A superlative obstinacy, however,
impelled me on, merely to spite their supine souls; but when I
sallied out of my tent to call them to get ready, I found that
at least twenty were missing; and Livingstone's letter-carrier,
"Kaif-Halek" - or, How-do-ye-do? - had not arrived with Dr.
Livingstone's letter-bag.
Selecting twenty of the strongest and faithfulest men I despatched
them back to Unyanyembe in search of the missing men; and Selim
was sent to Sheikh bin Nasib to borrow, or buy, a long slave-chain.
Towards night my twenty detectives returned with nine of the
missing men. The Wajiji had deserted in a body, and they could
not be found. Selim also returned with a strong chain, capable of
imprisoning within the collars attached to it at least ten men.
Kaif-Halek also appeared with the letter-bag which he was to convey
to Livingstone under my escort. The men were then addressed, and
the slave-chain exhibited to them. I told them that I was the
first white man who had taken a slave-chain with him on his travels;
but, as they were all so frightened of accompanying me, I was obliged
to make use of it, as it was the only means of keeping them together.
The good need never fear being chained by me - only the deserters,
the thieves, who received their hire and presents, guns and
ammunition, and then ran away.
I would not put any one this time in chains; but whoever
deserted after this day, I should halt, and not continue the march
till I found him, after which he should march to Ujiji with the
slave-chain round his neck. "Do you hear?" - "Yes," was the
answer. "Do you understand?" - " Yes."
We broke up camp at 6 P.M., and took the road for Inesuka, at which
place we arrived at 8 P.M.
When we were about commencing the march the next morning, it was
discovered that two more had deserted. Baraka and Bombay were at
once despatched to Unyanyembe to bring back the two missing
men - Asmani and Kingaru - with orders not to return without them.
This was the third time that the latter had deserted, as the reader
may remember. While the pursuit was being effected we halted at
the village of Inesuka, more for the sake of Shaw than any one
else.
In the evening the incorrigible deserters were brought back, and,
as I had threatened, were well flogged and chained, to secure them
against further temptation. Bombay and Baraka had a picturesque
story to relate of the capture; and, as I was in an exceedingly
good humour, their services were rewarded with a fine cloth each.
On the following morning another carrier had absconded, taking with
him his hire of fifteen new cloths and a gun but to halt anywhere
near Unyanyembe any longer was a danger that could be avoided only
by travelling without stoppages towards the southern jungle-lands.
It will be remembered I had in my train the redoubtable Abdul
Kader, the tailor, he who had started from Bagamoyo with such
bright anticipations of the wealth of ivory to be obtained in the
great interior of Africa.
