Some Slaves Came In That Night - Having Made Their Way
Through The Woods From Ugogo, Avoiding The Track To Save
Themselves From Detection - And Gave Information That Snay, Jafu,
And Five Other Arabs, Had Been Killed, As Well As A Great Number
Of Slaves.
The expedition, they said, had been defeated, and the
positions were so complicated nobody knew what to do.
At first
the Arabs achieved two brilliant successes, having succeeded in
killing Hori Hori of Khoko, when they recovered their ivory, made
slaves of all they could find, and took a vast number of cattle;
then attacking Usekhe they reduced that place to submission by
forcing a ransom out of its people. At this period, however,
they heard that a whole caravan, carrying 5000 dollars' worth of
property, had been cut up by the people of Mzanza, a small
district ten miles north of Usekhe; so, instead of going on to
Kanyenye to relieve the caravans which were waiting there for
them, they foolishly divided their forces into three parts. Of
these they sent one to take their loot back to Kaze, another to
form a reserve force at Mdaburu, on the east flank of the
wilderness, and a third, headed by Snay and Jafu, to attack
Mzanza. At the first onset Snay and Jafu carried everything
before them, and became so excited over the amount of their loot
that they lost all feelings of care or precaution.
In this high exuberance of spirits, a sudden surprise turned
their momentary triumph into a total defeat; for some Wahumba,
having heard the cries of the Wagogo, joined in their cause, and
both together fell on the Arab force with such impetuosity that
the former victors were now scattered in all directions. Those
who could run fast enough were saved - the rest were speared to
death by the natives. Nobody knew how Jafu fell; but Snay, after
running a short distance, called one of his slaves, and begged
him to take his gun, saying, "I am too old to keep up with you;
keep this gun for my sake, for I will lie down here and take my
chance." He never was seen again. But this was not all their
misfortunes; for the slaves who brought in this information had
met the first detachment, sent with the Khoko loot, at Kigua,
where, they said, the detachment had been surprised by Manua
Sera, who, having fortified a village with four hundred men,
expecting this sort of thing, rushed out upon them, and cut them
all up.
The Arabs, after the first burst of their grief was over, came to
me again in a body, and begged me to assist them, for they were
utterly undone. Manua Sera prevented their direct communication
with their detachment at Mdaburu, and that again was cut off from
their caravans at Kanyenye by the Mzanza people, and in fact all
the Wagogo; so they hoped at least I would not forsake them,
which they heard I was going to do, as Manua Sera had also
threatened to attack Kaze.
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