After This,
Veering Round For A Moment On The Generous Tack, He Offered Me A
Cow, Which I Declined.
1st to 4th.
- Still I rejected the offered cow, until the 2nd,
when, finding him as dogged as ever, at the advice of my men I
accepted it, hoping thus to please him; but it was no use, for he
now said he must have two deoles, or he would never allow me to
leave his palace. Every day matters got worse and worse.
Mfumbi, the small chief of Sorombo, came over, in an Oily-Gammon
kind of manner, to say Makaka had sent him over to present his
compliments to me, and express his sorrow on hearing that I had
fallen sick here. He further informed me that the road was closed
between this and Usui, for he had just been fighting there, and
had killed the chief Gomba, burnt down all his villages, and
dispersed all the men in the jungle, where they now resided,
plundering every man who passed that way. This gratuitous,
wicked, humbugging terrifier helped to cause another defeat. It
was all nonsense, I knew, but both Bui and Nasib, taking fright,
begged for their discharges. In fearful alarm and anxiety, I
begged them to have patience and see the hongo settled first, for
there was no necessity, at any rate, for immediate hurry; I
wished them to go on ahead with Bombay, as in four days they
could reach Suwarora's. But they said they could not hear of it-
-they would not go a step beyond this. All the chiefs on ahead
would do the same as Lumeresi; the whole country was roused. I
had not even half enough cloths to satisfy the Wasui; and my
faithful followers would never consent to be witness to my being
"torn to pieces."
5th and 6th. - The whole day and half of the next went in
discussions. At last, able for the first time to sit up a
little, I succeeded in prevailing on Bui to promise he would go
to Usui as soon as the hongo was settled, provided, as he said, I
took on myself all responsibilities of the result. This cheered
me so greatly, I had my chair placed under a tree and smoked my
first pipe. On seeing this, all my men struck up a dance, to the
sound of the drums, which they carried on throughout the whole
night, never ceasing until the evening of the next day. These
protracted caperings were to be considered as their
congratulation for my improvement in health; for, until I got
into my chair, they always thought I was going to die. They then
told me, with great mirth and good mimicry, of many absurd scenes
which, owing to the inflamed state of my brain, had taken place
during my interviews with Lumeresi. Bombay at this time very
foolishly told Lumeresi, if he "really wanted a deole," he must
send to Grant for one. This set the chief raving. He knew there
was one in my box, he said, and unless I gave it, the one with
Grant must be brought; for under no circumstances would he allow
of my proceeding northwards until that was given him. Bui and
Nasib then gave me the slip, and slept that night in a
neighbouring boma without my knowledge.
7th to 9th. - As things had now gone so far, I gave Lumeresi the
deole I had stored away for Rumanika, telling him, at the same
time as he took it, that he was robbing Rumanika, and not myself;
but I hoped, now I had given it, he would beat the drums. The
scoundrel only laughed as he wrapped my beautiful silk over his
great broad shoulders, and said, "Yes, this will complete our
present of friendship; now then for the hongo - I must have
exactly double of all you have given." This Sorombo trick I
attributed to the instigation of Makaka, for these savages never
fail to take their revenge when they can. I had doubled back
from his country, and now he was cutting me off in front. I
expected as much when the oily blackguard Mfumbi came over from
his chief to ask after my health; so, judging from my experience
with Makaka, I told Lumeresi at once to tell me what he
considered his due, for this fearful haggling was killing me by
inches. I had no more deoles, but would make that up in brass
wire. He then fixed the hongo at fifteen masango or brass wire
bracelets, sixteen cloths of sorts, and a hundred necklaces of
samisami or red coral beads, which was to pay for Grant as well
as myself. I paid it down on the spot; the drums beat the
"satisfaction," and I ordered the march with the greatest relief
of mind possible.
But Bui and Nasib were not to be found; they had bolted. The
shock nearly killed me. I had walked all the way to Kaze and
back again for these men, to show mine a good example - had given
them pay and treble rations, the same as Bombay and Baraka - and
yet they chose to desert. I knew not what to do, for it appeared
to me that, do what I would, we would never succeed; and in my
weakness of body and mind I actually cried like a child over the
whole affair. I would rather have died than have failed in my
journey, and yet failure seemed at this juncture inevitable.
8th. - As I had no interpreters, and could not go forward myself,
I made up my mind at once to send back all my men with Bombay, to
Grant; after joining whom, Bombay would go back to Kaze again for
other interpreters, and on his return would pick up Grant, and
bring him on here. This sudden decision set all my men up in a
flame; they swore it was no use my trying to go on to Karague;
they would not go with me; they did not come here to be killed.
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