Of Course No Business Was Done, For The Thing Was
Preposterous By All Calculation, Being Close On 2500 Per Cent.
Above Zanzibar Valuation.
I was "game" to give 50 dollars, but
as they would not take this, I thought of dealing with Rumanika
instead.
I then gave Nnanaji, who had been constantly throwing
out hints that I ought to give him a gun as he was a great
sportsman, a lappet of beadwork to keep his tongue quiet, and he
in return sent me a bullock and sundry pots of pombe, which, in
addition to the daily allowance sent by Rumanika, made all my
people drunk, and so affected Baraka that one of the women - also
drunk - having given him some sharp abuse, he beat her in so
violent a manner that the whole drunken camp set upon him, and
turned the place into a pandemonium. A row amongst the negroes
means a general rising of arms, legs, and voices; all are in a
state of the greatest excitement; and each individual thinks he
is doing the best to mend matters, but is actually doing his best
to create confusion.
By dint of perseverance, I now succeeded in having Baraka
separated from the crowd and dragged before me for justice. I
found that the woman, who fully understood the jealous hatred
which existed in Baraka's heart against Bombay, flirted with both
of them; and, pretending to show a preference for Bombay, set
Baraka against her, when from high words they came to blows, and
set the place in a blaze.
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