This Was Startling,
And Induced Me To Send All The Men I Could Prudently Spare Off To
Grant At Once, Cautioning Him To Avoid Ruhe's, As Lumeresi Had
Promised Me He Would Not Allow One Other Thing To Be Taken From
Me.
Lumeresi by this time was improving, from lessons on the
policy of moderation which I had been teaching him; for when he
tried to squeeze as much more out of Masudi as Ruhe had taken, he
gave way, and let him off cheaply at my intercession.
He had seen
enough to be persuaded that this unlimited taxation or plunder
system would turn out a losing game, such as Unyamyembe and Ugogo
were at that time suffering from. Moreover, he was rather put to
shame by my saying, "Pray, who now is biggest - Ruhe or yourself?
for any one entering this country would suspect that he was, as
he levies the first tax, and gives people to understand that, by
their paying it, the whole district will be free to them; such at
any rate he told me, and so it appears he told Masudi. If you
are the sultan, and will take my advice, I would strongly
recommend your teaching Ruhe a lesson, by taking from him what
the Arabs paid, and giving it back to Masudi.
At midnight (16th) I was startled in my sleep by the hurried
tramp of several men, who rushed in to say they were Grant's
porters - Bogue men who had deserted him. Grant, they said, in
incoherent, short, rapid, and excited sentences, was left by them
standing under a tree, with nothing but his gun in his hand. All
the Wanguana had been either killed or driven away by M'yonga's
men, who all turned out and fell upon the caravan, shooting,
spearing, and plundering, until nothing was left. The porters
then, seeing Grant all alone, unable to help him, bolted off to
inform me and Lumeresi, as the best thing they could do. Though
disbelieving the story in all its minutiae, I felt that something
serious must have happened; so, without a moment's delay, I sent
off the last of my men strong enough to walk to succour Grant,
carrying with them a bag of beads. Baraka then stepped outside my
tent, and said in a loud voice, purposely for my edification,
"There, now, what is the use of thinking any more about going to
Karague? I said all along it was impossible"; upon hearing which
I had him up before all the remaining men, and gave him a
lecture, saying, happen what would, I must die or go on with the
journey, for shame would not allow me to give way as Baraka was
doing. Baraka replied, he was not afraid - he only meant to
imply that men could not act against impossibilities.
"Impossibilities!" I said; "what is impossible? Could I not go on
as a servant with the first caravan, or buy up a whole caravan if
I liked? What is impossible?
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