_eoeee ees tpe sme ESESEEee= We) 22S == % DISCOVERY OF ‘ TyGily a | © se ere : : - es « ” 4 — 5 ; t € ‘ c L d * > » ‘ hs ed i; hed | 2h ~ 5 Re? ve ie oe x“ 2A PORTRAIT OF COUNT SAMUEL TELEKI VON SZEK. DISCOVERY LAKES RUDOLF AND STEFANIE A NARRATIVE OF COUNT SAMUEL TELEKI?’S EXPLORING & HUNTING EXPEDITION IN EASTERN EQUATORIAL AFRICA IN 1887 & 1888 BY His: COMPANION LIEUT. LUDWIG VON HOHNEL 'aar TRANSLATED BY NANCY BELL (N. DANVERS) AUTHOR OF ‘THE ELEMENTARY HISTORY OF ART’ ‘ART GUIDE 'O EUROPE’ ‘HEROES OF AFRICAN DISCOVERY’ ETC. WITH 179 ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS AND 5 COLOURED MAPS IN TWO VOLUMES—VOL. I. K< 4 re8e LONDON HONGMANS, GREEN, AND AND NEW YORK: 15 EAST 16" STREQT 1894 All rights reserved TO HIS IMPERIAL AND ROYAL APOSTOLIC MAJESTY FRANCIS JOSEPH I. EMPEROR OF AUSTRIA, KING OF HUNGARY, &c. THIS ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY OF LAKES RUDOLF AND STEFANIE IS DEDICATED WITH DEEPEST RESPECT BY THE AUTHOR TRANSLATOR’S NOTE Iv publishing this slightly condensed translation of Lieutenant von HOHNEL’s deeply interesting account of his journey with Count TELEKI in Eastern Equatorial Africa, the translator wishes to thank Mr. Grorce Puinip, jun. for the valuable help given by him throughout the work, especially in the scientific appendix, and Miss EH. Frosr for the good Indices supplied by her. NANCY BELL (N. D’Anvers). SOUTHBOURNE-ON-SEA: September 1893 HP le BY ACC Tue following account of the exploring and hunting expedition of Count Samuel Teleki von Szek during 1887 and 1888 in Eastern Equatorial Africa is written for the general reading public, and deals rather with the adventures and experiences met with, than with the scientific observations taken. The results of these observations are given in different separate treatises and in various scientific journals, which may be looked upon as supplementary to the present volume. I must, however, be allowed to express here my deep grati- tude to the distinguished patrons and sympathetic friends who did so much to further the success of our undertaking, and above all to His Excellency Admiral Maximilian Daublebsky, Baron von Sterneck zu Ehrenstein, for the loan of valuable scientific instruments; to His Excellency the German Vice- Admiral Baron von Knorr, then commanding a squadron in Kast African waters, for his influential furtherance of our wishes; to General Lloyd Matthews in Zanzibar for his thorough and efficient co-operation at the beginning of our enterprise ; to the German Consul in Aden, Mr. Victor Escher, X11 PREFACE for his hospitality and assistance before we began and after we returned from our long expedition; to the alas! since deceased Mr. William Oswald, then Consul in Zanzibar, whose influence and experience were ever at our service and of the greatest assistance to us; to the then Assistant Resident in Aden, Lieu- tenant-Col. Fred. M. Hunter, and Dr. Gregory d’Arbela in Zan- zibar, for their ready co-operation ; and last, not least, to the Lloyd’s East African Steamship Company for the many privi- leges accorded by them to us in the transport of our stores, &c., from Trieste to Aden. To which I must add my own deep personal gratitude to Messrs. A. Mielichhofer and Ludwig Hans Fischer, to whose disinterested and unremitting co-operation | owe the greater number of the illustrations in these two volumes. THE AUTHOR: Vienna: May 1892. i ali eis = _ a.) CON WN TS OF ie ao Ve Ou UvER, CHAPTER I PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST PAGKH Introductory remarks on the Expedition—W. Oswald and G. Dehnhardt— Arrival in Zanzibar—General L. W. Matthews—First shauré or discussion with Jumbe Kimemeta—Issa ben Madi—Arrival of the Bwana mkubwa, or Great Master—The Sultan gives us audience—Dr. Gregory d’Arbela Our day’s work—Admiral Knorr—Arrival of Drs. Junker and Lenz— Qualla Idris—Purchase and packing of merchandise—Hiring of porters— Zanzibari and Mrima—Guides and Askari—Start from Zanzibar—Strand- ing of the ‘ Star’ off Pangani—The start up-stream . ‘ < «ll ORE PEs Ul FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO Start from Mawia—The march interrupted by an attack from bees—Mutinous scene at Leva—I go back to Zanzibar—Our books and maps are stolen— Kimemeta arrested for debt—-March to Korogwe—The battle of Kwa Mgumi—The Count starts for Sembodja, whilst I follow the course of the Pangani—Mafi—Sultan Sedenga—Further wanderings—We meet again at Mikocheni—Count Teleki’s account of his adventures—We part again— Character of the districts south of Pangani—I make acquaintance with an African thorn thicket—The Wapare—A ‘nyika’ district described—My first leopard—Along the base of the Pare and Same mountains—I join Count Teleki again—-His adventures amongst the Masai—First sight of Kilimanjaro—Arrival at Taveta : ‘ : . 388 X1V CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME CHAPTER III STAY IN TAVETA AND TRIPS TO MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU PAGE Taveta an El Dorado—Meeting with an English hunting party—Hut-building and life in camp—Our ape Hamis—The Wataveta—Qualla Idris—The wild animals of the forest—Two caravans return to the coast—We start for Mount Meru—Rhinoceros hunt—Three days on Kilimanjaro—Along the base of Kilimanjaro to Mount Meru—Further hunting adventures— Meeting with Masai—By the Engilata—Weather conditions and state of the road in the rainy season—Buffalo hunt—First acquaintance with the Wameru—We make peace—Life among the Wameru—Lake Balbal— Sultan Matunda—On the Dariama—Across the Ronga to Little Arusha— Kahe—Back again at Taveta-—Overhauling of our stores—A hunting expedition—Start for the ascent of Kilimanjaro—A night with the thermo- meter at — 11° Centigrade—Attempt to ascend Kibo—-Return to Taveta— The start for Masailand é ' : : : . 94 CHAPTER IV THROUGH MASAILAND TO THE BORDERS OF KIKUYULAND We leave Taveta—Along the eastern base of Kilimanjaro—-The crater lake of Jala—aA fugitive caught and punished—Hunting adventure—Kimangelia —Count Teleki goes on in advance—His adventures—Malago Kanga— Amongst the Masai—Lake Nyiri—Buffalo hunting—-Cattle disease in Masailand—The steppe on the north of Kilimanjaro—Some account of the Masai—At the foot of the Doenye Erok la Matumbato—Hunting episode— On the Ngare Kidongoi—The Wandorobbo—Trading in ivory—The water- holes of Seki—Tricks of the Masai—Another buffalo hunt—On the Besil brook—To Turuka—Adventure with elephants—A lon hunt—-A dreary time—Over the Doenye Erok la Kapotei—The poisonous Morio tree— Arrival at Ngongo Bagas : : , : , : . 206 CHAPTER V TO KENIA The reputation of the Wakikuyu—Making our palisade—Antics of the Masai— We open relations with the Wakikuyu—Making brotherhood—We cross the frontrer—Shauri to weleome us—Kutire kimandaja—An uncomfort- able camp—Our mode of travelling—A shauri about rain-making—Oriov muma—Difficulties of marching in Kikuyuland—Onur first fight—We make peace—A day of rest—Renewed hostilities—A fight amongst the Wakikuyu themselves—F alse rnmours—A dangerous brook-crossing—A second fight —March across Kikuyuland—First sight of Kenia—Want of union amongst the Wakikuyu—Our third fight—Abedi’s tragic death—On the northern frontier—Our journey in Kikuyuland over at last—March to Ndoro— General account of the Wakikuyu and their land. : ; . 286 CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME XV CHAPTER VI STAY AT NDORO. ASCENT OF MOUNT KENIA. JOURNEY THROUGH LEIKIPIA AND TRIP TO LAKE BARINGO PAGE A quiet time at the foot of Mount Kenia—A Kikuyu Leibon—Purchase of food —We get more rain than we want—The Count starts for Mount Kenia Result of rain on the appearance of the country—Count Teleki’s ascent of Kenia—My trip to the bamboo thicket—Four lions—Our further plans— Count Teleki goes on in advance—A false alarm—We meet on the Guaso Nyiro—Along the Aberdare mountains—Masai on the war-path—Nomad Masai—On the Marmanett mountains—To Larelol Morio—Lekibes, Leibon of Leikipia—Division of the Expedition—Along the Guaso Nyiro—Return to Lare—My march to Lake Baringo—First sight of the lake—Bad news. 3862 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE FIRST VOLUME PAGE Portrait oF CoUNT SAMUEL TELEKI VON SZEK ; - Hrontisprece JUMBE Kimemeta. After a photograph . : : , : ea QuaLta Ipris. After a photograph . : ; ; : Seite! | WEEDING OUT THE Sick AND Weak. By A. Mielichhefer , Bary EMBARKATION OF OUR MEN. After a photograph . : ; Sanam Paneani. After a photograph . : , , é : . 24 THE GLITTERING ATTRACTIONS OF Mammon. By A. Mielichhofer eee et Division oF THE Loaps. By A. Mielichhofer . : : : eo Our Canvas Boat on THE Marcu. After a photograph . : cheat OO AT THE H&rAD OF THE CARAVAN. After a photograph. , : . 389 ‘Srr, PEOPLE WANT TO Camp.’ By A. Mrelichhofer : ; ee te? oA) Mutinous Scene at Leva. By A. Mielichhofer : : : . 47 FLoGGING THE FuaiTives ar Paneant. By A, Mielichhofer : er THE PUNISHMENT OF CHAINING TOGETHER. By A. Mielichhofer ° ct OF My First Hippopotamus. By A. Mielichhofer _. ‘ . edo OD ASS WITH LADEN Pack-saDDLE. By A. Mielichhofer . : = 65 OUT CAME A FINE LropaRD. By A. Mielichhofer . : : paar ARISTOLOCHIA SP. After a photograph . ; : . : etsy THE REARGUARD OF THE CARAVAN. After a photograph . : byt EO Euanps. After a photograph . : : ; : : 5 el ONE OF THE ENTRANCES TO TaveTa. By A. Mteltchhofer 5 Meee d VOU. 1. . a XV1ll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Wartaveta. After a photograph by A. Mielichhofer . , j , 101 Tue Camp on Fire. After a photograph . : ; ; . | aS A Kitimansaro Beauty. After a photograph . ‘ ; : as Mrriaui’s WIVES AND SLAVE-GIRLS. After a sketch by J. Tsch. . ., sey GiraFFEs. After a photograph by J. Tsch. 5 : ; 421 Hypnora Arricana. By A. Mielichhofer . ; , ; . = sige Horns or tHE Rutnoceros Bicornis. After a photograph by J. Tach. . 124 Birps oF Prey Freastine. After a photograph . F ; . gees HorgNS OF THE GNU-ANTELOPE. By A. Mielichhofer . , s . 134 Mount Merv. After a photograph . : : : : i. age ee War SHAURI BY THE Brook. After a photograph . ; ; . 145 AMONG THE WameERU. After a photograph by A. Mielichhofer . 2{o Ae Lake Batpau. After a photograph by A. Mielichhofer : : . 159 GETTING THE DoNKEYS OVER THE Ronea. After a photograph by J. Tsch.. 164 Native oF Lirrte ArusHa. After a photograph by J. Tsch. . ‘ . 166 SNUFF-POUCHES OF NATIVES or KiLimangaro. After a photograph Pata ory AU Horns or Mpata ANTELOPE. After a photograph by A. Mielichhofer . 175 Our Camp AT Miriaui’s. After a photograph : ; ; a 3 LES A Kitimangaro Warrior. After a photograph : : F . 180 A Bir or Primzvat Forest on Kitimansaro. After a photograph by J. Tsch. ; ; : ; : ; 2) 6G TREE Heatu. After a photograph : : F é F BT SENECIO JoHNSTONIT Otto. After a photograph . : ; oe bY KIMAWENZI FROM THE SADDLE Puatnau. By A. Mielichhofer : . 195 MUSTERING OF THE CARAVAN BEFORE LEAVING TaveTA. By A. Mielichhofer 207 Kisuma Wavt Muynurvu. After a photograph . : ; : . 210 ATTACKED BY RuINocERosES. By A. Mielichhofer : oot aie KiLtimaANJARO FROM UseEri. By A. Mtelichhofer : ; j . 223 A Masat Morvo with Brush FoR REMOVING Furs. After a photograph . 233 Hontine THE BuFrato NEAR Lake Nyiri. After a photograph , . 237 BETWEEN LAKE Nyrrt ano Mastmanit. By A. Mielichhofer : es WatTER-HOLE AT Masimant. By A. Mielichhofer : ‘ ‘ . 243 A Masat Bagnori, on Younc Boy. After a photograph by J. Tseh. . . 245 IN THE FIRST VOLUME Masat Moran 1N War Array. After a photograph Masat Neck ORNAMENT WoRN BY WoMEN. After a photograph by J. Tsch.. Masart Ear Ornament. After a photograph MoRANS AND THEIR DITTOS OR SWEETHEARTS DANCING. By A. Mielichhofer Horns OF GAZELLE (SPECIES UNKNOWN). After a sketch by J. Tsch. . WATER-HOLES OF SEKI. By A. Mielichhofer ‘TAVALA, Morwo! Tavata!’ (‘Stop, Moruvo! Srop!’) By A. Mielichhofer Masat SuHIeLps. After a photograph Grsita’s Enp. By A. Mielichhofer A Masai Ssaneixi. After a photograph Our Camp at Neoneo Bacds. After a sketch by J. Tsch. MAxkING FRIENDSHIP IN KixuyuLanp. By A. Mielichhofer WatER Patms. By A. Mielichhofer Dracmna sp. By A. Grerl In Kixuyutanp. By A. Mielichhofer Uranas Uasaxi’s Vinttace. After a photograph MaxkinG Buioop-BRoTHERHOOD. After a photograph BEGINNING OF HostTILities By THE Brook. By A. Mielichhofer . Kitxuyu Warriors. By A. Mielichhofer A VILLAGE IN Kixuyunanp. By A. Mielichhofer . Mastyoyva No. I. After a sketch from nature by J. Tsch. Drunk witH Victory. After a sketch from nature by J. Tsch. WE AVENGE ABEDI Wapr Heri. After a sketch by J. Tsch. . PoMBE MAKING IN KixuyuLaNnD. After a sketch from nature by J. Tsch. ARM ORNAMENTS OF THE WaAkIKUyU. After a sketch by J. Tsch. Hark ORNAMENTS OF THE WAkIKuyU. After a sketch by A. Mielichhofer WEAPONS OF THE Wakikuyu. By J. Tsch. AN OLD-FASHIONED Kikuyu SHIELD. After a photograph Toots oF A Kikuyu Situ. By L. H. Fischer BauEARIcA Pavontna. After a photograph by J. Tsch. KENIA FROM OUR Camp AT Nvdoro. By A. Mielichhofer Bampoo THicketT oN Kenta. Aftera photograph . Horns or Konus AntTELOPE. By A. Mielichhofer XxX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS AN WoL L In Anxious Expectation. After a photograph . : : a He Equator Camp. By A. Mielichhofer . ; : : ; . 893 Nomap Masar. After a photograph ; ; 5 , i pes Masal oN THE Marcu. By A. Mielichhofer . . 5 . 408 Masart MorAN PAINTING THEIR SHIELDS. After a photograph . - +) 2408 PART OF THE CouRSE OF THE Guaso Nyiro. After a photograph . . 417 ‘Mampo xkwa Muunau, Bwana!’ By L. A. Pischer , 24 ABD Lake Barinco From THE HIGHLANDS oF Lerxipra. After a photograph by J. T’sch. 5 ; : : ‘ : : : . 