About half-way I saw the
head of the Expedition on the run, and the motive seemed to be
communicated quickly, man after man, to those behind, until my
donkey commenced to kick, and lash behind with his heels. In a
second, I was made aware of the cause of this excitement, by a
cloud of wild bees buzzing about my head, three or four of which
settled on my face, and stung me frightfully. We raced madly for
about half a mile, behaving in as wild a manner as the poor
bestung animals.
As this was an unusually long march, I doubted if the Doctor could
march it, because his feet were so sore, so I determined to send
four men back with the kitanda; but the stout old hero refused to
be carried, and walked all the way to camp after a march of
eighteen miles. He had been stung dreadfully in the head and
in the face; the bees had settled in handfuls in his hair; but,
after partaking of a cup of warm tea and some food, he was as
cheerful as if he had never travelled a mile.
At Mrera, Central Ukonongo, we halted a day to grind grain, and
to prepare the provision we should need during the transit of
the wilderness between Mrera and Manyara.
On the 31st of January, at Mwaru, Sultan Ka-mirambo, we met a
caravan under the leadership of a slave of Sayd bin Habib, who
came to visit us in our camp, which was hidden in a thick clump
of jungle. After he was seated, and had taken his coffee,
I asked,
"What is thy news, my friend, that thou bast brought from
Unyanyembe?"
"My news is good, master."
"How goes the war?"
"Ah, Mirambo is where? He eats the hides even. He
is famished. Sayd bin Habib, my master, hath possession of
Kirira. The Arabs are thundering at the gates of Wilyankuru.
Sayd bin Majid, who came from Ujiji to Usagozi in twenty days,
hath taken and slain `Moto' (Fire), the King. Simba of Kasera
hath taken up arms for the defence of his father, Mkasiwa of
Unyanyembe. The chief of Ugunda hath sent five hundred men
to the field. Ough - Mirambo is where? In a month he will
be dead of hunger."
"Great and good news truly, my friend."
"Yes-in the name of God."
"And whither art thou bound with thy caravan?"
"Sayd, the son of Majid, who came from Ujiji, hath told us of
the road that the white man took, that he had arrived at Ujiji
safely, and that he was on his way back to Unyanyembe. So we
have thought that if the white man could go there, we could also.
Lo, the Arabs come by the hundred by the white man's road, to
get the ivory from Ujiji.
