting Him To Draw
Near And Sit, His Wooden Stool Was Placed For Him.
He began the
conversation by telling me he had heard of my distress from want
of porters, and then
Offered to assist me with some, provided I
would take him to Kaze, and mediate between him and the Arabs;
for, through their unjustifiable interference in his government
affairs, a war had ensued, which terminated with the Arabs
driving him from his possessions a vagabond. Manua Sera, I must
say, was as fine a young man as ever I looked upon. He was very
handsome, and looked as I now saw him the very picture of a
captain of the banditti of the romances. I begged him to tell me
his tale, and, in compliance, he gave me the following
narrative: -
"Shortly after you left Kaze for England, my old father, the late
chief Fundi Kira, died, and by his desire I became lawful chief;
for, though the son of a slave girl, and not of Fundi Kira's
wife, such is the law of inheritance - a constitutional policy
established to prevent any chance of intrigues between the sons
born in legitimate wedlock. Well, after assuming the title of
chief, I gave presents of ivory to all the Arabs with a liberal
hand, but most so to Musa, which caused great jealousy amongst
the other merchants. Then after this I established a property tax
on all merchandise that entered my country. Fundi Kira had never
done so, but I did not think that any reason why I should not,
especially as the Arabs were the only people who lived in my
country exempt from taxation.
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