431 Map sHOWING RouTE, FROM PANGANI TO THE EQUATOR, OF COUNT TELEKI’S EXPEDITION To East Africa, 1887-88; wITH GEOLOGICAL AND ETHNO- GRAPHICAL SKETCH Mars, AND Map sHowiInNG DENSITY OF POPULA- TION : : ‘ : : : . at end of volume Hrrata Page 22, line 29, for Buenni vead Bweni » 24, 4 273 p. 25, line 18; p. 28, line 2; p. 29, lines 5 and 38, for Mauia read Mawia , 45, last line; p. 46, line 7; p. 47, for Lewa read Leva. , 46, line 7, for Wachensi read Washenzi » 61, ,, 6, 5, Masai read Mafi 5,5 70, 5,15, ,, (Anoonuna arceus) read (Anomma arcens) > 98 ,, 21, ., colocosia read colocasia » 113, ,, 4, ,, bead read beads », 135, lines 8 and 7; p. 228, line 19; p. 257, line 3, for Thomsoni 7ead Thomsonti 5, 196, note, for Teleki Schweinfurth, read Telekii, Schweinfurth 5, 202, line 20, for 35 Ib. read 300 frassilah, each abcut 35 Ib. . ,, 211, last line of note, for Rufu read Ruvu » 961 line 5, for Dianyu read Dianya , 374, note, for Deckeni read Deckenit ase OV bi ¥ OF LAKES RUDOLF AND STERANIE Crive Th, 1 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST From October 5, 1886, to February 4, 1887 Introductory remarks on the Expedition—W. Oswald and G. Dehnhardt—Arrival in Zanzibar—General L. W. Matthews—First shauwri or discussion with Jumbe Kimemeta—Issa ben Madi—Arrival of the Bwana mkubwa, or Great Master— The Sultan gives us audience—Dr. Gregory d’Arbela—Our day’s work— Admiral Knorr—Arrival of Drs. Junker and Lenz—Qualla Idris—Purchase and packing of merchandise —Hiring of porters— Zanzibari and Mrima—Guides and Askari—Start from Zanzibar—Stranding of the ‘ Star’ off Pangani—The start up-stream. Tue dark continent of Africa, that portion of the world which has longest resisted exploration, has now been almost com- pletely robbed of the mystery it has known how to guard so well, and to the present century is due the honour of having sent forth the travellers who have at last succeeded in solving the riddle of the Sphinx. Very arduous has been their work, and many are they who have fallen victims by the way; but others, imbued with a similar zeal for the furtherance of scientific knowledge, have ever been ready to take their places and to follow the rugged path leading to the heart of the great continent. And no VOL. I. | . = 2 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST wonder! For mighty is ever the fascination exercised by the unknown, and, to the enthusiastic spirit, no charm can excel that of devoting every power to a noble aim. Imbued with a similar passion for research, Count Samuel Teleki von Szek, a nobleman with an estate in Transylvania, undertook to lead yet another expedition into the interior of Africa. With ample means of his own, and inured to hard- ship in many a sporting trip, Count Teleki was admirably fitted to carry out to a successful issue an undertaking of this kind; and early in 1886, when he was beginning his prepara- tions, he received an invitation to Lacroma from the Crown Prince, Archduke Rudolf, who took the greatest interest in the proposed expedition. Luckily for me, I happened just then to be off the island of Lacroma on His Majesty’s yacht ‘ Greif, which had been placed at the disposal of Prince Rudolf. I had long eagerly desired to devote my humble powers to the exploration of Africa, and I lost not a moment in urging Count Teleki to allow me to jom him. Thanks, probably, to powerful influence, my petition was granted, and the very next day I heard that I was to go. In a few brief interviews the Count and I worked out a rough scheme of exploration, the chief aim of which was to penetrate to the interior of Africa from the east coast. The discussion of minor details as to equipment, provisions, &c., for a journey of several years through uncivilised districts necessarily occupied a much longer time. Count Teleki went off to England and France to make his own preparations, whilst 1 remained in Austria to carry out that part of the task assioned to me. We were to meet again at Zanzibar at the end of October ; but it so happened that the Count was delayed, and I had a whole month to wait before he joined me. On October 5, 1886, I was ready to start, and I left Kurope ARRIVAL AT ZANZIBAR z on the Lloyd steamship ‘Titania,’ arriving safely at Aden, whence, after a short stay, | proceeded by one of the British India Company’s vessels. It was fortunate for me that Mr. Oswald, then Consul for Austria at Zanzibar, was on his way back to his post in the same boat; for in the course of much pleasant intercourse with him he not only gave me many valuable hints, but taught me a great deal of Kiswahili, which is the language used in all trade dealings at Zanzibar. During the latter half of my voyage I also made another very useful acquaintance in the person of Mr. Gustav Dehn- hardt, the younger of the two brothers whose names are so inseparably connected with Witu.’ Mr. Dehnhardt joined us at the coast-station of Lamu, and from my first arrival in Zanzibar gave me the constant benefit of his wide and varied experience. No better travelling companion could I possibly have desired. We cast anchor in the picturesque harbour of Mombasa, and the next day, October 31, which dawned clear and bright, we sighted, to our delight, a low-lying strip of the coast of the island of Zanzibar, bathed in the soft mists of early morning. We neared it rapidly; gradually its form became more and more defined, the waving crests of countless palms stood out against the sky, and soon the whole of the beautiful scene was spread out to our admiring view. Our ship had now but to thread its way between a few gleaming ereen coral islets, before we were opposite the Custom House and surrounded by a swarm of little boats. The anchor chains rattled as we came to a standstill, and, embarking on one of the many smaller craft plying for hire, Mr. Dehnhardt and I were soon on the beach, and in the midst of a great deal of ' Now included in British East Africa by the treaty of 1890 between England and Germany.—TRANs. 4 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST unnecessary shouting we were landed dryshod, with the help of some of the crowd of sturdy negroes awaiting us; after which, with a motley train behind us, we made our way to the Criterion Hotel. The island of Zanzibar has been described so often that a very few words will suffice from me. I felt as if the two palaces of the Sultan, with the fort hard by in case of necessity, were old acquaintances, and I fancied I had watched before the swaying crowds of many varied types of humanity, the eager, noisy traffic in the market-place, the stalls heaped high with tropical fruits, and that I had already threaded my way through the busy East Indian, or Arab quarter, and the Ngambu, or negro quarter, on the other side of the bridge, where walked the oft-described black dandy in his long white shirt, whilst many a dainty 0622" flashed by with roguish, laughing eyes—a very dream made real. So great was the delight of seeing with my own eyes all the varied beauties, all the complex lights and shades of the capital of East Africa, about which I had read so much, that I would sladly have devoted to their study every minute of leisure for a week; and even in the hotel at which I had put up there was so much that was novel to me that I wished my stay could have been prolonged. As it was, however, I soon had plenty else to do, for the very next morning I found that my arrival had not been as unnoticed, as I could have wished, but was already being discussed in every quarter of the town. At the time of which I am writing Zanzibar was much quieter than it is now: only one mail steamer put in a month, and as not nearly so many Europeans arrived, the appearance of one was still an event. And when, as in my case, that one was an explorer, the news spread like wildfire in the native quarter. The Hast Indian and Arab traders at once scented a fresh customer, and 1 Brbt means woman or girl. NATIVE EXPLORERS 9) the Wangwana of Ngambu, ever eager for adventure, from amongst whom the Expedition would have to hire porters, &c., had no less reason to hail with joy the advent of a new traveller. I had, therefore, no reason to be surprised when my quarters were besieged every morning by crowds of gesticulating negroes, and I received visits every day from sumptuously attired East Indians, who came to offer me the choice of their wares in high-sounding phrases. The unexpected delay in the arrival of Count Teleki, however, made it impossible for me to make any arrangements or bargains on my own responsibility, so that 1 had to content myself with a kind of general and informal series of inquiries. One thing alone had been finally decided on in my interviews with the Count, and that was, that we were to endeavour to secure the services of a certain Martin, a Maltese sailor, who had distinguished himself in Joseph Thomson’s journey through Masailand. Martin was now in Zanzibar, living in a beautifully situated country house belonging to his patron, General L. W. Matthews, who at one time commanded the reeular army of the Sultan. There I found him, and, fortunately, also several faithful comrades of his, such as Manwa Sera, Kacheche, and ‘Bedue, all celebrities in their way, whose names had become familiar to me in various books of travel, so that I was very much interested in making their personal acquaintance. Shall I describe the impression they made upon me? Alas! I must confess that the somewhat romantic ideas I had conceived in my study of books on Africa received a very severe shock, for they were altogether different from what I had expected, bearing in mind the share they had certainly taken in some of the epoch- making exploring expeditions into Central Africa. Although I failed to secure Martin, who had already engaged himself to a party of English sportsmen, my efforts to do so were not altogether without results, for to them I owe my 6 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST introduction to General Matthews, whose powerful influence was absolutely invaluable to our Expedition. Thanks to his friendly efforts, I quickly got through the Custom House the 140 cases and bales, containing the chief part of the stores of the Expedition, which I had brought with me. Meanwhile my leisure was at an end; to begin with, [ had to find a suitable JUMBE KIMEMETA. place to house our goods, then to superintend the unpacking and sorting—sometimes, in fact, lending a hand myself, for the crowd of negroes I had engaged often stood gaping and chatter- ing, and it was hard work to keep them steadily at their task. It was also high time to be looking out for recruits, and above all to secure a picked body of guides. And this time I JUMBE KIMEMETA t was more fortunate than in Martin’s case, for I secured the co- operation of Jumbe! Kimemeta, the ivory-trader of Masailand, who also became well known through Thomson’s journey, and was now in Zanzibar, summoned thither by the Sultan, at the instance of certain creditors, with a view to the liquidation of long-standing debts. As soon as I heard of the Jumbe’s presence, I hastened to beg for an interview, or, as they say in East Africa, a shaurv. My invitation was accepted at once, and the very next day the great trader, a so-called Mrima-man, or negro from the coast, arrived, like some Arab of rank, with a goodly and imposing following. At the door of the room in which, with Mr. Dehnhardt, | was awaiting my guests, they laid aside their sandals. Then I sat down to table with the o as inter- preter, whilst the retainers squatted down onthe floor. Kime- most important of them, Mr. Dehnhardt kindly actin meta seemed very nervous at first, even after the handing round of the cigarettes and sherbet, to which I treated the whole party, with a view to setting them at their ease. The leader’s face was deeply pitted with small-pox and his right eye had been injured by that disease, but the expression of the other was bright, honest, and intelligent. Another man who struck me as having a particularly sensible face must be men- tioned here on account of the great services he rendered us later, though only in our preparations—a negro from the Comoro Islands, Issa ben Madi by name, who held the rank of captain in the Sultan’s army. | The shauri soon led to a cordial understanding, and Kime- meta declared himself ready to act as guide in an expedition to Masailand ; and as I was very favourably impressed by him, I did not hesitate to secure by a considerable present in money his remaining in Zanzibar until the arrival of Count Teleki. The same day Issa ben Madi brought me three young 1 ¢ Jumbe’ is a native name for chief.—TRANs. 8 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST negroes—Chuma, Baraka, and Jomari by name, whom I engaged as servants, and now had to teach their duties—as well as a number of others, whom I wished to employ as collectors of beetles and butterflies. So my time was passed chiefly in brown and black companionship, and the English colony saw little of me till November 29, when the British India steam- ship ‘ Oriental’ at last put into port with Count Teleki on board. He had made the whole trip from London by sea, and had had to wait a week at Aden for the Zanzibar mail. The news of his arrival quickly became known, and very soon, either singly or in groups, all those interested in the Expedition came to bid the leader welcome and to kiss his hands, with many deep obeisances and friendly grimaces. The Lwana mkubwa, or great master, was now here, and my position as an interesting European of the first rank was gone—I was now only Bwana mdogo, or the little master; such are the laws of. etiquette in East Africa! Had there been a third member of the Expedition, either he or I would have been the Awana katikati, or the middle master. Now began days of a very different kind for me, full of a variety of occupations. Count Teleki had brought letters of introduction, and various notabilities must be called upon—a duty I had hitherto neglected. One day, of course, was devoted to paying our respects to His Highness the Sultan, Seyid Burgash, who was most favourably disposed towards us, took the greatest interest in our Expedition, and promised to help us by every means in his power. At this audience we also made acquaintance with Dr. Gregory d’Arbela, physician to the harem of the Sultan; and the value will be readily understood of the friendship of a man so trusted by the ruler of the country, and who in many years’ residence had acquired such a thorough knowledge of the customs of the people. As already stated, we made out but a very rough sketch DIVIDING THE STORES 9 of our plans when we first met, and it was only now that Count Teleki and myself decided on the course which we were fortunate enough to be able to carry out in every particular. We were able to set quietly about our preparations, and with the help of General Matthews to decide exactly what we really did require. First of all we made an agreement with Jumbe Kimemeta, according to which he undertook to accompany the Expedition for the sum of 2,000 dollars. He was also to carry the necessary articles for barter by the way, and to superintend the packing of the same in the customary way. He could not begin this work yet, however, as he had first to go home to Pangani to settle certain affairs of his own, as well as to hire a number of men and to buy some grey donkeys as beasts of burden for us. Meanwhile we had to divide the stores brought from Europe into loads of 54 stone each, and to repack them in proper style. There were tents, camp-stools, tables, beds, instruments, saws, axes, knives, provisions, ammunition, boats, masts, sails, cordage, metal goods, packing-cloths, and the hundred-and-one things needed for an expedition of several years’ duration ; but there was no immediate hurry, and gradu- ally chest after chest was packed of the right proportions, weighed, catalogued, sealed up, and marked with a number indicating its contents. So we were very busy all day long in the house I had hired for the purpose, and only when the sun began to sink behind the dark blue mountains of the mainland did we relax our toil, and indulge in a ride in the beautiful environs of Zanzibar on the erey donkeys! Count Teleki had bought for our use. A fre- quent companion of these rides was the German Rear-Admiral ' These donkeys really are mules, and come from Muscat, in Arabia. They are, however, always called donkeys, and are held in high esteem by wealthy Arabs and East Indians on account of their fine pace. They are, of course, propor- tionately dear, the price varying from 50 to 250 dollars. 