They Said They Had Some
Fearful News To Communicate, Which, When I Heard It, They Knew
Would Deter Our Progress:
It was of such great moment and
magnitude, they thought they could not deliver it then.
I said,
"What nonsense! out with it at once. Are we such chickens that
we cannot speak about matters like men? out with it at once."
Then Baraka said, "I have just heard from Makaka, that a man who
arrived from Usui only a few minutes ago has said Suwarora is so
angry with the Arabs that he has detained one caravan of theirs
in his country, and, separating the whole of their men, has
placed each of them in different bomas, with orders to his
village officers that, in case the Watuta came into his country,
without further ceremony they were to be all put to death." I
said, "Oh, Baraka, how can you be such a fool? Do you not see
through this humbug? Makaka only wishes to keep us here to
frighten away the Watuta; for Godsake be a man, and don't be
alarmed at such phantoms as these. You always are nagging at me
that Bombay is the 'big' and you are the 'small' man. Bombay
would never be frightened in this silly way. Now, do you reflect
that I have selected you for this journey, as it would, if you
succeed with me in carrying out our object, stamp you for ever as
a man of great fame. Pray, don't give way, but do your best to
encourage the men, and let us march in the morning." On this, as
on other occasions of the same kind, I tried to impart
confidence, by explaining, in allusion to Petherick's expedition,
that I had arranged to meet white men coming up from the north.
Baraka at last said, "All right - I am not afraid; I will do as
you desire." But as the two were walking off, I heard Wadimoyo
say to Baraka, "Is he not afraid now? won't he go back?" - which,
if anything, alarmed me more than the first intelligence; for I
began to think that they, and not Makaka, had got up the story.
All night Makaka's men patrolled the village, drumming and
shouting to keep off the Watuta, and the next morning, instead of
a march, after striking my tent I found that the whole of my
porters, the Pig's children, were not to be found. They had gone
off and hidden themselves, saying that they were not such fools
as to go any farther, as the Watuta were out, and would cut us up
on the road. This was sickening indeed.
I knew the porters had not gone far, so I told the Pig to bring
them to me, that we might talk the matter over; but say what I
would, they all swore they would not advance a step farther.
Most of them were formerly men of Utambara. The Watuta had
invaded their country and totally destroyed it, killing all their
wives and children, and despoiling everything they held dear to
them.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 94 of 403
Words from 48696 to 49212
of 210958
