Whilst Waiting For These Men's Return, One Of
Sirboko's Slaves, Chained Up By Him, In The Most Piteous Manner
Cried Out To Me:
"Hai Bana wangi, Bana wangi (Oh, my lord, my
lord), take pity on me!
When I was a free man I saw you at
Uvira, on the Tanganyika lake, when you were there; but since
then the Watuta, in a fight at Ujiji, speared me all over and
left me for dead, when I was seized by the people, sold to the
Arabs, and have been in chains ever since. Oh, I saw, Bana
wangi, if you would only liberate me I would never run away, but
would serve you faithfully all my life." This touching appeal
was too strong for my heart to withstand, so I called up Sirboko,
and told him, if he would liberate this one man to please me he
should be no loser; and the release was effected. He was then
christened Farham (Joy), and was enrolled in my service with the
rest of my freed men. I then inquired if it was true the Wabembe
were cannibals, and also circumcised. In one of their slaves the
latter statement was easily confirmed. I was assure that he was
not a cannibal; for the whole tribe of Wabembe, when they cannot
get human flesh otherwise, give a goat to their neighbours for a
sick or dying child, regarding such flesh as the best of all. No
other cannibals, however, were known of; but the Masai, and their
cognates, the Wahumba, Wataturu, Wakasange, Wanyaramba, and even
the Wagogo and Wakimbu, circumcise.
On the 15th I was surprised to find Bombay come in with all my
rear property and a great quantity of Musa's, but with out the
old man. By a letter from Sheikh Said I then found that, since my
leaving Kaze, the Arabs had, along with Mkisiwa, invested the
position of Manua Sera at Kigue, and forced him to take flight
again. Afterwards the Arabs, returning to Kaze, found Musa
preparing to leave. Angry at this attempt to desert them, they
persuaded him to give up his journey north for the present; so
that at the time Bombay left, Musa was engaged as public
auctioneer in selling the effects of Snay, Jafu, and others, but
privately said he would follow me on to Karague as soon as his
rice was cut. Adding a little advice of his own, Sheikh Said
pressed me to go on with the journey as fast as possible, because
all the Arabs had accused me of conspiring with Manua Sera, and
would turn against me unless I soon got away.
2d to 30th. - Disgusted with Musa's vacillatory conduct, on the
22d I sent him a letter containing a bit of my mind. I had given
him, as a present, sufficient cloth to pay for his porters, as
well as a watch and a good sum of money, and advised his coming
on at once, for the porters who had just brought in my rear
property would not take pay to go on to Karague; and so I was
detained again, waiting whilst his head man went to Rungua to
look for more.
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