10 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST Knorr, then in command of some vessels lying off Zanzibar, who was much interested in our plans, and helped us greatly by letting some of the men under his command aid our prepa- rations. The evening found us as guests at the house of some friendly acquaintance, or on board one of the vessels in the harbour sharing a merry meal with the officers, or perhaps on the roof of our own house discussing with Issa ben Madi every detail of our arrangements over and over again till the call to evening prayer compelled him to leave us, when Count Teleki often seized his sextant and began taking observations of the moon or the stars; so that it was generally long after midnight before we went to rest. During this period of our residence in Palo two great events took place which were of special interest to us, and the echo of which resounded throughout the world. Dr. William Junker, lone supposed to be dead, arrived in Zanzibar, after many years wandering in Central Africa, anxious to secure help for his friend and comrade in misfortune, Emin Pasha. Dr. Junker’s healthy appearance and high spirits proved that, in spite of all the privations he had undergone, his seven years’ residence in tropical Africa had done him no harmat all. And very soon afterwards Dr. O. Lenz also appeared at Zanzibar, having made his way in eighteen months from the mouth of the Congo to that of the Zambesi. He too was in first-rate . condition, and we felt that the safe arrival of these two ex- plorers was a very happy augury for us, who stood but on the threshold of the dark continent they knew so well. The next mail steamer brought a number of men from Somali-land, whose services Count Teleki had engaged by the advice of Sir Richard Burton. That experienced traveller had most strongly urged on the Count the necessity of having with him a small but strong personal escort of men from a distance, belonging to other tribes than those of the districts to be QUALLA IDRIS 11 passed through. When at Aden Count Teleki thought it would be advisable to choose his escort in Somal-land, and he began by engaging, on the recommendation of Major Hunter, then Resident there, a young Somal of twenty-four years old from Habr-Anwal, whose name was Qualla Idris, who had been to America as a boy, and, later, was for six years one of Stan- QUALLA IDRIS. ley’s truest and most faithful followers on the Congo, going eventually with his master to Hurope ; so that he had also some acquaintance with the Old World. After leaving Stanley’s service, Idris returned to his native land and acted as guide to the expedition there led by the brothers James. Qualla had only just got back to Aden after this journey 12 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST when Count Teleki met him, and he was quite ready to enlist on a new expedition, although he had scarcely had any time for the enjoyment of the society of a charming little wife. With Qualla came six other young Somal, and a seventh joined us later. Qualla spoke Arabic, Hindustani, English, and Kiswahili ; and this was by no means his first visit to Zanzibar, so that he soon became most useful to us. But we could not do much with his companions as yet, for we could only communicate with them through an interpreter. Our work now went on fast enough—faster than necessary, in fact, as Jumbe Kimemeta kept us waiting longer than he had said he would or than we approved of; but punctuality and fidelity to one’s word are not among the virtues of the brown and black races of the earth. When he at last arrived, however, he set to work with a zeal we should never have expected from his phlegmatic appearance. The next thing to be done was to decide on the kind and amount of merchandise which must be taken with us. And this is always a very difficult matter on the coast, as the infor- mation given on the spot is not to be relied on; whilst the leaders of caravans who really are experienced are quite in- capable of giving an estimate ; so that many and many a discus- sion had to be gone through before we could get a really definite idea of what was needed. The purchase of the goods for barter was entrusted to Jumbe Kimemeta and Issa ben Madi, who had the help of the experienced East Indian staff of the well-known house of Oswald & Co. Our list of wares included a grand collection of articles, the most important of which I enumerate below. We had 600 pieces (djora) of white cotton goods (merikanz) alone, from 30 to 40 yards long; 250 djora of dark-blue calico (kanzkz), of OUR WARES vor" 8 yards long; 100 pieces of ‘stuff of a fine deep red colour, ealled bendera assilia, 32 yards long; and besides these chief pieces, various lengths of first- and second-rate qualities, the former of Arab manufacture. We had a great quantity of beads, especially of the so-called Masai beads, which are of glass and from about the twelfth to the eighth of an inch in diameter, of a red (samesame), blue (madschibahari), or white (aschanga meupe) colour, altogether amounting to about 45 ewt.; with some of the so-called wkuta, which are blue- glass Paris beads about the size of a pea; common white beads, called sambaj; green, blue or light brown glass rings, called murtinarok, less than half an inch in diameter; some very fine tiny red and turquoise-blue beads for the people of Kilimanjaro ; and, lastly, a great stock of large mixed beads, known collectively as mboro. In addition to all these, we took as an experiment some very fine pale brown, blue, and white beads, which the house of Filonardi had just begun to introduce under the name of Oriental beads. Our stock of iron wire (senenge), one-fifth of an inch thick, made more than 100 loads ; that of strong brass and copper wire only fifteen loads. It is not possible to take metal from the east coast in the form of rods. But I have by no means exhausted the list of our goods. We had nearly 8 cwt. of gunpowder, in small cases, each containing about 11 lb., and many thousand caps for large muzzle-loaders, besides tin, lead, fine wire (mzkujw), cowries, knives, scissors, looking-glasses, picture-books, jointed jump- ing dolls, gilt-wire bracelets and rings, daggers, naval and cavalry sabres, with many other miscellaneous trifles which happened to take our fancy or come in our way, and which we thought might be useful in our dealings with the black chief- tains whose favour and co-operation it was so important for us to secure. Jumbe Kimemeta, to whom the packing of the merchandise 14 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST was entrusted, began his work the very next day, but not, of course, without the prayers and incense-burning which are customary over the doing-up of the first bale. The usual mode of packing is very simple, and is rapidly accomplished. Several pieces of coloured stuff are laid between two bales of white material; the whole is then placed in cheap white merikani, or calico, which in its turn is covered with cocoanut matting, and after being beaten into the smallest possible compass with strong sticks, 1s sewn tightly up into a hard, firm ball. The beads were only packed in common sacks, some of which very soon burst on the journey, much to the delight of the carriers, who, of course, did not let ship the chance of dipping their fingers into them. The coils of wire, &c., were tied together and sewn up in matting lke the rest of the loads. Finally, every load had to be marked with a legible number and entered in a book. The mode of packing just described is neither lasting enough nor does it sufficiently protect the goods; in fact, the matting really only makes it more difficult to check deterioration by hiding the damage done; but, like everyone else, we fell victims to dasturi—or old-established custom—and our mer- chandise was done up in the usual unsatisfactory way. One day, when we were busily engaged as described above, we were alarmed by the tidings that Stanley was about to start on his journey for the relief of Emin Pasha, and would want 500 men from Zanzibar as carriers. Now, although there are any number of men in the capital eager to take part in explor- ing expeditions, we should have to bestir ourselves if we wanted to secure really trustworthy fellows. We had waited till the last moment, as we really had not enough for the men to do, but now we had no choice, and Count Teleki Jost no time in making it known in the quarters where porters are to be had that we too were ready to hire. NATIVE NAMES bus Our appeal was responded to with wonderful rapidity, and but an hour afterwards Issa ben Madi, who undertook the choosing and hiring of men, was besieged by an eagerly gesticu- lating crowd as he sat at a table in the court of our house. To separate from amongst the number of applicants by a series of inquisitorial questions those hopelessly ineligible re- quires a considerable amount of tact, and to make out the wonderful names of those chosen requires a very good ear. To give one or two instances of the styles and titles assumed by these swarthy hidalgos: here was a certain Omari wadi Nassib Naddin Hamis ben Raschid, meaning Omari, son of Nassib, slave of Hamis ben Raschid; and Almiiss wadi Uledi Naddim Abdallah Hamis, meaning Almiiss, son of Uledi, slave of Abdallah Hamis. A good many add to their names the attribute Naddin Balosi, or slave of the Consul, which merely means that after the abolition of slavery they had entered the service of some European or East Indian. Instead of these terribly long titles, the men generally become known by quite a short nickname, indicating either some personal quality or accidental circumstance. For example, in our retinue we had twelve men owning the fine-sounding baptismal! name of Almiiss, meaning precious stone; but very soon one became Almiiss Neussi, or Almiiss the Black, another Almiiss Njekundu, or Almiiss the Red, their complexions justifying these pseudo- nyms ; whilst others were even more closely described as Almiiss Msangu, Manjeina Unjanweri, and soon. Yet another Alniiss was called bischibu, because he was at one time in the service of Bishop Hannington ; and yet another was Almiiss muitende, or Almiiss of the Dates, because he once carried a load of that fruit. The men who offered themselves to us for service in such numbers belonged to many different races, and I cannot now * The author says taufname, or baptismal name; but we doubt if all these men had been baptised.—TRANS. 16 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST enter into a description of their pecularities, but must content myself with adding that we selected, in addition to Zanzibaris, or Watu a ungudya, a good many so-called Mrima, that is to say, inhabitants of the coast of the mainland between Suadani and Wanga, not only because they are sturdy, willing, and obliging fellows, but because they would be very useful in Masailand on account of their knowledge of its language and customs. We should have liked our caravan to consist of Mrima alone ; but we had been told we should certainly not be able to secure enough, so Count Teleki decided to take 200 Zanzibari in any case. We began by putting on our list of men all who seemed at all promising, and on the second day we had as many as 250 a good many more than we wanted; but we intended to weed out from amongst them later any who turned out to be ill, weak, or otherwise unsuitable. The result of this was that we had many a thrilling scene when the weeding-out was ac- complished, and many were the touching appeals made by those who were to be left behind, as they urged on us, often with theatrical pathos, all they had gone through, their powers of endurance, and so on; but all was in vain, our minds were made up. An expedition such as ours requires, in addition to the porters, or pagazi, a certain number of Askari, or guards, and of guides, whose duty it is to aid the traveller with their experi- ence. ‘They carry no loads, but they are responsible for order and safety on the march and in camp; they keep the people together, encourage them on the march, help them to place the loads on their shoulders, and relieve of their burdens those who have become disabled. ‘They act as interpreters and advisers in dealings with the natives, especially in regulating the amount of tribute or presents, and in the buying of provisions, &c. When donkeys or mules are used as beasts of burden, it is the ARITA ATTA niga PAT TTA Oy ul HH) }} NOL... I. TTT Mt aT H Me iy ad Hl SICK AND WEAK. THE OUT WEEDING A THREATENED STRIKE 19 Askari who wait behind to lade them. It is difficult to define the duties of the guides as clearly as those of the Askari, for of course they depend very much upon the direction taken by the expedition. For the rest, guards and guides are equally willing, experienced, and trustworthy. Whilst a mere porter is content with a payment of five dollars a month, an Askari requires from six to nine, a guide from nine to fifteen, and in some cases-even more, for a trip of one month only. The wages, except for an advance when the bargain is made, are paid at the end of the journey. Although the customs as to payment are pretty well esta- blished, several efforts were made to secure more, especially a larger instalment to begin with; in fact, one day we were threatened with a regular strike. We knew the negro cha- racter too well, however, to yield, and to their cries of ‘ You can find other men,’ we merely answered, ‘It’s nothing to us what you do, or where and when you go,’ which was quite enough to make them all come quietly back to us the next morning. It was more difficult to deal with some of the guides, especially with Manwa Sera, the eldest of them, who, a few days after joming us, demanded nineteen dollars instead of the thirteen arranged for. When the old fellow persisted, we told him bluntly that he might give us back the instalment he had received and go about his business; which did not please him at all, and, moreover, had a capital effect on the rest of the men, for we heard no more grumbling. We completed our preparations in the second half of January 1887. Two hundred Zanzibari, nine Askari, and the nine cuides were in readiness to start, as well as 450 porters ; 70 loads of iron wire had been sent in advance to Mombasa by steamer, where they were to remain till we could send for them from Taveta. After many consultations with Jumbe Kimemeta, we had decided on Pangani as the starting-point Cc 2 20 PREPARATIONS 1N ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST for the Expedition, and he had already gone there to await us. In a farewell audience, His Highness the Sultan had given us a number of letters of recommendation to his officers on the mainland, and also placed his steamer ‘Star’ at our service for the voyage to Pangani, whilst a large sailing-vessel was to start with the men and most of the stores two days earlier than we did. On January 21, 1887, then, the sailing-vessel lay at anchor close to the beach. We had impressed upon our men the ne- cessity of their mustering punctually and in full force; but in spite of their reiterated assurances of ‘Awnallah,’ or ‘All right, so shall it be,’ we waited for them in the broiling sunshine with some little anxiety. But they came, late, it 1s true; all, at least, except