Johur, It
Turned Out, Was A Murderer, Having Obtained His Freedom By
Killing His Master.
He was otherwise a notoriously bad
character; so, wishing to make an example, as I knew all my men
were robbing me daily, though I could not detect them, I had him
turned out of camp.
Baraka was a splendid detective, and could
do everything well when he wished it, so I sent him off now with
cloths to see what he could to at Jiwa la Mkoa, and next day he
returned triumphantly driving in cows and goats. Three
Wanyamuezi, also, who heard we were given to shooting wild
animals continually, came with him to offer their services as
porters.
As nearly all the men had now returned, Grant and I spent New
Year's Day with the first detachment at Jiwa la Mkoa, or Round
Rock - a single tembe village occupied by a few Wakimbu settlers,
who, by their presence and domestic habits, made us feel as
though we were well out of the wood. So indeed we found it; for
although this wilderness was formerly an entire forest of trees
and wild animals, numerous Wakimbu, who formerly occupied the
banks of the Ruaha to the southward, had been driven to migrate
here, wherever they could find springs of water, by the
boisterous naked pastorals the Warori.
At night three slaves belonging to Sheikh Salem bin Saif stole
into our camp, and said they had been sent by their master to
seek for porters at Kaze, as all the Wanyamuezi porters of four
large caravans had deserted in Ugogo, and they could not move. I
was rather pleased by this news, and thought it served the
merchants right, knowing, as I well did, that the Wanyamuezi,
being naturally honest, had they not been defrauded by foreigners
on the down march to the coast, would have been honest still.
Some provisions were now obtained by sending men out to distant
villages; but we still supplied the camp with our guns, killing
rhinoceros, wild boar, antelope, and zebras. The last of our
property did not come up till the 5th, when another thief being
caught, got fifty lashes, under the superintendence of Baraka, to
show that punishment was only inflicted to prevent further crime.
The next day my men came from Kaze with letters from Sheikh Snay
and Musa. They had been detained there some days after arrival,
as those merchants' slaves had gone to Utambara to settle some
quarrel there; but as soon as they returned, Musa ordered them to
go and assist us, giving them beads to find rations for
themselves on the way, as the whole country about Kaze had been
half-starved by famines, though he did send a little rice and
tobacco for me. The whole party left Kaze together; but on
arrival at Tura the slaves said they had not enough beads and
would return for some more, when they would follow my men. This
bit of news was the worst that could have befallen us; my men
were broken-hearted enough before, and this drove the last spark
of spirit out of them. To make the best of a bad job, I now sent
Bombay with two other men off to Musa to see what he could do,
and ordered my other men to hire Wakimbu from village to village.
On the 7th, a nervous excitement was produced in the camp by some
of my men running in and calling all to arm, as the fugitive
chief Manua Sera was coming, with thirty armed followers carrying
muskets. Such was the case: and by the time my men were all
under arms, with their sword-bayonets fixed, drawn up by my tent
the veritable "Tippler" arrived; but, not liking the look of such
a formidable array as my men presented, he passed on a short way,
and then sent back a deputation to make known his desire of
calling on me, which was no sooner complied with than he came in
person, attended by a body-guard. 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. This measure, however, exasperated
the Arabs, and induced them to send me hostile messages, to the
effect that, if I ever meddled with them, they would dethrone me,
and place Mkisiwa, another illegitimate son, on the throne in my
stead. This," Manua Sera continued, "I could not stand; the
merchants were living on sufferance only in my country.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 30 of 207
Words from 29527 to 30540
of 210958
