September 8th. - Towards night Sheikh bin Nasib received a letter
from an Arab at Mfuto, reporting that an attack was made on that
place by Mirambo and his Watuta allies. It also warned him to bid
the people of Kwihara hold themselves in readiness, because if
Mirambo succeeded in storming Mfuto, he would march direct on
Kwihara.
September 9th. - Mirambo was defeated with severe loss yesterday,
in his attack upon Mfuto. He was successful in an assault he made
upon a small Wanyamwezi village, but when he attempted to storm
Mfuto, he was repulsed with severe loss, losing three of his
principal men. Upon withdrawing his forces from the attack, the
inhabitants sallied out, and followed him to the forest of Umanda,
where he was again utterly routed, himself ingloriously flying
from the field.
The heads of his chief men slain in the attack were brought to
Kwikuru, the boma of Mkasiwa.
September 14th. - The Arab boy Selim is delirious from constant
fever. Shaw is sick again. These two occupy most of my time.
I am turned into a regular nurse, for I have no one to assist
me in attending upon them. If I try to instruct Abdul Kader
in the art of being useful, his head is so befogged with the
villainous fumes of Unyamwezi tobacco, that he wanders bewildered
about, breaking dishes, and upsetting cooked dainties, until
I get so exasperated that my peace of mind is broken completely
for a full hour. If I ask Ferajji, my now formally constituted
cook, to assist, his thick wooden head fails to receive an idea,
and I am thus obliged to play the part of chef de cuisine.
September 15th. - The third month of my residence in Unyanyembe is
almost finished, and I am still here, but I hope to be gone before
the 23rd inst.
All last night, until nine A.M. this morning, my soldiers danced
and sang to the names of their dead comrades, whose bones now
bleach in the forests of Wilyankuru. Two or three huge pots of
pombe failed to satisfy the raging thirst which the vigorous
exercise they were engaged in, created. So, early this
morning, I was called upon to contribute a shukka for another
potful of the potent liquor.
To-day I was busy selecting the loads for each soldier and
pagazi. In order to lighten their labor as much as possible, I
reduced each load from 70 lbs. to 50 lbs., by which I hope to be
enabled to make some long marches. I have been able to engage ten
pagazis during the last two or three days.
I have two or three men still very sick, and it is almost useless
to expect that they will be able to carry anything, but I
am in hopes that other men may be engaged to take their places
before the actual day of departure, which now seems to be drawing
near rapidly.
September 16th. - We have almost finished our work - on the fifth day
from this - God willing - we shall march. I engaged two more pagazis
besides two guides, named Asmani and Mabruki. If vastness of the
human form could terrify any one, certainly Asmani's appearance
is well calculated to produce that effect. He stands considerably
over six feet without shoes, and has shoulders broad enough for two
ordinary men.
To-morrow I mean to give the people a farewell feast, to celebrate
our departure from this forbidding and unhappy country.
September 17th. - The banquet is ended. I slaughtered two bullocks,
and had a barbacue; three sheep, two goats, and fifteen chickens,
120 lbs. of rice, twenty large loaves of bread made of Indian
corn-flour, one hundred eggs, 10 lbs. of butter, and five gallons
of sweet-milk, were the contents of which the banquet was formed.
The men invited their friends and neighbours, and about one hundred
women and children partook of it.
After the banquet was ended, the pombe, or native beer, was brought
in in five gallon pots, and the people commenced their dance,
which continues even now as I write.
September 19th. - I had a slight attack of fever to-day, which has
postponed our departure. Selim and Shaw are both recovered.
About 8 P.M. Sheik bin Nasib came to me imploring me not to go
away to-morrow, because I was so sick. Thani Sakhburi suggested
to me that I might stay another month. In answer, I told them
that white men are not accustomed to break their words. I had
said I would go, and I intended to go.
Sheikh bin Nasib gave up all hope of inducing me to remain another
day, and he has gone away, with a promise to write to Seyd Burghash
to tell him how obstinate I am; and that I am determined to be
killed. This was a parting shot.
About 10 P.M. the fever had gone. All were asleep in the tembe
but myself, and an unutterable loneliness came on me as I reflected
on my position, and my intentions, and felt the utter lack of
sympathy with me in all around. It requires more nerve than I
possess, to dispel all the dark presentiments that come upon the
mind. But probably what I call presentiments are simply the
impress on the mind of the warnings which these false-hearted Arabs
have repeated so often. This melancholy and loneliness I feel,
may probably have their origin from the same cause. The single
candle, which barely lights up the dark shade that fills the
corners of my room, is but a poor incentive to cheerfulness.
I feel as though I were imprisoned between stone walls. But why
should I feel as if baited by these stupid, slow-witted Arabs and
their warnings and croakings?