two, who, we were told, had been taken up for debt. This is a trick East Indians are very fond of playing on Europeans when they want to evade their engagements. But with the help of Issa ben Madi we at last got even these defaulters on board, and by sunset Count Teleki was able to give the signal to start. The light-hearted men seemed quickly to get over their orief at parting from home and wife, and from their beloved Unjudja, for wild shouts were heard on shore as the great clumsy white sail of the dhow slowly swelled in the slight breeze, and the vessel got under way. The next two days were divided between feverish toil and the enjoyment of the eager hospitality of our friends in Zanzi- bar; and now, on January 28, the date of our own departure had dawned. The ‘ Star,’ with our personal lugeage already on board, loomed through a cloud of spotless white steam, and we were still sitting amongst a crowd of friends in Mr. Oswald's house; quickly, however, a last bumper was drunk to the success of our journey and our happy return; then we too left the shores of Zanzibar. We were very silent as we were rowed to x - Th OFF TO PANGANI Zh the steamer; then followed all the noise and confusion of the start, and soon night fell, hiding the white houses of Zanzibar from our sight; a dazzling brightness from the light- house flashed through the gloom, to disappear in its turn, leaving us only the recollection of the friends we had left behind us. After a very uncomfortable night on deck in pouring rain, the new day dawned clear and bright, and the ‘Star’ was EMBARKATION OF OUR MEN. ploughing along in the open sea, far away from the coast of the mainland, which appeared as a thin blue streak only, none of its features being recognisable. It was some time, too, before the captain, a white-haired old Arab, took the bearings ; but as soon as he had done so the vessel’s head was turned towards the coast, which we approached at full steam. As yet we could see nothing of Pangani, for which we were bound, but the change in the colour of the sea from a beautiful clear yer PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST blue to a dirty yellow betrayed that we were nearing the mouth of the river of that name, whilst here and there patches of white foam indicated dangerous shallows. All this, how- ever, seemed to trouble our venerable captain but little, until we suddenly came to a standstill with a fearful shock. Then ensued a terrible uproar; but we managed to get off the sand- bank on which we had struck. We had not, however, gone on smoothly for long before we were again amongst shoals, through which we wended our way in trembling till we came to a halt once more in the open monsoon-swept roadstead four miles from land. Two boats were now lowered, in one of which Count Teleki embarked with our most valuable possessions, whilst into the other stepped our captain, to fetch help for his water- logged vessel, which lay almost on her side. I remained on board, not a httle exercised in my mind as to whether this mishap at the outset was or was not a bad omen for our journey. The inrushing tide soon, however, relieved us from our uncomfortable position by righting the ‘ Star,’ and it was not very long before a dhow came out to our rescue. On to this, in spite of the heavy sea, we shipped everything, and set sail for Pangani, which we did not see till we were in the mouth of the river. Pangan, which consists of a number of dark loam-coloured huts, amongst which are a few conspicuous-looking stone houses finished off with white or yellow plaster, les on the left bank of the river of the same name, and is bounded on the north by a thick wood of cocoanut palms. Opposite to Pangani, on the other side of the river, which is here about 270 yards wide, is the village of Buenni—a mere straggling row of huts on the low, narrow shore, behind which rise steep, and in many cases perpendicular, rocks. Although these two places are very insignificant-looking, they are of some trading importance, for not only are many JUMBE KIMEMETA WELCOMES US ae articles of commerce produced here, but for the last twelve or fourteen years Pangani has been the starting-point of large ‘caravans on their way to Masailand for ivory, which is brought back in great quantities to the coast by this route, its value Increasing every year. Life in the wilderness, with all its dangers and privations, has, as I have already remarked, produced a sturdy race of travellers. But the natives of this part do not care to take service with Kuropeans, partly because they object to the severe discipline, and partly because they are, of course, prevented from trading on their own account. But they are fond of a little speculative trading, and this leads them to insist, as a rule, on receiving half-payment at the beginning of a journey instead of only a small instalment, such as the Zanzibaris are content with. This capital enables them to do a nice little business on their own account. There are so few stone houses in Zanzibar that we were glad to be able to secure a half-built one. Soon after we landed, Jumbe Kimemeta, who had gone on to prepare for us, came to bid us welcome, and, as usual in Africa, he was followed by a crowd of people curious to see the new arrivals, so that we were soon scarcely able to move. He had bought twenty-five grey donkeys, but he had not hired any men, and, knowing how much we should regret this, he had tried to mollify us by having a sumptuous repast ready, in which curried chicken and rice flavoured with cocoanut were the chief dishes. And truly the feast was welcome, and warded off inopportune inquiries for a while. The fact was we had arrived at Pangani at an unfortunate time : many large caravans were now on their way to the interior, and others were about to start, so that there were very few men to be had. A visit we paid to the governor of the town, one Wali by name, was fruitless ; chiefly however, because this 24 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST officer of the Sultan was a feeble personage, with little influence. We hoped for better results by advertising that a dollar would be given as an extra present to every man who enlisted under us. In spite of this, however, and although we hired some slaves who had never set foot in Masailand, we got on much more slowly than we could have wished. And to all our trouble was added anxiety about the fate of the dhow, which left Zanzibar two days before we did and PANGANI. had not ‘yet arrived ; but from this we were relieved at last, on the afternoon of January 25, by the sound of the firme of guns from the direction of the river. We meant to tranship men and goods to boats, and send them up-stream at once to Mauia, the first halting- place for caravans, so as to keep our forces together, for we could not hope to do so in a scattered village lke Pangani, where there were so many good nooks to hide A MONOTONOUS CHANT va in. . But the dhow had been detained by contrary winds so much longer by the way than we had expected that the pro- visions had become exhausted and the men were all very hungry and thirsty. No wonder, then, that there was a regular outcry at the idea of any further travelling by water. The poor fellows had been cooped up already for five days, and were so delighted at the thought of getting off the boat that it was only with the greatest difficulty we quelled the rebellion which ensued at our proposal. And when peace was restored the {tide had turned, and it was no longer possible to go up- stream by water; so we had to let the men disembark, give them food, and leave them for the present to their own devices. Very soon numbers of fires were burning in the open space in front of our house, and for the first time on this trip we saw a negro encampment by night, and watched the picturesque groups squatting round their fires, chattering and shouting as they broiled their slices of meat. The next morning we saw the men off by land for Mauia under the guidance of Qualla; the goods were sent there by boat, whilst we ourselves remained behind in Pangani to enlist more recruits. The next few days were monotonous enough ; very few men offered us their services, and as even those few came one by one, we had to stop inallday. The outlook from the windows was not particularly cheering, and from the flat roof of the neighbouring house, on which a number of young slave girls were stamping up and down, came an unbroken and dreary chant, which only interested us until we made out its refrain, which was: ‘The lion roars, yet eats not his cubs.’ The late afternoon brought us a little more variety, as Wali devoted it to the administration of justice, and disputes about money, with other interesting matters, were discussed and settled in the open air. Surrounded by some of the elders 26 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST of the place, Wali seated himself cross-legged on the low step of his hut, with his writing materials near him ; whilst opposite to him, making themselves comfortable on a straw mat, were six representatives of the military power—wildly picturesque- looking birobotos, or soldiers of the Sultan’s irregular army. As the day wore on the crowd increased ; from every side came stately figures, clothed, it is true, in rags, but bearing themselves with dignity, for were they not about to take their part in a pubhe session of a court of law? And it was truly charming to watch the formal courtesy with which each new-comer was received; even the plaintiff would pause in the midst of his pathetic appeal to jom in the general salaam, whilst the pro- ceedings were all interrupted. When some twenty or thirty people were assembled, the lean old prison warder never failed to appear, carrying a big ean of coffee, made from the finest Mocha berries, which he offered to all without distinction; after which the proceedings went on until the sound of the muezzin called the faithful to evening prayer in the neighbouring mosque. Our men, too, took care that our days should not pass too quietly, and many of them were drawn towards the town by the attractions of love or wine; whilst some made themselves noticeable in other ways. For the first day’s rations we had eiven out rice, and for the second dhurra, a native cereal (the Andropogon sorghum); but presently came an impudent letter saying that the dhurra must have been served out by mistake, as it was only fit for asses’ fodder. At this Count Teleki decided to go himself and bring the fellows to their senses. I must also tell of a catastrophe which now befell us, and affected us severely, novices as we still were to the vicissitudes of travel in Africa. I mean the death, in spite of all our care and nursing, of one of our valuable grey donkeys from Muscat, after an ulness of twenty-four hours. THE GLITTERING ATTRACTIONS OF MAMMON 27 Slowly the hiring of porters.continued, and at last we felt real delight and excitement when a likely fellow appeared approaching our house; and when he actually began to ascend the steps leading to our room, we got out our chest of money and openly displayed the glittering attractions of mammon, in the hope of making a favourable impression upon our victim. AME HEH MTT Hi} WE gt i a \ Wy THE GLITTERING ATTRACTIONS OF MAMMON. But in spite of everything we had only secured seventy-two men in a whole week, and of these few were ready to start. The life of inaction began to affect us, and as we were afraid of falling a prey to the fevers haunting the coast, which had thus far spared us, Count Teleki determined to break up our camp and be off. 28 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST Two small river dhows sufficed to take us and our new followers to Mauia, and we started up the winding stream in them in the afternoon of January 28. This was really our first step into the wilderness, and was full of the deepest interest to us on that account; but the exquisite scenery would have charmed us in any case. Wild and varied vegetation clothes the banks, instead of the dense impenetrable forests usual in the northern tropics. At first—that 1s to say, as long as the water was brackish—this vegetation consisted chiefly of mangroves, weird-looking growths, the dark crown of leaves rising from above the bare aérial roots as if from stilts; farther on came sugar plantations, with hedges of banana-trees and betel-nut palms, the banks still retaming their primeval appearance. Here and there on the smooth surface of the water appeared the snouts of hippopotami, which had come up to breathe with much snorting and puffing. Now and then some old fellow rose right out of the water, plunging back with a tremendous splash, converting the smooth river into a rough sea of waves ; and we sent a few balls after one or another, but as far as we knew with no particular result. And so the time passed very pleasantly until, as night fell, we turned into a bend of the stream, where our voyage ended. There was no one from the camp hard by to meet us or help us unload, although we had written to say exactly when we should arrive—a neglect which brought a storm of rebuke upon the heads of the offenders when we reached them. But now all hands began to bestir them- selves, and everything, even a good supper, was soon ready for us, so that we were quickly restored to a good and forgiving humour. This was the first time we were really ina camp of our own, in our own movable home, and the thought filled us with the oreatest delight. With eager interest we gazed on the pic- turesque surroundings of our halting-place, which, with the LIST OF OUR STORES 29 hastily constructed straw huts, the flickering fires, and the figures flitting to and fro, resembled a busy negro village. The next morning we examined our situation more closely, and found that we were on a low height close to the village of Mauia, our camp marked by a mighty baobab-tree and several fan palms. We then carefully examined all the stores of the Expedition, which made quite a lordly-looking pile in the middle of the camp, in front of our tent. The following is a list of our possessions :— Tents, tables, camp-stools, beds, cases of clothes, instru- ments, &e. . : , ; : ; ‘ ; . 65 loads Powder and ammunition . : ; Pao Preserves, soap, tobacco, sugar, tea, Bees ‘nd soon. . 