Mfumbi, the small chief of Sorombo, came over, in an Oily-Gammon
kind of manner, to say Makaka had sent him over to present his
compliments to me, and express his sorrow on hearing that I had
fallen sick here.
He further informed me that the road was closed
between this and Usui, for he had just been fighting there, and
had killed the chief Gomba, burnt down all his villages, and
dispersed all the men in the jungle, where they now resided,
plundering every man who passed that way. This gratuitous,
wicked, humbugging terrifier helped to cause another defeat. It
was all nonsense, I knew, but both Bui and Nasib, taking fright,
begged for their discharges. In fearful alarm and anxiety, I
begged them to have patience and see the hongo settled first, for
there was no necessity, at any rate, for immediate hurry; I
wished them to go on ahead with Bombay, as in four days they
could reach Suwarora's. But they said they could not hear of it-
-they would not go a step beyond this. All the chiefs on ahead
would do the same as Lumeresi; the whole country was roused. I
had not even half enough cloths to satisfy the Wasui; and my
faithful followers would never consent to be witness to my being
"torn to pieces."
5th and 6th. - The whole day and half of the next went in
discussions. At last, able for the first time to sit up a
little, I succeeded in prevailing on Bui to promise he would go
to Usui as soon as the hongo was settled, provided, as he said, I
took on myself all responsibilities of the result.
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