They
come to make friends with black people; they come to search for
rivers; and lakes, and mountains; they come to discover what countries,
what peoples, what rivers, what lakes, what forests, what plains,
what mountains and hills are in your country; to know the
different animals that are in the land of the black people, that,
when they go back, they may tell the white kings, and men, and
children, what they have seen and heard in the land so far from
them. The white people are different from the Arabs and Wangwana;
the white people know everything, and are very strong. When they
fight, the Arabs and the Wangwana run away. We have great guns
which thunder,, and when they shoot the earth trembles; we have
guns which carry bullets further than you can see: even with these
little things" (pointing to my revolvers) "I could kill ten men
quicker than you could count. We are stronger than the Wahha.
Mionvu has spoken the truth, yet we do not wish to fight. I could
kill Mionvu now, yet I talk to him as to a friend. I wish to be a
friend to Mionvu, and to all black people. Will Mionvu say what
I can do for him?"
As these words were translated to him - imperfectly, I suppose,
but still, intelligibly - the face of the Wahha showed how well
they appreciated them. Once or twice I thought I detected something
like fear, but my assertions that I desired peace and friendship
with them soon obliterated all such feelings.
Mionvu replied:
"The white man tells me he is friendly. Why does he not come to
our village? Why does he stop on the road? The sun is hot.
Mionvu will not speak here any more. If the white man is a friend
he will come to the village."
"We must stop now. It is noon. You have broken our march. We
will go and camp in your village," I said, at the same time rising
and pointing to the men to take up their loads.
We were compelled to camp; there was no help for it; the messengers
had not returned from Kawanga. Having arrived in his village,
Mionvu had cast himself at full length under the scanty shade
afforded by a few trees within the boma. About 2 P.M. the
messengers returned, saying it was true the chief of Kawanga had
taken ten cloths; not, however for the King of Uhha, but for
himself!
Mionvu, who evidently was keen-witted, and knew perfectly what he
was about, now roused himself, and began to make miniature faggots
of thin canes, ten in each faggot, and shortly he presented ten
of these small bundles, which together contained one hundred, to me,
saying each stick represented a cloth, and the amount of the "honga"
required by the King of Uhha was ONE HUNDRED CLOTHS! - nearly two bales!
Recovering from our astonishment, which was almost indescribable,
we offered TEN.
"Ten! to the King of Uhha! Impossible. You do not stir from
Lukomo until you pay us one hundred!" exclaimed Mionvu, in a
significant manner.
I returned no answer, but went to my hut, which Mionvu had cleared
for my use, and Bombay, Asmani, Mabruki, and Chowpereh were invited -
to come to me for consultation. Upon my asking them if we could not
fight our way through Uhha, they became terror-stricken, and Bombay,
in imploring accents, asked me to think well what I was about to do,
because it was useless to enter on a war with the Wahha. "Uhha is
all a plain country; we cannot hide anywhere. Every village will
rise all about us, and how can forty-five men fight thousands of
people? They would kill us all in a few minutes, and how would you
ever reach Ujiji if you died? Think of it, my dear master, and do
not throw your life away for a few rags of cloth."
"Well, but, Bombay, this is robbery. Shall we submit to be robbed?
Shall we give this fellow everything he asks? He might as well ask
me for all the cloth, and all my guns, without letting him see that
we can fight. I can kill Mionvu and his principal men myself, and
you can slay all those howlers out there without much trouble.
If Mionvu and his principal were dead we should not be troubled much,
and we could strike south to the Mala-garazi, and go west to Ujiji."
"No, no, dear master, don't think of it for a moment. If we went
neat the Malagarazi we should come across Lokanda-Mira."
"Well, then, we will go north."
"Up that way Uhha extends far; and beyond Uhha are the Watuta."
"Well, then, say what we shall do. We must do something; but we
must not be robbed."
"Pay Mionvu what he asks, and let us go away from here. This is
the last place we shall have to pay. And in four days we shall be
in Ujiji."
"Did Mionvu tell you that this is the last time we would have to
pay?"
"He did, indeed."
"What do you say, Asmani ? Shall we fight or pay?" Asmani's
face wore the usual smile, but he replied,
"I am afraid we must pay. This is positively the last time."
"And you, Chowpereh?"
"Pay, bana; it is better to get along quietly in this country.
If we were strong enough they would pay us. Ah, if we had only
two hundred guns, how these Wahha would run!"
"What do you say, Mabruki?"
"Ah, master, dear master; it is very hard, and these people are
great robbers.