44 ,, Medicines, bandages, and filters . ; . : : : Soaks Rockets and explosives : : : : ‘ : yaa: Spirits of wine. : : 1 load Lighting materials. ; ; : 3 loads Axes, shovels, saws. : ‘ : ; : Aye Eee Tools, reserve stores, and fine toa ; ; z ; : aan Strong cables for crossing rivers . , : ; Di «55 Grease for our weapons, Xe. : : s : : ; 1 load Rice. : , i : : ; ; 2 5 loads Brandy, wine, Aa vinegar . : : ; ; ; ; Be Covers for stores . : : ‘ : ; : Die Rs Lengths of material . é : : : : : ae cSOr he. Glass beads. : : : ‘ ’ ; 5 , x 100, Iron wire, cowries, and soon 80 =z, Copper money, for the early part of ane cone in the Boast districts : : , : 3 An iron boat in six odo onde a canvas hots in ae parts 22 ,, With many other articles, making in all over 470 loads. We had now to get our caravan into marching order, and this was a task which occupied several days. We had at present 283 porters and twenty-five grey donkeys, to attend upon which another seven fellows were engaged. Of course it was quite impossible to take all our goods forward at once with this force, so Count Teleki decided to leave a portion at Mauia, under the care of the elders of the town, until he was in a position to send for it and for the iron 50 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST wire despatched earlier to Mombasa. Next we chose out the loads it was absolutely necessary to take with us, and then we divided these amongst our people. At this juncture a strange weakness came over the whole of our force, each member finding his load too heavy, and objecting to it for one reason or another. Everyone now tried to assume as pitiable an appearance as he could, and it was really quite comic to watch the wretched expressions they all managed to put on as they were called up one by one for their strength to be tested. Of course all this had no effect upon us, and the flow of words poured out upon us ended mostly in wind, for not one was let off the double load or the square chest they all agreed in hating. We had especial difficulty in getting the eighteen porters required for the iron boat, and we had to use a great deal of persuasion and soft-sawder to reconcile the men to their burden; indeed, even then their yielding was only apparent, for they took the very first opportunity on the march to desert from the ranks. Directly a man had received his load he carried it off to have a distinctive mark made on it, and also to get used to its burden. Many of the porters stuck a forked stick into the load, so as to get it more easily on to their shoulders; whilst others, especially the Wa-nyamwesi, liked to divide each load into two parts, fasten each half at the end of a stout stick, and carry the stick on their shoulders; but of course this could only be done with such things as wire, &c. A strict record is always made of the division of the loads, which record is really quite indispensable, partly on account of the many desertions at the beginning of every trip, and partly because the porters who are discontented with their burdens take every opportunity of displacing their contents. To wind up with, weapons were distributed to the caravan. For this we had 200 rifled muzzle-loaders, eighty breechloading “SGVOT HHL AO NOISIAIG DUTIES OF OUR FOLLOWERS ao Werndl carbines, twelve Colt’s repeating rifles, each one with bayonet and cartridge-pouch, as well as a number of revolvers. Our Somal bodyguard and the servants had received magazine rifles, the former revolvers as well; the guides, Askari, and the sturdier of the porters, Werndl carbines, the rest muzzle-loading guns. Some of the men were provided with what are known as hedging-bills, which did good service in the bush later on. The Somal and the three Swahili had become very good shots in Zanzibar, and Count Teleki at once began giving the other men lessons in shooting at a mark ; moreover, as soon as the weapons were given out the men set to work to practise, and soon the sound of firing was continual. The duties of the guides, Askari, and Somal had still to be carefully portioned out. Jumbe Kimemeta had nothing to do with the caravan, as he merely accompanied us in order to give us the benefit of his experience in travelling and knowledge of the country. Count Teleki had, however, acceded to his request to be allowed to take a small caravan himself, with a view to doing a little trading in ivory on his own account. Qualla Idris was responsible for what we may call the internal economy of our force ; and from the other Somal Count Teleki selected two, Juma Jussuf and Ali Hassan by name, as his own body- servants, whilst the other five were provisionally appointed as general supervisors of the whole caravan. I may as well add here, that before the end of the journey this Somal guard became the most important portion of our followers, whilst the guides sank to the position of mere ordinary members of the Expedition. We had altogether nine guides in our service, including the already mentioned Manwa Sera, who was the oldest of all. Maktubu, a slave from Nyassaland, received the same wages as Manwa Sera, but held no particular rank in the caravan. This man had already distinguished himself for steadfastness and VOL. I. D 34 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST courage, but also for violence, on Joseph Thomson’s journey through Masailand, and on account of the last-named quality the rest of the guides had declared before we left Zanzibar that they would not travel with him. But Count Teleki was very anxious to secure him, and hit upon the expedient of placing him to a certain extent on his own staff, so that he should not have much to do with the rest of the men; and with this the other guides expressed themselves content. Maktubu certainly did at first prove himself to be a wild, refractory fellow, a regular tiger when his will was crossed ; but he found his match in Count Teleki, and, once mastered, he became one of the most valuable men in our service, for he far excelled every other guide we had. Of exceptional physique, and with unrivalled powers of endurance, he was reliable, energetic, full of resource, excelling all others in obedience, ever ready to work, the first to begin, the last to go to rest. { must also say a word for Ali Schaonewe, who, although wanting in enerey and unable to take the initiative, yet proved himself honourable and reliable, faithfully carrying out the duties he undertook. The rest of the guides—Bedue, Tom Charles, Ali ben Omari, Nassi wadi Ferhan, and Meri—were, with the exception of the last, none of them worth a charge of . powder. We had only engaged nine Askari, as we thought we could add to their number from the main body of the caravan if need were. We did not trouble to divide the Expedition into sections, as we found the men sorted themselves, so to speak, fellow-countrymen and friends consorting together, and gene- rally keeping with each other throughout the trip. To each of these groups, called kambi, was given a copper cooking-pot, varying in size according to their number, and one or more axes for chopping wood, clearing the ground, &c. Water- are ‘KAMBIS; THEIR ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES 35 gourds, however, the people had to provide for themselves. This division of the party ito kambis leads to a good many bits of cheating, as the men sell pots, axes, knives, parts of their loads, everything barterable in fact, to the natives; but as the journey proceeds it lessens the work all round considerably, the leaders of each kambi being held responsible for every- thing connected with it. For waiting on us there remained OUR CANVAS BOAT ON THE MARCH. the three Swahili I had engaged when I first arrived at Zanzi- bar, one of whom, Jomari, Count Teleki chose for himself, leaving the other two—Chuma and Baraka—to me; and, taking into account that they were once slaves, I found them most willing and attentive; they did for me what the two Somal body-servants did for Count Teleki. Lastly, I must introduce our cook, Mhogo, an old negro, who had travelled with Speke and Cameron already. He D 2 36 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST was not what you would call a first-rate caterer for the table, but from long experience he was quite unrivalled in knowing how to manage in the wilds; he always carried his ewn cook- ing-apparatus, one of the heaviest of all the loads; so that, take him all round, he was a great acquisition. We had brought some first-rate pack-saddles for the donkeys from Europe with us, but our people only shook their heads over them, and, what with their clumsiness in using the con- trivances for fastening on the loads, and the stubbornness with which the animals themselves resisted the new style of packing, we only used these saddles until we had had some made of ox- hide in the usual fashion of the country. Furthermore, there was no fault to find with our own personal equipment, and I will only add here that we had secured a certain amount of comfort for ourselves on the journey, Count Teleki being, as already stated, an experienced sportsman. He had also had much valuable advice from Sir Richard Burton, and he had taken every possible precaution before leaving home to lessen the inevitable friction and worry of a long journey through the wilderness. We were splendidly provided with weapons too. The well- known English firm of Holland & Holland had supplied us with a first-rate set of good shooting guns and rifles, which never once throughout our Expedition left us in the lurch. These included two double-barrelled 8-bore rifles, firing solid bullets of hardened lead and a charge of tcn drachms of powder ; one 577-bore Express rifle, for explosive and ordinary bullets, powder charge six drachms; one 10-bore rifle; two 500-bore Express rifles, with a powder charge of five drachms ; two so- called Paradox guns, which fire either shot or bullets ; and various other guns. We had also a very good supply of instruments for taking observations, for although our Expedition was not strictly speak- OUR HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS ai ing a scientific one, we were anxious to do what in us lay to further the cause of science. Many days now passed in feverish activity, which only ended at sunset; and of an evening we used to sit with Issa ben Madi and Jumbe Kimemeta talking over again, and yet again, the details of our journey. We left our guides altogether out of these meetings, so that they might know from the first that they would not share our deliberations. For them the one aim of the Expedition was Baringo na mbele kidogo-—to get to Baringo and a little farther—whilst our idea was to penetrate to the then quite unknown districts on the north of Baringo, as yet unvisited even by native caravans, and in which some geo- graphers said there was one lake, whilst others thought there were two big sheets of water. Our route thither would lead us past the noted mountains of Kilimanjaro and Kenia, which we meant to visit, and we hoped to open up the now shunned and dreaded Kikuyu country. On the evening of February 3, Issa ben Madi, who had helped us so heartily in our preparations, took leave of us, with many expressions of regret on both sides. Gladly would he have gone with us all the way, but the Sultan could not spare him for so long. Jumbe Kimemeta left us, too, to see to some business of his own at Pangani; but he promised to rejoin us ina few days, catching us up by making forced marches. And our men were told to be ready to start at daybreak the next morning. VOL I. vp A CHAPTER II FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO Start from Mawia—The march interrupted by an attack from bees—Mutinous scene at Leva—I go back to Zanzibar—Our books and maps are stolen— Kimemeta arrested for debt—March to Korogwe—The battle of Kwa Mgumi— The Count starts for Sembodja, whilst I follow the course of the Pangani— Mafi—Sultan Sedenga—Further wanderings-—We meet again at Mikocheni— Count Teleki’s account of his adventures—We part again—Character of the districts south of Pangani—I make acquaintance with an African thorn thicket —The Wapare—A ‘nyika’ district described—My first leopard—Along the base of the Pare and Same mountains—I join Count Teleki again—His adven- tures amongst the Masai—First sight of Kilimanjaro—Arrival at Taveta. Earty in the morning of February 4 we were roused for the first time by the noisy preparations of a caravan about to start. We soon discovered that we had been roused too late, for the greater number of the men were already some hundred paces from the camp, only waiting for the tents to be struck and the signal to be given to be off. They did not have to wait for us long. Very soon sounded a shrill, discordant blast from the barghum, or trumpet of Kudu antelope horn; Count Teleki placed himself at the head of the force, which as it swayed from side to side, with much shouting and gesticulating, looked more like the coils of a long serpent than anything else. Our camp, but recently so full of life, was now silent and deserted but for the few donkey-drivers and the half-dozen men who were to bring up the rear. All the rest had pressed forward, although there was work left to be done which would take some hours. The many loads which the Count had been DIFFICULTIES WITH THE DONKEYS 39 obliged to leave behind lay about in chaotic confusion, and the donkeys were still grazing untethered on the plains. It was my business now to collect the remaining cases and bales with the few men still with me, so as to have them quite ready to hand over to Jumbe on his_arrival, and then we set to work to catch and load the donkeys. This was really a task like that of AT THE HEAD OF THE CARAVAN. Sisyphus. ‘The animals knew full well that we meant to put on the grand saddles they had already tried and made such a fuss about, so as we approached they made off. And when it came to saddling them, they behaved hke mad creatures. Their burdens on, they seized the next opportunity to rush off and roll about till they got rid of the obnoxious loads, and we could see them quietly grazing again in the distance, when the whole ceremony had to be gone through once more. When they discovered that these tactics were no good, the cunning 40 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO erey fellows contented themselves with simply lying down, but the packages were disarranged all the same; they must be taken off and repacked. The donkeys were made to get up by vigorous beating, and once more loaded. So we worked away unceasingly in the sweat of our brows till ten o’clock; but as most of the donkeys, after being loaded some two or three times, continued to he down with their burdens hopelessly shifted, we came to the conclusion that it really was no go. So I decided to give up loading the refrac- tory animals for the present, and to leave their burdens behind with the rest of our goods, under the care of the elders of the town, who had meanwhile appeared on the scene. I sent all the donkeys, including the few who had submitted to be loaded, on with their drivers to join the caravan, and at last I started myself, drawing a deep breath of relief at being really on my way to the wilderness after all the delays. But my joy was of short duration, for very soon I came to two loads lying on the eround, whilst the donkeys they belonged to were grazing calmly in the bush, with their saddles under their bellies. What was I to do? But Chuma and Baraka, who were the only men I had with me, quickly came to the rescue, laid down their weapons, &c., shouldered the loads, and ran with them to the village. Before the brave fellows were back again, however, I spied my own steed tied to a tree without its saddle, whilst the man who had charge of it was taking a svesta in the shade hard by. ‘The donkey ran away and lost the saddle,’ the man explained, as if he had nothing whatever to do with it. I told him he could please himself as to what he did, but he had better beware of appearing in camp without that saddle, and later he arrived leading the donkey with its saddle on. The way now led through tall yellow grass through which wound a narrow beaten path; but my troubles were not yet over, and this time the difficulty was with the six big sections THE MEN BECOME TROUBLESOME Al of the iron boat, which had been four hours on the road already and had scarcely advanced a mile. The eighteen bearers, sturdy fellows enough, were squatting quietly near their loads, as if determined to see what passive resistance would do. To my question, ‘What’s the matter?’ they at first answered nothing, and when I repeated it in a sharper tone they all growled in chorus, ‘The boat 1s too heavy; we cannot and we will not carry it.’ I tried to persuade them to go on, speaking very gently and kindly; but they took absolutely no notice of me, and, not even deigning to give me a glance, remained squatting in silence on the ground. Then I went close up to one man, ordered him to pick up his piece of the boat, and when he remained stolidly silent, I suddenly seized his stick, intending to enforce my meaning with it; but the threat was enough, and more quickly than I had hoped the whole party resumed their burdens and set off again. So passed the first day’s march; and the reader will readily imagine that I very soon gave up the idea that one can wander about in Africa in a light-hearted, careless way. And sulky porters or refractory donkeys are not the only things to damp one’s spirits. It is no light matter to have to follow the winding red line our route describes. Again and again compass and chronometer must be consulted, and notes made in the log- book in the full glare of the sun; the changes in the appearance of the nearest and most distant heights must be noted or sketched ; and the path, but a few inches wide, leads through thick and thin, now south, now east, now north, now west, in the most bewildering manner. More weary and worn than I had ever been before in my life, I entered the camp near the village of Kitifu at two o’clock after this first day’s march. And Count Teleki had had plenty of worries too. The men had scarcely marched an hour before they began to lay down their loads and to talk about camping. This was the AD FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO second time they had tried to interfere in the conduct of the Expedition. The bearing of the people was a foretaste of what we might expect, and a revelation of the kind of spirit by which they were animated. It was easy to see what would happen if we yielded to their demands. Count Teleki tho- roughly understood all the bearings of the case, but on account of the readiness to desert, which always characterises ‘SIR, PEOPLE WANT TO CAMP.’ the beginning of an expedition, he was unwilling to pro- ceed to severe measures as long as we were near the coast. And, truth to tell, in spite of our forbearance, this desertion soon assumed alarming proportions. But Count Teleki behaved as if he noticed nothing, and steadily proceeded on his march. And when, soon afterwards, Muallim Harun, once in the service of the Mission, who spoke Enelish, came up to him and said, ‘Sir, people want to camp,’ the Count merely answered grimly, KITIFU 45 ‘Yes, but I want to go on. Fortunately the plan answered ; the people were obliged, however unwillingly, to pick up their loads and follow him till the next camping-place was reached. By the time I arrived everything was in perfect order: our tents were pitched, the loads were sorted into ereat piles, round about which rose the many little tents of the men. At the beginning of a journey most of the people own, in addition to a good shirt and a turban, or some pieces of dress-stuff, a small tent made of a few lengths of cotton material, for which they generally cut a stick on the spot; but as time goes on, and everything not absolutely indispensable is bartered for food or drink with the natives, whilst the remaining clothes hang in rags on the persons of their owners, the number of tents diminishes considerably. Kitifu is an unimportant little village not far from the Pangani River, which is here called simply the Ruvu, or the river. The caravan route leading to it leaves the Pangani at Mawia, and makes towards the mountain districts of Usambara, to return after a few days’ journey to the river-banks. It was very interesting to note how quickly the character of the scenery changed as we left the river behind us. The ground became hard and the vegetation sparse, in spite of the still noticeable influence of the moisture-laden winds from the sea. The chief plants here were sturdy acacias, amongst which was one very beautiful variety with a sort of umbrella-like crown of leaves, apparently placed here on purpose by beneficent Nature as a shelter to the traveller from the intense heat and Blare of the: sun. Very typical, too, of the district are the greyish-ereen prickly euphorbia, resembling in form the well- known cactus, and the doum palms, in the branches of many of which grew orchids, the drooping flowers looking in the distance like gaily-decked birds’ nests. We only stopped one day in Kitifu, and we saw very little 44 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO of the natives, as we had so much to see to in camp; amongst other things, which always occupied a long time, was the giving out of the daily poscho, or food-money, to the men. Whilst still near the coast, where actual coin circulates, this was paid in pesas, eight to each man, there being thirty-two pesas in a rupee, the value of which is about two English shillings. Later, beads and stuffs took the place of these pesas ; or sometimes the food itself was distributed, and, of course, had to be collected in large quantities beforehand. At the begin- ning of the journey the distribution took place every day, with the aid of our list of names, and we were thus also enabled to check the desertions. The illness of many of the people also gave us plenty to do, especially as some of them knew well enough that they were not fit for service, and had only enlisted with a view to securing the advance payment, which they knew would not be taken back. Our next halt was to be at Malago Mbaruk. The way there led first through a flat lowland clothed with tall marsh grass, and then by a gradual ascent to the hilly district of Usambara; whilst the last stage of the journey was over a srassy height, all the vegetation of which had lately been burnt by the natives, with the result that the heat and glare made breathing difficult. But we soon gained the welcome shade of the wood, in which our camp was to be pitched. We chose a spot where a small clearmg had been made in the thicket, but it was strewn with the vermin-haunted remains of huts and all manner of refuse, which we had to clear away to begin with ; and then the ground had to be thoroughly cleaned. We meant to go from this camp to Kwa Fungo, on the north side of Mount Tongwe, but long before we got there our march was interrupted in a very unexpected manner. On account of my having to see about other arrangements for the loads left unappropriated by the sick and the deserters, THE MEN ATTACKED BY BEES A5 it was not until Count Teleki had been gone some time that I was able to follow him with my troop of men. I hastened on as fast as the increasing density of the vegetation on the route would allow, and we had been scarcely an hour on the road when we came up with the rest of the caravan. We were astonished at this speedy reunion, but had scarcely had time to express our surprise before we were overwhelmed with dismay at the condition in which we found the whole party. Bearers and loads lay about the ground in hopeless confusion, the men quite motionless, with faces buried in the grass, whilst here and there a donkey, trembling convulsively in every limb and panting for breath, stamped about, every now and then kicking out wildly. Perfect silence reigned in the woods around till Maktubu and Chuma, both completely covered with bees, and with a swarm of the same insects closely pursuing them, rushed toward us. The mystery was solved, and we lost not an instant in flying to the rescue of the poor fellows, beating off the insects with clothes and cloths. It took a long time to drive off the ever-fresh swarms, which settled again on the victims without, strange to say, attacking us; but we succeeded at last. It was more difficult to deal with the other poor fellows who had been stung, and whose heads and faces were so fearfully swollen that their eyes could scarcely be seen at all. We rubbed the sores with ammonia liniment to the accompaniment of cries of pain, and although at first the adventure had rather amused us, we soon changed our minds when we saw what fearful suffering had been inflicted, deciding to remain as quiet as possible in the wood till the bees were dispersed. Then I tried to persuade the men to resume the march ; but I spoke to deaf ears, they were all still in too much pain and terror, and it was not until the news arrived that Count Teleki was encamped only ten minutes’ march farther on, in the village of Leva, that they began to move forwards. 46 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO Count Teleki told me later that the caravan had been three times attacked by bees, and each time at the cry of ‘ Njuki’ (bees) the wildest confusion prevailed. The last attack was the worst, as the number of the bees was very much greater. He himself escaped with three stings, but these three were dangerously near his eyes. The little Washenzi village of Lewa is 487 feet above the sea-level, on a low spur of Mount Tongwe. The huts of the natives rose from amidst a dense thicket of thorn-bushes and interlaced plants; and the village was further protected on the side of the caravan route by a palisade with one strong gate, forming the sole entrance to the settlement. Our camp was pitched quite close to this gate, and commanded a beautiful view of Mount Tongwe and the distant lowlands. This is the kind of camping-place, close to a village, which the Wangwana' love, for in such an one they can procure ae and cheaply all that the country supplies. The Zanzibari delights, above all things, in playing the part of agrand seignior and making the natives wait upon him. So it was here. The people of the village provided huts, their wives brought food, did the cooking, &c., in short, waited hand and foot on the Zanzibari, whilst the latter amused them- selves and drank pombe, or banana wine. The men soon became wildly excited, and the noise of revelry from the village was perpetual. We should not have minded this much if it had not led to trouble. A number of saucy fellows bent on mischief surrounded the cattle we were taking with us as reserve stock, and, after chasing them about, flung them to the ground and played all manner of rough tricks on them. Then—we could scarcely believe our eyes—we saw blood flowing in streams from 1 ¢Wangwana’ signifies in Swahili the free, in contradistinction to the ‘Watuma, or slaves; but the word is also wrongly used to describe themselves by members of caravans consisting almost entirely of slaves. = \ AT LEWA. MUTINOUS SCENE Soe 5 4 ; 7 MUTINY AT LEVA 49 the poor animals; the men had actually dared to kill them! It was high time to take energetic action. But it is difficult to deal with drunken men, and as most of our fellows were tipsy, Count Teleki contented himself with sending for the guides, telling them he should hold them responsible for any further outbreak, and ordering them to bury the animals. ‘This gave very great offence, and protests were heard on every side; then the men all withdrew to the village, where wilder revels than ever were held. A little later, before the work of burying the oxen was accomplished, a feeble-looking old man came out of the village, and, squatting down on the ground close to Count Teleki, he unfolded the mission with which he had been entrusted as the representative of our men. For a long time he talked to deaf ears ; but at last he succeeded in, to some extent, mollifying Count Teleki, especially as the guides chimed in with an entreaty that he would not insist on his order being carried out. Soitwasrescinded. The incident was now, as we thought, over, and we forgot all about it, the more quickly as we were soon afterwards surprised by the arrival of Mr. W. Joost, an officer of the German East African Company, who was on his way to Koroewe. Glad of his companionship, we were sitting outside my tent as the sun was setting, chatting away, without thinking that the gathering of a number of men round us meant anything. We knew well enough how inquisitively the Zanzibari stare at any nhew-comer, or at anything at all out of the way. But the number of men continually increased, until at last the whole caravan was assembled, most of the men having their weapons with them. Things began to look serious, so Count Teleki asked them what they wanted. Then one man stood forth from amongst the crowd and made a speech, the upshot of which was that they were all discontented with the way they were treated—with the food, WOOL: 1. E 50 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO and with the weight of the loads. ‘This first speaker did not seem to meet the approval of those he represented, so out stepped another and made the same complaint, winding up, however, by saying that they all meant to go back to Zanzibar, an assertion confirmed, when the second spokesman concluded his haraneue, by a general howl from the bystanders. Threatening as was the scene, we did not fear any overt act of violence, and felt sure that, evenif any were attempted, a few lashes from a whip would bring the men to their senses. As, however, most of the mutineers were still muddled with drink, we thought it best to stay our hands for the present and try what words would do. So Count Teleki contented himself with replying that if they really wanted to go to Zanzibar he would himself lead them there, and give them over to the Sultan to be punished. The quiet manner in which the Count spoke led the rebels to think at first that their cause was won, and this made the howls of disappomtment the louder when he con- cluded his speech, especially as he rose at the last words and advanced upon the spokesman as if to seize him. Raging like a lot of devils let loose, and even firing their guns, the men drew off to the village, from which mad cries continued to reach us. As long as it was only powder that they discharged we did not mind; but presently we heard the patter of shot, and some foliage from the trees fell upon our tents. The joke was being carried too far now, so we at once seized. our own weapons and called to the Somal guard—who had taken no share whatever in the disturbance—to disarm the men, and in case of any resistance to fire upon them. Of course we did not mean to proceed to extremities if we could help it, but the order did not fail to have the desired effect. Peace was restored, and the guides interceded for the Zanzibari, declaring that the whole affair was