I soon fell asleep, and was
dreaming away in my tent, in happy oblivion of the strife and
contention that had risen since I had gone to sleep, when I heard
a voice hailing me with, "Master, master! get up, quick. Here
is a fight going to begin!" I sprang up, and snatching my revolver
belt from the gun-stand, walked outside. Surely, there appeared to
be considerable animus between the several factions; between a
noisy, vindictive-looking set of natives of the one part, and our
people of the other part. Seven or eight of our people had taken
refuge behind the canoe, and had their loaded guns half pointing at
the passionate mob, which was momentarily increasing in numbers,
but I could not see the Doctor anywhere.
"Where is the Doctor?" I asked.
"He has gone over that hill, sir, with his compass," said Selim.
"Anybody with him?"
"Susi and Chumah."
"You, Bombay, send two men off to warn the Doctor, and tell him
to hurry up here."
But just at this period the Doctor and his two men appeared on the
brow of the hill, looking down in a most complacent manner upon the
serio-comic scene that the little basin wherein we were encamped
presented. For, indeed, despite the serious aspect of it, there
was much that was comical blended with it - in a naked young man
who - perfectly drunk, barely able to stand on his feet - was beating
the ground with his only loin-cloth, screaming and storming away
like a madman; declaring by this, and by that, in his own choice
language, that no Mgwana or Arab should halt one moment on the
sacred soil of Usansi.
