We Were
Consequently Detained Here Next Day (19th), When, After Engaging
A Fresh Set, We Crossed The Wilderness, And In Usui Put Up With
Suwarora's Border Officer Of This Post, N'yamanira.
Here we were again brought to a standstill.
Chapter VII
Usui
Taxation recommenced - A Great Doctor - Suwarora pillaging - The
Arabs - Conference with an Ambassador from Uganda - Disputes in
Camp - Rivalry of Bombay and Baraka - Departure from the
Inhospitable Districts.
We were now in Usui, and so the mace-bearers, being on their own
ground forgot their manners, and peremptorily demanded their pay
before they would allow us to move one step farther. At first I
tried to stave the matter off, promising great rewards if they
took us quickly on to Suwarora; but they would take no
alternative - their rights were four wires each. I could not
afford such a sum, and tried to beat them down, but without
effect; for they said, they had it in their power to detain us
here a whole month, and they could get us bullied at every stage
by the officers of the stations. No threats of reporting them to
their chief had any effect, so, knowing that treachery in these
countries was a powerful enemy, I ordered them to be paid.
N'yamanira, the Mkungu, then gave us a goat and two pots of
pombe, begging, at the same time, for four wires, which I paid,
hoping thus to get on in the morning.
I then made friends with him, and found he was a great doctor as
well as an officer. In front of his hut he had his church or
uganga - a tree, in which was fixed a blaue boc's horn charged
with magic powder, and a zebra's hoof, suspended by a string over
a pot of water sunk in the earth below it. His badges of office
he had tied on his head; the butt of a shell, representing the
officer's badge, being fixed on the forehead, whilst a small
sheep's horn, fixed jauntily over the temple, denoted that he was
a magician. Wishing to try my powers in magical arts, as I
laughed at his church, he begged me to produce an everlasting
spring of water by simply scratching the ground. He, however,
drew short up, to the intense delight of my men, on my promising
that I would do so if he made one first.
At night, 22d, a steel scabbard and some cloths were extracted
from our camp, so I begged my friend the great doctor would show
us the use of his horn. This was promised, but never performed.
I then wished to leave, as the Wasui guides, on receiving their
pay, promised we should; but they deferred, on the plea that one
of them must see their chief first, and get him to frank us
through, else, they said, we should be torn to pieces. I said I
thought the Kaquenzingiriri could do this; but they said, "No;
Suwarora must be told first of your arrival, to prepare him
properly for your coming; so stop here for three days with two of
us, whilst the third one goes to the palace and returns again;
for you know the chiefs of these countries do not feel safe until
they have a look at the uganga."
One of them then went away, but no sooner had left than a man
named Makinga arrived to invite us on, as he said, at his adopted
brother K'yengo's request. Makinga then told us that Suwarora,
on first hearing that we were coming, became greatly afraid, and
said he would not let us set eyes on his country, as he was sure
we were king-dethroners; but, referring for opinion to Dr
K'yengo, his fears were overcome by the doctor assuring him that
he had seen hosts of our sort at Zanzibar; and he knew, moreover,
that some years ago we had been to Ujiji and to Ukerewe without
having done any harm in those places; and, further, since Musa
had sent word that I had done my best to subdue the war at
Unyanyembe, and had promised to do my best here, he, Suwarora,
had been anxiously watching our movements, and longed for our
arrival. This looked famous, and it was agreed we should move
the next morning. Just then a new light broke in on my defeat at
Sorombo, for with Makinga I recognised one of my former porters,
who I had supposed was a "child" of the Pig's. This man now said
before all my men, Baraka included, that he wished to accept the
load of mzizima I had offered the Pig if he would go forward with
Baraka and tell Suwarora I wanted some porters to help me to
reach him. He was not a "child" of the Pig's, but a "child" of
K'yengo's; and as Baraka would not allow him to accept the load
of mzizima, he went on to K'yengo by himself, and told all that
had happened. It was now quite clear what motives induced
Suwarora to send out the three Wasui; but how I blessed Baraka
for this in my heart, though I said nothing about it to him, for
fear of his playing some more treacherous tricks. Grant then
told me Baraka had been frightened at Mininga, by a blackguard
Mganga to whom he would not give a present, into the belief that
our journey would encounter some terrible mishap; for, when the
M'yonga catastrophe happened, he thought that a fulfillment of
the Mganga's prophecy.
I wished to move in the morning (23d), and had all hands ready,
but was told by Makinga he must be settled with first. His dues
for the present were four brass wires, and as many more when we
reached the palace. I could not stand this: we were literally,
as Musa said we should be, being "torn to pieces"; so I appealed
to the mace-bearers, protested that Makinga could have no claims
on me, as he was not a man of Usui, but a native of Utambara, and
brought on a row.
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