but the sport of saucy, overgrown children, DESERTION OF PORTERS Ou such as the Zanzibari ever were aud ever would be, and that they never would have behaved as they had but for the pombe they had drunk. So we did not insist on the taking away of the weapons, especially as the men, worn out with fatigue, were soon reduced to absolute quietude by falling asleep. The next morning we were, as usual, roused by the noisy _ preparations for the day’s march, the monotonous cries of the Askari as they saddled the donkeys, and the loud shouts of the euides as they gave their orders. As usual, Count Teleki gave the signal to start, and when everything appeared ready placed himself at the head of the people, who seemed to file forth into a long line more quickly than ever before, as if they were anxious to make up by extra zeal to-day for their mis- demeanours of yesterday. But, alas! the fact could not long be disguised, as the village became empty, that fifty loads were left upon the ground, their bearers having availed themselves of the darkness of the night to slp off. And round about the bales and cases squatted the villagers, protected up to their chins from the early morning freshness by their kaniki cloths, gloating upon the position in which I was left. Vainly I offered them large sums if they would but help to take these loads as far as Kwa Fungo, our next halting-place ; the fair sex alone, with their natural tender-heartedness, were ready to help me, tested the weight of the packages, and even began to bargain with us about taking them; but in the end they did not dare go against the orders of their lords and masters. At last I begged the chief of the village to find me some porters ; but he only shrugged his shoulders scornfully, and said he had no porters, nor could he get any. There was nothing for it but to leave these loads behind; and even that this chief would not agree to. Then I quite lost patience, seized the man by the arm, and shaking him as hard as I could, I told him through an interpreter that he would either take the loads at once to a E 2 O2 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO dry hut, or come on with me himself in chains. This was the tight line to take; the hut was found in no time, and everyone began to help us at once. We now marched through a hilly and here and there well- wooded district, dotted with wayside villages, to Kwa Fungo, where the main body of the caravan was already encamped. The first thing I did was, of course, to tell Count Teleki of the mishap about the porters, and we both realised the urgent necessity of pushing on as rapidly as possible, to avoid any more desertions en masse. Now the question was, how was this to be done? and we soon decided that, with a view to catching up the fugitives, or perhaps even outstrippmg them, I must make for Zanzibar at once, and at the same time try to se- cure fresh porters at Pangani. I might also hurry up Jumbe Kimemeta, with other loiterers, and, lastly, bring back with me the goods left at Mawia. So, very early the next morning I was off with ten men only, headed by Maktubu, and a very little light Iugeage. I made very rapid forced marches to the coast, and though we thoroughly searched every village by the way, we reached Mawia the same evening. Jumbe Kimemeta was, most fortu- nately, there already, and he got us a boat at once, so that we were able to go on that very night. We had travelled some thirty-one miles in the heat of the sun, and [ was dreadfully tired; but for all that I could not tear myself away from the beautiful scenes through which we passed in this night trip. In the narrow backwater through which our course first led us it was the fairy-hke beauty of the banks, lit up by myriads of fire-fles, which held me en- chained; and when we turned into the main stream it was the magic charm of the utter stillness, broken only now and then by the mysterious voices of Nature, and I remained awake until we landed at sunrise at Bwen1. 4 : y. 4 7 HUNTING THE FUGITIVES aa I now sent some of my men on, as if they, too, were fugi- tives, to hunt for their lost comrades, securing their fidelity by promising two dollars reward for every runaway brought back. They very soon returned with the news that they had already handed two defaulters over to Wali. Of course the reason of my return thus became known, and I was able to go to Pangani myself and secure the further co-operation of Wal. The best course seemed to be to blockade the coast, so as to make it very difficult for our deserters to reach Zanzibar. With this end in view, Wali had to write and send off despatches to the chiefs of the most important places on the coast, an arduous task ; but he seemed willing enough to serve us in every way, the more, perhaps, as he knew we were our- selves bound for Zanzibar. This greatly lessened the work I had to do, and I was able to begin to think of pressing forward. I left Maktubu, with eight men, on the look-out at Pangani, whilst I started myself with the remaining two the next night for Zanzibar. As there was no better vessel to be had at once, and we were eager to be gone, we had to make the passage in an open boat; but it turned out a very bad sailer, and we were thirty long hours upon the sea before we reached our destination. My sudden appearance of course took all our friends and acquaintances by surprise; and I could not have arrived at a more unfortunate moment, as two events had just taken place which were fully engaging the attention of everybody in Zanzibar. A German trader, Dr. Jiihlke by name, had been murdered by some Somal at Kismaju, at the mouth of the Juba river, and the German authorities demanded of the Sultan the execution of the murderers. Now Sultan Seyid Burgash had a superstitious horror of inflicting the penalty of death; he had never yet signed a death-warrant, and it went to his heart to have to do it now. But he was obliged to yield, and General 54 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO Matthews was just about to start for Kismaju with 250 soldiers of the Sultan’s army, escorted by the German Imperial sloop- of-war, ‘Olga.’ Besides this, an ultimatum with regard to some frontier disputes with the Portuguese had just been received by the Sultan, so that the political horizon was considerably clouded. T naturally thought that I should not get much attention for my small affair; but Mr. W. Oswald and Dr. Gregory accom- plished all I wanted much more quickly than I had ventured to hope. The best thing they did for me was to get the Sultan to order all the dhows in harbour to be searched, with the result that the very next day seven of our men were apprehended. His Highness was at first very much against these fellows taking any further share in our Expedition, saying he would keep them in prison till we returned, and have them bastinadoed every Friday; in the end he consented to my taking them back with me in chains, as an example to the rest of the men, a tate which five of them, however, managed to elude by escaping from the prison the night before I left Zanzibar. After five days’ stay I left Zanzibar once more. The dhow in which I was to go back to Pangani was to have started at two in the afternoon, but the captain did not come on board till sunset; I am thankful to say, however, that he looked after the steering of his ship, and twenty-four hours afterwards I was at the landing-place, although from three to six days are generally allowed for the trip at this time of year. I had hardly stepped on shore before I was met with the good tidings that the number of fugitives under lock and key had risen to seventeen, so that I could devote all my energies to hirmg other men. ‘The difficulties in this direction were, alas! as great as ever, and, in spite of all my struggles, I only secured some forty porters in the six days I remained at Bweni. I was equally unsuccessful in my efforts to hasten the prepara- OUR BOOKS AND MAPS STOLEN 5d tions of some of the men we had hired on our first visit to Pangani, but who had not been ready to start when we did. Some were really ill, others had always meant to cheat us. But with the latter I made short work, and sent them, with the exception of those who were able to pay back the whole of the advance-money received, to Zanzibar to be punished. On February 21 the guide, Ali Schaongwe, accompanied by FLOGGING THE FUGITIVES AT PANGANI. twenty men, arrived, to our great astonishment, like the messengers of Job, with the news that a day or two before a porter had run away with one of the most valuable of the loads, that containing all our scientific books and maps. According to Ali’s story, Count Teleki had halted in Kwa Fungo on February 8, in order to send back to Leva for the goods left there. The next day he had pressed on to Mruasi, a little Washenzi village on the Niusi stream, some natives helping as 56 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO porters. As there was a chance here of buying some ox-hides to make saddle-bags for the mules, the caravan halted yet another day, and it was then that the misfortune occurred. Jount Teleki at once sent out his most trustworthy men to scour the country after the thieves, himself going on to Kwa Futo, the next village; but, alas! the scouts soon returned without any news of the fugitives, in spite of their having been spurred on to exertion by the promise of a very high reward. On the 14th the caravan pushed on to Korogwe, a station of the German East African Company, where Count Teleki decided to await my arrival. Meanwhile the Count, missed thirteen other loads, and sent off my mformer, with twenty trusty men, to try and recover them. Ali Schaongwe and his party had thoroughly searched the whole district on either side of the hne of march down to the coast; but it was in vain, and we had to give up all hope of ever seeing our books, &c., again. Nevertheless, I brought all the influence I could to bear on the search, and in a letter I wrote to the missionaries stationed in Maguila I begged them to use their influence on our behalf, and by promising a considerable bonus to the finder of anything I roused up the whole population of Bweni and Pangani. In another letter to Zanzibar I laid special stress on the recovery, above everything else, of our books and maps. But it was all labour lost; and though my newly hired porters could not be got to advance, I did not lke to keep Count Teleki waiting any longer, so I decided to start again on February 24. One thing, however, must be done at once, and that was, punish the fugitives as an example to the rest; so | went to Wah, and he carried out my instructions by having them publicly flogged by the gaoler of the prison, the red flag of the Sultan floating from a wall hard by. Then they were chained together in groups of four and sent to Mawia with Schaongwe and the rest of the men. I was very JUMBE KIMEMETA ARRESTED FOR DEBT om anxious to get Jumbe Kimemeta to go on with me, as I knew Count Teleki wanted to get the whole caravan together. Living, as I did, in Kimemeta’s house, I had plenty of opportunities of watching him. I knew his preparations were not completed, so I gave little credence to his repeated assurances that he would go on with me; and the very last day an incident occurred altogether hostile to our wishes, namely, the arrest of Kimemeta for debt. Two men appeared with a warrant procured by some East Indian merchants of Zanzibar, to whom he owed money, and marched him off to prisonin Pangan. A few hours THE PUNISHMENT OF CHAINING TOGETHER. a later he was back again, but only to tell me about it all. Of course I protested earnestly against his being locked up again, and declared that His Highness the Sultan, who took so great an interest in our Expedition, could not possibly wish the one man we wanted most of all, and whom we had already paid, to be taken from us. Wali kindly lent a favourable ear to my representations, and Kimemeta was set free. [I hoped that he would himself now be anxious to get away from the scene of his arrest ; but not a bit of it, and at last I was obliged to start for Mawia without him. 58 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO In Mawia I was kept two days at the weary task of dividing loads, &c.; but at the last minute I got a few more men, and then I was off. The clanking of the fetters of the chained men exercised a wholesome influence, and after one day’s march I reached Leva, the unlucky spot whence I had started to go back to Zanzibar. There I got disquieting news from Count Teleki, which made me push on more eagerly than ever. There had been a regular fight with guns between his men and the people of the big village, Kwa Meumi, near to which he had camped, and not a few had been killed and wounded on both sides. A kind of truce had now been patched up, but the position of our party was anything but secure or pleasant. I did the thirty-seven miles which separated me from Count Teleki in forty-eight hours, reaching his camp on the second day. ‘The way there led first through an undulating district, dotted with trees growing sinely, as in the orchards of Europe; and then, just at the hottest and most glaring part of the day, across parched and barren plains. On the left we had all along our course the dark vegetation- fringed shores of the Pangani, whilst on the right rose the precipitous heights of Usambara, and in the distance before us we could see the pleasant-lcoking bluish-green woods hning the banks of the Lwengera stream, which seemed to be advancing to meet us. At last we reached the cool shade of the trees, feeling almost chilly after the great heat we had passed through; but we had not long revelled in the march beside the rushing water before we were again on unsheltered, arid steppes. Another half-hour’s march, however, and we were opposite the island in the Pangani from which rose the village of Kwa Meumi. Crowds of natives.at once appeared, and we advanced with caution towards the bridge connecting the island with the mainland; but we soon found that the men JT REJOIN COUNT TELEKI AT KOROGWE a9 were animated by curiosity only. Without halting at all, and in perfect silence on both sides, not so much as a cry being raised by the natives, we quickly passed close to -the village, and at the same moment we heard, to our delight, two shots fired, as a greeting to us, from Korogwe, the German station, occupying a low height hard by. Then came a messenger to tell us that Count Teleki was just then at the station; so my men went on to the camp by the river, whilst I hastened to Korogwe, and very soon I had the pleasure of meeting Count Teleki once more, in the presence of Messrs. Braun, Joost, and Bauer, then occupying the station. Count. Teleki had heard all the latest news from Herr Braun, the superintendent of the station, and was enjoying a happy discussion as to the prospects of sport, &c., when the quarrel with the natives put an end to his ightheartedness. The beginning of the difhculty was the carrying off by a Paris belonging to our camp of a black Helen from the village, ‘the result of which was that the natives refused to trade with our people, picked quarrels about everything, and finally came to blows. Our old Manwa Sera, who acted the part of Paris and Achilles alike in the imbrogho, was not content with clubs and fists, but rushed into the camp, and, in the absence of Count Teleki, called on the people to rise against the Washenzi, as the natives of the districts behind Pangani are called, and led the men down then and there to the bridge leading to the village, where the natives, fully armed and prepared, awaited their onslaught. Manwa gave the order to fire, and hundreds of guns were let off on both sides. Count Teleki, who was just then leaving the station for the camp, of course heard the uproar, but thought at first that it merely indicated the ' ¢Washenzi’ is also used as a term of contempt for the natives of what the Germans call the Hinterland—that is to say, all the districts of Africa not yet appropriated by Europeans.