His hands had swollen to
an immense size, and the veins of one hand having been ruptured,
he had lost its use. It is needless to say that, when the affair
came to Seyd Majid's ears, the miscreants were severely punished.
Dr. Kirk, who attended the poor fellow, succeeded in restoring one
hand to something of a resemblance of its former shape, but the
other hand is sadly marred, and its former usefulness gone for
ever.
However, I engaged Mabruki, despite his deformed hands, his
ugliness and vanity, because he was one of Speke's "Faithfuls." For
if he but wagged his tongue in my service, kept his eyes open, and
opened his mouth at the proper time, I assured myself I could make
him useful.
Bombay, my captain of escort, succeeded in getting eighteen more
free men to volunteer as "askari" (soldiers), men whom he knew
would not desert, and for whom he declared himself responsible.
They were an exceedingly fine-looking body of men, far more
intelligent in appearance than I could ever have believed African
barbarians could be. They hailed principally from Uhiyow, others
from Unyamwezi, some came from Useguhha and Ugindo.
Their wages were set down at $36 each man per annum, or $3 each per
month.
