A Report Reached Me, By Some Of Sirboko's Men, Whom He Had Sent
To Convey To Us A Small Present
Of rice, that an Arab, who was
crossing Msalala to our northward, had been treacherously robbed
of all his arms
And guns by a small district chief, whose only
excuse was that the Wanyamuezi had always traded very well by
themselves until the Arabs came into the country; but now, as
they were robbed of their property, on account of the
disturbances caused by these Arabs, they intended for the future
to take all they could get, and challenged the Arabs to do the
same.
My patience was beginning to suffer again, for I could not help
thinking that the chiefs of the place were preventing their
village men going with me in order that my presence here might
ward of the Watuta; so I called up the kirangozi, who had
thirteen "Watoto," as they are called, or children of his own,
wishing to go, and asked him if he knew why no other men could be
got. As he could not tell me, saying some excused themselves on
the plea they were cutting their corn, and others that they
feared the Watuta, I resolved at once to move over to Nunda; and
if that place also failed to furnish men, I would go on to Usui
or Karague with what men I had, and send back for the rest of my
property; for though I could bear the idea of separating from
Grant, still the interests of old England were at stake, and
demanded it.
This resolve being strengthened by the kirangozi's assurance that
the row in Msalala had shaken the few men who had half dreaded to
go with me, I marched over to Hunda, and put up with Grant in
Ukulima's boma, when Grant informed me that the chief had
required four yards of cloth from him for having walked round a
dead lioness, as he had thus destroyed a charm that protected his
people against any more of these animals coming, although,
fortunately, the charm could be restored again by paying four
yards of cloth. Ukulima, however, was a very kind and good man,
though he did stick the hands and heads of his victims on the
poles of his boma as a warning to others. He kept five wives, of
whom the rest paid such respect to the elder one, it was quite
pleasing to see them. A man of considerable age, he did
everything the state or his great establishment required himself.
All the men of his district clapped their hands together as a
courteous salutation to him, and the women curtsied as well as
they do at our court - a proof that they respected him as a great
potentate - a homage rarely bestowed on the chiefs of other small
states. Ukulima was also hospitable; for on one occasion, when
another chief came to visit him, he received his guest and
retainers with considerable ceremony, making all the men of the
village get up a dance; which they did, beating the drums and
firing off guns, like a lot of black devils let loose.
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