Tell
him that the holy-stone story was merely a humbug, and I would
take care no more white men ever came to see him again.
Some Wanyamuezi porters, who had been left sick here by former
caravans, now wished to take service with me as far as Kaze; but
the Wagogo, hearing of their desire, frightened them off it. A
report also at this time was brought to us, that a caravan had
just arrived at our last ground, having come up from Whindi,
direct by the line of the Wami river, in its upper course called
Mukondokua, without crossing a single hill all the way; I
therefore sent three men to see if they had any porters to spare,
as it was said they had; but the three men, although they left
their bows and arrows behind, never came back.
Another mule died to-day. This was perplexing indeed, but to
stop longer was useless; so we pushed forward as best we could to
a pond at the western end of the district where we found a party
of Makua sportsmen who had just killed an elephant. They had
lived in Ugogo one year and a half, and had killed in all
seventeen elephants; half the tusks of which, as well as some
portion of the flesh, they gave to Magomba for the privilege of
residing there. There were many antelopes there, some of which
both Grant and I shot for the good of the pot, and he also killed
a crocute hyena. From the pond we went on to the middle of a
large jungle, and bivouacked for the night in a shower of rain,
the second of the season.
During a fierce downpour of rain, the porters all quivering and
quaking with cold, we at length emerged from the jungle, and
entered the prettiest spot in Ugogo - the populous district of
Usekhe - where little hills and huge columns of granite crop out.
Here we halted.
Next day came the hongo business, which was settled by paying one
dubani, one kitambi, one msutu, four yards merikani, and two
yards kiniki; but whilst we were doing it eight porters ran away,
and four fresh ones were engaged (Wanyamuezi) who had run away
from Kanyenye.
With one more march from this we reached the last district in
Ugogo, Khoko. Here the whole of the inhabitants turned out to
oppose us, imagining we had come there to revenge the Arab,
Mohinna, because the Wagogo attacked him a year ago, plundered
his camp, and drove him back to Kaze, for having shot their old
chief "Short-legs." They, however, no sooner found out who we
were than they allowed us to pass on, and encamp in the outskirts
of the Mgunda Mkhali wilderness.
