The Whole Tribe Are
Desperate Smokers, And Greatly Given To Drink.
On the 24th, we all, as many as were left of us, marched into the
merchant's depot, S. lat.
5§ 0' 52", and E. long. 33§ 1'
34",[FN#7] escorted by Musa, who advanced to meet us, and guided
us into his tembe, where he begged we would reside with him until
we could find men to carry our property on to Karague. He added
that he would accompany us; for he was on the point of going
there when my first instalment of property arrived, but deferred
his intention out of respect to myself. He had been detained at
Kaze ever since I last left it in consequence of the Arabs having
provoked a war with Manua Sera, to which he was adverse. For a
long time also he had been a chained prisoner; as the Arabs,
jealous of the favour Manua Sera had shown to him in preference
to themselves, basely accused him of supplying Manua Sera with
gunpowder, and bound him hand and foot "like a slave." It was
delightful to see old Musa's face again, and the supremely
hospitable, kind, and courteous manner in which he looked after
us, constantly bringing in all kind of small delicacies, and
seeing that nothing was wanting to make us happy. All the
property I had sent on in advance he had stored away; or rather,
I should say, as much as had reached him, for the road expenses
had eaten a great hole in it.
Once settled down into position, Sheikh Snay and the whole
conclave of Arab merchants came to call on me. They said they
had an army of four hundred slaves armed with muskets ready to
take the field at once to hunt down Manua Sera, who was cutting
their caravan road to pieces, and had just seized, by their
latest reports, a whole convoy of their ammunition. I begged
them strongly to listen to reason, and accept my advice as an old
soldier, not to carry on their guerilla warfare in such a
headlong hurry, else they would be led a dance by Manua Sera, as
we had been by Tantia Topee in India. I advised them to allow me
to mediate between them, after telling them what a favourable
interview I had had with Manua Sera and Maula, whose son was at
that moment concealed in Musa's tembe. My advice, however, was
not wanted. Snay knew better than any one how to deal with
savages, and determined on setting out as soon as his army had
"eaten their beef-feast of war."
On my questioning him about the Nile, Snay still thought the
N'yanza was the source of the Jub river[FN#8] as he did in our
former journey, but gave way when I told him that vessels
frequented the Nile, as this also coincided with his knowledge of
navigators in vessels appearing on some waters to the northward
of Unyoro.
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