But When The Loads Were Being Lifted, I Found Ten More
Men Were Missing; And As Nothing Now Could Be
Done but throw ten
loads away, which seemed to great a sacrifice to be made in a
hurry, I simply
Changed ground to show we were ready to march,
and sent my men about, either to try to induce the fugitive
Wanyamuezi to take service with me or else to buy donkeys, as the
chief said he had some to sell.
We had already been here too long. A report was now spread that
a lion had killed one of the chief's cows; and the Wagogo,
suspecting that our being here was the cause of this ill luck,
threatened to attack us. This no sooner got noised over the camp
than all my Wanyamuezi porters, who had friends in Ugogo, left to
live with them, and would not come back again even when the
"storm had blown over," because they did not like the incessant
rains that half deluged the camp. The chief, too, said he would
not sell us his donkeys, lest we should give them back to
Mohinna, from whom they were taken during his fight here.
Intrigues of all sorts I could see were brewing, possibly at the
instigation of the fugitive Wanyamuezi, who suspected we were
bound to side with the Arabs - possibly from some other cause, I
could not tell what; so, to clear out of this pandemonium as soon
as possible I issued cloths to buy double rations, intending to
cross the wilderness by successive relays in double the ordinary
number of days. I determined at the same time to send forward
two freed men to Kaze to ask Musa and the Arabs to send me out
some provisions and men to meet us half-way.
Matters grew worse and worse. The sultan, now finding me unable
to move, sent a message to say if I would not give him some
better cloths to make his hongo more respectable, he would attack
my camp; and advised all the Wanyamuezi who regarded their lives
not to go near me if I resisted. This was by no means pleasant;
for the porters showed their uneasiness by extracting their own
cloths from my bundles, under the pretext that they wished to
make some purchases of their own. I ought, perhaps, to have
stopped this; but I thought the best plan was to show total
indifference; so, at the same time that they were allowed to take
their cloths, I refused to comply with the chief's request, and
begged them to have no fear so long as they saw I could hold my
own ground with my guns.
The Wanyamuezi, however, were panic-stricken, and half of them
bolted, with the kirangozi at their head, carrying off all the
double-ration cloths as well as their own. At this time, the
sultan, having changed tactics, as he saw us all ready to stand
on the defensive, sent back his hongo; but, instead of using
threats, said he would oblige us with donkeys or anything else if
we would only give him a few more pretty cloths.
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