Pray, Don't Give Way, But Do Your Best To
Encourage The Men, And Let Us March In The Morning." On
This, as
on other occasions of the same kind, I tried to impart
confidence, by explaining, in allusion to Petherick's
Expedition,
that I had arranged to meet white men coming up from the north.
Baraka at last said, "All right - I am not afraid; I will do as
you desire." But as the two were walking off, I heard Wadimoyo
say to Baraka, "Is he not afraid now? won't he go back?" - which,
if anything, alarmed me more than the first intelligence; for I
began to think that they, and not Makaka, had got up the story.
All night Makaka's men patrolled the village, drumming and
shouting to keep off the Watuta, and the next morning, instead of
a march, after striking my tent I found that the whole of my
porters, the Pig's children, were not to be found. They had gone
off and hidden themselves, saying that they were not such fools
as to go any farther, as the Watuta were out, and would cut us up
on the road. This was sickening indeed.
I knew the porters had not gone far, so I told the Pig to bring
them to me, that we might talk the matter over; but say what I
would, they all swore they would not advance a step farther.
Most of them were formerly men of Utambara. The Watuta had
invaded their country and totally destroyed it, killing all their
wives and children, and despoiling everything they held dear to
them. They did not wish to rob me, and would give up their hire,
but not one step more would they advance. Makaka then came
forward and said, "Just stop here with me until this ill wind
blows over"; but Baraka, more in a fright at Makaka than at any
one else, said, No - he would do anything rather than that; for
Makaka's bullying had made him quite ill. I then said to my men,
"If nothing else will suit you, the best plan I can think of is
to return to Mihambo in Bogue, and there form a depot, where,
having stored my property, I shall give the Pig a whole load, or
63 lb., of Mzizima beads if he will take Baraka in disguise on to
Suwarora, and ask him to send me eighty men, whilst I go back to
Unyanyembe to see what men I can get from the late Musa's
establishment, and then we might bring on Grant, and move in a
body together." At first Baraka said, "Do you wish to have us
killed? Do you think if we went to Suwarora's you would ever see
us back again? You would wait and wait for us, but we should
never return." To which I replied, "Oh, Baraka, do not think so!
Bombay, if he were here, would go in a minute. Suwarora by this
time knows I am coming, and you may depend on it he will be just
as anxious to have us in Usui as Makaka is to keep us here, and
he cannot hurt us, as Rumanika is over him, and also expects us."
Baraka then, in the most doleful manner, said he would go if the
Pig would. The Pig, however, did not like it either, but said
the matter was so important he would look into the magic horn all
night, and give his answer next morning as soon as we arrived at
Mihambo.
On arrival at Mihambo next day, all the porters brought their pay
to me, and said they would not go, for nothing would induce them
to advance a step farther. I said nothing; but, with "my heart
in my shoes," I gave what I thought their due for coming so far,
and motioned them to be off; then calling on the Pig for his
decision, I tried to argue again, though I saw it was no use, for
there was not one of my own men who wished to go on. They were
unanimous in saying Usui was a "fire," and I had no right to
sacrifice them. The Pig then finally refused, saying three loads
even would not tempt him, for all were opposed to it. Of what
value, he observed, would the beads be to him if his life was
lost? This was crushing; the whole camp was unanimous in
opposing me. I then made Baraka place all my kit in the middle
of the boma, which was a very strong one, keeping out only such
beads as I wished him to use for the men's rations daily, and
ordered him to select a few men who would return with me to Kaze;
when I said, if I could not get all the men I wanted, I would try
and induce some one, who would not fear, to go on to Usui;
failing which, I would even walk back to Zanzibar for men, as
nothing in the world would ever induce me to give up the journey.
This appeal did not move him; but, without a reply, he sullenly
commenced collecting some men to accompany me back to Kaze. At
first no one would go; they then mutinied for more beads,
announcing all sorts of grievances, which they said they were
always talking over to themselves, though I did not hear them.
The greatest, however, that they could get up was, that I always
paid the Wanyamuezi "temporaries" more than they got, though
"permanents." "They were the flesh, and I was the knife"; I cut
and did with them just as I liked, and they could not stand it
any longer. However, they had to stand it; and next day, when I
had brought them to reason, I gave over the charge of my tent and
property to Baraka, and commenced the return with a bad hitching
cough, caused by those cold easterly winds that blow over the
plateau during the six dry months of the years, and which are, I
suppose, the Harmattan peculiar to Africa.
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