Quite Undisturbed, We Packed And Marched As Usual, And Soon
Passed Nzasa Close To The River, Which Is Only Indicated By A
Line Of Trees Running Through A Rich Alluvial Valley.
We camped
at the little settlement of Kizoto, inhospitably presided over by
Phanze Mukia ya Nyani or Monkey's Tail,
Who no sooner heard of
our arrival than he sent a demand for his "rights." One dubani
was issued, with orders than no one need approach me again,
unless he wanted to smell my powder. Two taxes in five miles was
a thing unheard of; and I heard no more about the matter, until
Bombay in the evening told me how Sheikh Said, fearing awkward
consequences, had settled to give two dubuani, one being taken
from his own store. Lion's Claw also turned up again, getting
his cloths of yesterday - one more being added from the Sheikh's
stores - and he was then advised to go off quietly, as I was a
fire-eater whom nobody dared approach after my orders had been
issued. This was our third march in Uzaramo; we had scarcely
seen a man of the country, and had no excessive desire to do so.
Deflecting from the serpentine course of the Kingani a little, we
crossed a small bitter rivulet, and entered on the elevated
cultivation of Kiranga Ranga, under Phanze Mkungu-pare, a very
mild man, who, wishing to give no offence, begged for a trifling
present. He came in person, and his manner having pleased us, I
have him one sahari, four yards merikani, and eight yards kiniki,
which pleased our friend so much that he begged us to consider
his estate our own, even to the extent of administering his
justice, should any Mzaramo be detected stealing from us. Our
target-practice, whilst instructing the men, astonished him not a
little, and produced an exclamation that, with so many guns, we
need fear nothing, go where we would. From this place a good
view is obtained of Uzegura. Beyond the flat alluvial valley of
the Kingani, seven to eight miles broad, the land rises suddenly
to a table-land of no great height, on which trees grow in
profusion. In fact it appeared, as far as the eye could reach,
the very counterpart of that where we stood, with the exception
of a small hill, very distant, called Phongue.
A very welcome packet of quinine and other medicines reached us
here from Rigby, who, hearing our complaints that the Hottentots
could only be kept alive by daily potions of brandy and quinine,
feared our supplies were not enough, and sent us more.
We could not get the Sultan's men to chum with the Wanguana
proper; they were shy, like wild animals - built their huts by
themselves - and ate and talked by themselves, for they felt
themselves inferiors; and I had to nominate one of their number
to be their chief, answerable for the actions of the whole.
Being in the position of "boots" to the camp, the tending of
goats fell to their lot. Three goats were missing this evening,
which the goatherds could not account for, nor any of their men.
Suspecting that they were hidden for a private feast, I told
their chief to inquire farther, and report. The upshot was, that
the man was thrashed for intermeddling, and came back only with
his scars. This was a nice sort of insubordination, which of
course could not be endured. The goatherd was pinioned and
brought to trial, for the double offence of losing the goats and
rough-handling his chief. The tricking scoundrel - on quietly
saying he could not be answerable for other men's actions if they
stole goats, and he could not recognise a man as his chief whom
the Sheikh, merely by a whim of his own, thought proper to
appoint - was condemned to be tied up for the night with the
prospect of a flogging in the morning. Seeing his fate, the
cunning vagabond said, "Now I do see it was by your orders the
chief was appointed, and not by a whim of Sheikh Said's; I will
obey him for the future;" and these words were hardly pronounced
than the three missing goats rushed like magic into camp, nobody
of course knowing where they came from.
Skirting along the margin of the rising ground overlooking the
river, through thick woods, cleared in places for cultivation, we
arrived at Thumba Lhere. The chief here took a hongo of three
yards merikani and two yards kiniki without much fuss, for he had
no power. The pagazis struck, and said they would not move from
this unless I gave them one fundo or ten necklaces of beads each
daily, in lieu of rations, as they were promised by Ladha on the
coast that I would do so as soon as they had made four marches.
This was an obvious invention, concocted to try my generosity,
for I had given the kirangozi a goat, which is customary, to
"make the journey prosperous" - had suspended a dollar to his neck
in recognition of his office, and given him four yards merikani,
that he might have a grand feast with his brothers; while neither
the Sheikh, myself, nor any one else in the camp, had heard of
such a compact. With high words the matter dropped, African
fashion.
The pagazis would not start at the appointed time, hoping to
enforce their demands of last night; so we took the lead and
started, followed by the Wanguana. Seeing this, the pagazis
cried out with one accord: "The master is gone, leaving the
responsibility of his property in our hands; let us follow, let
us follow, for verily he is our father;" and all came hurrying
after us. Here the river, again making a bend, is lost to sight,
and we marched through large woods and cultivated fields to
Muhugue, observing, as we passed long, the ochreish colour of the
earth, and numerous pits which the copal-diggers had made
searching for their much-valued gum.
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