The Extent Of The
Country, Roughly Speaking, Stretches From The Coast To The
Junction Or Bifurcation Of The Kingani And Its Upper Branch The
Mgeta River, Westwards; And From The Kingani, North, To The
Lufigi River, South; Though In The Southern Portions Several
Subtribes Have Encroached Upon The Lands.
There are no hills in
Uzaramo; but the land in the central line, formed like a ridge
between the two rivers, furrow fashion, consists of slightly
elevated flats and terraces, which, in the rainy season, throw
off their surplus waters to the north and south by nullahs into
these rivers.
The country is uniformly well covered with trees
and large grasses, which, in the rainy season, are too thick,
tall, and green to be pleasant; though in the dry season, after
the grasses have been burnt, it is agreeable enough, though not
pretty, owing to the flatness of the land. The villages are not
large or numerous, but widely spread, consisting generally of
conical grass huts, while others are gable-ended, after the
coast-fashion - a small collection of ten or twenty comprising one
village. Over these villages certain headmen, titled Phanze,
hold jurisdiction, who take black-mail from travellers with high
presumption when they can. Generally speaking, they live upon
the coast, and call themselves Diwans, headsmen, and subjects of
the Sultan Majid; but they no sooner hear of the march of a
caravan than they transpose their position, become sultans in
their own right, and levy taxes accordingly.
The Wazaramo are strictly agriculturists; they have no cows, and
but few goats.
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