We
Found That This Would Be Early Enough, For All The Members Of The
Expedition, Excepting Myself, Were Suffering From The Effects Of
The Wilderness Life - Some With Fever, Some With Scurvy, And Some
With Ophthalmia - Which Made It Desirable They Should All Have
Rest.
Little now was done besides counting out my property, and
making Sheikh Said, who became worse and worse, deliver his
charge of Cafila Bashi over to Bombay for good.
When it was
found so much had been stolen, especially of the best articles, I
was obliged to purchase many things from Musa, paying 400 per
cent, which he said was their value here, over the market price
of Zanzibar. I also got him to have all my coils of brass and
copper wire made into bracelet, as is customary, to please the
northern people.
7th. - To-day information was brought here that whilst Manua Sera
was on his way from Ugogo to keep his appointment with me, Sheikh
Snay's army came on him at Tura, where he was ensconced in a
tembe. Hearing this, Snay, instead of attacking the village at
once, commenced negotiations with the chief of the place by
demanding him to set free his guest, otherwise they, the Arabs,
would storm the tembe. The chief, unfortunately, did not comply
at once, but begged grace for one night, saying that if Manua
Sera was found there in the morning they might do as they liked.
Of course Manua bolted; and the Arabs, seeing the Tura people all
under arms ready to defend themselves the next morning, set at
them in earnest, and shot, murdered, or plundered the whole of
the district. Then, whilst Arabs were sending in their captures
of women, children, and cattle, Manua Sera made off to a district
called Dara, where he formed an alliance with its chief, Kifunja,
and boasted he would attack Kaze as soon as the travelling season
commenced, when the place would be weakened by the dispersion of
the Arabs on their ivory excursions.
The startling news set the place in a blaze, and brought all the
Arabs again to seek my advice for they condemned what Snay had
done in not listening to me before, and wished to know if I could
not now treat for them with Manua Sera, which they thought could
be easily managed, as Manua Sera himself was not only the first
to propose mediation, but was actually on his way here for the
purpose when Snay opposed him. I said nothing could give me
greater pleasure than mediating for them, to put a stop to these
horrors, but it struck me the case had now gone too far. Snay,
in opposition to my advice, was bent on fighting; he could not be
recalled and unless all the Arabs were of one mind, I ran the
risk of committing myself to a position I could not maintain. To
this they replied that the majority were still at Kaze, all
wishing for peace at any price, and that whatever terms I might
wish to dictate they would agree to. Then I said, "What would you
do with Mkisiwa? you have made him chief, and cannot throw him
over." "Oh, that," they said, "can be easily managed; for
formerly, when we confronted Manua Sera at Nguru, we offered to
give him as much territory as his father governed, though not
exactly in the same place; but he treated our message with
disdain, not knowing then what a fix he was in. Now, however, as
he has seen more, and wishes for peace himself, there can be no
difficulty." I then ordered two of my men to go with two of
Musa's to acquaint Manua Sera with what we were about, and to
know his views on the subject; but these men returned to say
Manua Sera could not be found, for he was driven from "pillar to
post" by the different native chiefs, as, wherever he went, his
army ate up their stores, and brought nothing but calamities with
them. Thus died this second attempted treaty. Musa then told me
it was well it turned out so; for Manua Sera would never believe
the Arabs, as they had broken faith so often before, even after
exchanging blood by cutting incision in one another's legs - the
most sacred bond or oath the natives know of.
As nothing more of importance was done, I set out with Grant to
have a week's shooting in the district, under the guidance of an
old friend, Fundi Sangoro, Musa's "head gamekeeper," who assured
me that the sable antelope and blanc boc, specimens of which I
had not yet seen, inhabited some low swampy place called N'yama,
or "Meat," not far distant, on the left bank of the Wale nullah.
My companion unfortunately got fever here, and was prevented from
going out, and I did little better; for although I waded up to my
middle every day, and wounded several blanc boc, I only bagged
one, and should not have got even him, had it not happened that
some lions in the night pulled him down close to our camp, and
roared so violently that they told us the story. The first thing
in the morning I wished to have at them; but they took the hint
of daybreak to make off, and left me only the half of the animal.
I saw only one sable antelope. We all went back to Kaze,
arriving there on the 24th.
25th to 13th. - Days rolled on, and nothing was done in
particular - beyond increasing my stock of knowledge of distant
places and people, enlarging my zoological collection, and taking
long series of astronomical observations - until the 13th, when
the whole of Kaze was depressed by a sad scene of mourning and
tears. Some slaves came in that night - having made their way
through the woods from Ugogo, avoiding the track to save
themselves from detection - and gave information that Snay, Jafu,
and five other Arabs, had been killed, as well as a great number
of slaves.
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