—TRANS. 60 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO arrival of a fresh caravan. However, he hastened to the bridge with his Somal guard, to find the conflict at its fiercest. The natives had broken down the bridge, and drawn back into the village, from which they had driven out all our men, who, though quite unprotected on the banks or in the river itself, were returning their fire with interest. Supported by Messrs. Braun and Joost, who had hastened to the rescue, Count Teleki, not without great risk to his own life, ‘at last suc- ceeded in making the men stop firmg, but not until there had been many casualties. ‘Two of our people were killed and two seriously wounded, whilst seven of the natives were mortally injured. Manwa Sera, who throughout kept his station at the end of the bridge and continued firing into the village, escaped unhurt ; and our people were so enraged and eager to go on fighting that it was only when he threatened to shoot down those who did not obey him that Count Teleki induced them to cease firing and draw off. The natives now broke off all intercourse with our people, and every day hundreds of armed men flocked into the village to their aid, till there were thousands against us. Under these threatening circumstances Count Teleki of course prepared for further hostilities, the more reluctantly that there was scarcely anything left to eat in his camp; but fortunately Herr Braun managed to patch up a peace, and re-established something of a semblance of friendliness between the two parties. Count Teleki, who was eager to continue lis journey, determined, as there was now nothing to prevent it, to go on the next day, but certain circumstances rendered it necessary to divide the forces. General Matthews, eager to help us in every way, had of his own free will bought a lot of things for us which he thought would be useful; but we had not yet received them, for, thinking we should go to Masinde, the head- WE START AGAIN AFTER DIVIDING OUR FORCES 61 quarters of Sultan Sembodja, of Usambara, he had sent them there; moreover, soon after his arrival at Korogwe, Count Teleki, with a view to lessening the difficulties of transit, had sent a number of loads up-stream in advance of the main body. So we had to part again, the Count going to Sultan Sembodja’s, whilst I was to follow the stream to Masai; Mikocheni, a well- known camping-place on the Pangani, being decided on as our rendezvous. On March 1, then, Count Teleki started with eighty men to skirt along the Usambara highlands to Masinde. I indulged myself and my men in a day’s rest—necessary, too, for reorgan- ising the caravan—and the next morning I took leave of the friendly gentlemen of the station, near to which such an unlucky incident had occurred. The station, though on a hill, is sur- rounded by swampy meadows, and cannot, I fancy, be very healthy. I noted in the course of this trip that nearly all the stations of the German East African Company are in similar situations. Probably the luxuriant vegetation surrounding them is the attraction. So far we had been in districts occupied by Washenzi, but at the village of Kwa Megumi begins the Usegua country, which, especially on the banks of the Pangani, forming its northern boundary, is thickly peopled. On this river live the Wasegua—that is to say, the natives of Usegua, a single inhabi- tant being M-seeua, whilst the language spoken is Ki-segua. M and Wa are very usual prefixes to denote numbers in all Bantu dialects, whilst Ki often serves to indicate the language. For instance, we have U-ganda, M-ganda, and Ki-ganda; Ta-veta, M-taveta, Wa-taveta, and Ki-taveta. The Wasegua on the Pangani are also ‘sometimes spoken of as the Waruvu, or dwellers on the river, Ruvu, as we have already seen, meaning the river. Most of their villages are on islands in the river, which gives them a very strong position. I suppose there are 62 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO some twenty-five or thirty such villages on the Pangani, the people of which are agriculturists and cattle-breeders. Our march to Mafi, which took three days, was in a north- north-westerly direction as far as Mautui. Here the Usambara mountains approach quite close to the river; but they soon seem to draw back into the distance, again rising up some nine to eleven miles off as a massive wall unrelieved by any peaks. Three isolated mountains, known as Ukunga, Mafi, and Ngai, however, varying in height from 1,150 to 1,500 feet, rise up from the plains between the Usambara range and the river. On the second day we camped near the village of Mualeni, the road there leading us across the Mkomasi stream, which we crossed close to its mouth in the Pangani. A frail bridge made of the strong midribs of the water palm was the only connection between the banks, but it would not bear the weight of heavily-ladenmen. Some had to wade through the water— a difficult matter, on account of the dense overhanging foliage and the uneven bed, full of hidden holes and pitfalls. It was some hours before we could leave Mualeni, where for the first time I got a good shot, such as I had eagerly desired for so long, at some big African game. A native lad, who was minding some goats hard by, told me that there were nearly always a lot of hippopotami amongst the islands and rapids of the Pangani, and I eagerly acted on his hint, as I had so far seen next to nothing ofthe wild animals of the country. The place the boy led me to bore unmistak- able traces of being a favourite landine-place of the thick- skinned river-horses, and though there were none in sight at the moment, there was every chance of patient waiting being rewarded with success. And very soon, some ten paces from where I stood, the huge bulk of a hippopotamus rose almost completely out of the water. My charge from my Express rifle hit him in the middle of the forehead, there was a MY FIRST HIPPOPOTAMUS 63 oreat crash, and witha fearful cry the animal, wounded to death, rolled over into the depths of the river. I saw him no more. on Pik {Via WodtWeSVe— AWS S SERA ne S SES Rape FIRST HIPPOPOTAMUS. On the morning of March 6 we reached the large village of Mkarama, the residence of Sedenga, Sultan of Waruvu, not 64 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO far from which was Mafi, our next halting-place. When Sedenga heard we meant to go on he did all he could to per- suade us to camp near him; but I held to my original purpose, in spite of the great heat and the passive resistance of my men, who had counted on all the revelry of a reception at such an important place.- The last bit of the road led across a bare sandy steppe, which was, however, peopled with numerous cranes, the first I had seen. A good hour had passed, and we were beginning to long to bein sight of our goal, before we at last spied a palisade, in front of which stood a European in white clothes. This was Herr Brausche, the superintendent of the station of Mafi, on whose invitation I had my tent pitched and the loads piled up inside the fence, whilst the men camped by the side of the river in the Waruvu village of Kalole. The station was enclosed in a very strong palisade some forty paces square. On one side were the dwelling-house, a kitchen, and a store-house, miserable looking mud huts, not at all worthy of the neat and carefully kept surroundings. But soon from the kitchen issued appetising sounds of preparation for my reception, which quickly cut short my architectural strictures. The station, which was, however, soon after abandoned, was situated at the foot of the well-wooded Mount Mafi, at a height of 900 feet above the sea-level, and was, according to Herr Brausche, perfectly free from fever, although there was a wide-stretching swamp hard by, haunted by many different kinds of birds. I decided to stop here two days, as 1 could procure ox- hides for making the saddles required, and the loads would have to be re-arranged to take up the forty packages I had to carry forward from Mafi. The saddle used by the natives in this part of Africa is a very simple but most practical affair, so that it was really better to stick to the old fashion. The back of the animal is = pies A NATIVE PACK-SADDLE 65 well protected by a big cushion stuffed with grass, on which the saddle is placed. This saddle is a half-tanned ox-hide from which the hair has been removed, forming two big bags, which hang down on either side of the animal. All that is necessary is to take care that the weights on either side are equal, and the animal, once laden, gives no further trouble, as the saddle ASS WITH LADEN PACK-SADDLE. never slips. Such loads as wire or beads are simply put into the pockets and left there, even when the saddles are taken off. The next morning Sultan Sedenga appeared at the station with a large following of men. Herr Brausche, who had not expected him, and was, in fact, on bad terms with him, took absolutely no notice of his arrival, and as I was at the moment very busy dividing the loads, I had not much time to spare for him either. He did not, however, seem at all disconcerted by our coolness, and when I at last bade him welcome in good Kiruvu, he responded pleasantly enough. VOL. I. F 66 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO Waruvu etiquette demands that the following dialogue should be gone through at every meeting. For instance, if M-ruvu A. meets M-ruvu B., they do not part till the following conver- sation has taken place :— A. to B. B. to A, eae agaim Kilo vedi ? (Did you have a good night ?) Him ! Hm! Si vedi? (Did you have a good day ?) Hm ! Hm! Ho kaja ? (Is all well at home ?) Hm! Hm! Ho kaja kilo vedi? (Did they all have a good night ?) Hm ! Hm! Mzima ? (Are you well ?) Hm! Hm! Sana (Very well) Hm! Hm! Yambo (Bless you !) Hm! Hm! And when A. has finished his questions, B. begins, and the whole thing is gone through again. When Sedenga and I had duly performed this ceremony, he explained to me that his visit was to me alone, as he was no friend of Herr Brausche. After my last long-drawn-out Hm ! I looked at Sedenga more closely, to see what manner of man he was, and noted that he was short and plump, wearing an ordinary Arab shirt, and a turban pushed carelessly over the left shoulder. His face was deeply pitted by small-pox, and his expression was solemn but not particularly intelligent. He had prominent eyes and full lips, whilst his hands and feet were small and well formed. After a short silence I invited Sedenga into my tent to make him a present, which I had asked Herr Brausche to get for me meanwhile, as I was not yet very well up in the requirements of native etiquette in the matter of gifts. When I was about to present Sedenga with the things—a few yards of merikani, a fez, and some lessos '— he began, instead of taking them, to storm about in sucha manner that I could hardly help laughing. ‘ What!’ he cried again and again, ‘ this for me !—for me, the Sultan of Waruvu!’ 1 A lesso is a coloured handkerchief, about the size of a small. tablecloth, made in various colours and designs. The Swahili women wear them in winter, one round the body, and another on the head and shoulders.—TRANs. =e SULTAN SEDENGA 67 contemptuously holding up now the fez, and now the stuff; and SO On. : Later I saw what a mistake had been made in offering to a man of the Sultan’s position goods worth no more than a few shillings, but in my ignorance I controlled my amusement with difficulty. Reflecting, however, that I should ill serve Herr Brausche if 1 widened the breach between him and his neighbour, | set to work to try and mollify his irate Sultan- ship, with speedy results. I explained to him with a solemn air that the Wasangu, or Europeans, were ever openhanded with their friends, but how was 1 to know that he, Sedenga, was my friend, when he had brought me no such gift as was everywhere customary—not an ox, not a goat, not even a little fowl? This speech of mine made a deep impression, and it was now Sedenga’s turn to look crestfallen, as I rubbed my palms together in an effective pantomime, meaning that I had been welcomed with absolutely empty hands. And the Sultan presently observed that he would leave me now and return the next day ; so for the present the shauri was over. Herr Brausche, who had been for months at daggers drawn with Sedenga—a most unfortunate position for him, as the Sultan had forbidden any of his men to do him the slightest service—now begged me to try and bring about a reconcilia- tion, which, of course, I was very ready to do; and when Sedenga returned the next morning, bringing with him two fine oxen, | made it my first care to try and get him to make it up with Herr Brausche. It appeared that the Sultan’s quarrel was not with Herr Brausche, but with the German East African Company, who had promised him a big present, but never sent it. Herr Brausche admitted the truth of this, and brought out some goods and money at once, so that everything was soon ami- cably settled between the two. But Sedenga was not satisfied FQ 68 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO with my increased gifts, and kept on demanding more, till I 4 put an end to the discussion by a decisive ‘ Either -—— or In such difficulties with native chiefs much patience and time are needed, and the delays would be endless if the travel- ler dealt with them himself; but, as a rule, we had nothing to do with them, Jumbe Kimemeta and Qualla settling every- thing for us. On March 9 I started again with a happy heart, for only two men had made off this time, although nothing could have been easier than flight from the camp at Kalole. We soon passed Kwekonewe, the last Waruvu village; and thence the route led along the river-bank, through districts partly un- inhabited and partly tenanted only by wandering tribes of Masai. We halted at midday by the stream. Now that we were really approaching the desert the caravan kept together much better. The httle tents of the men were pitched closer together, and the hedge of prickly bushes pro- tecting our animals at night grew higher and thicker; whilst in the stillness of the evening rang out the cry of the herald of the camp, Tom Charles, calling on the men to keep good watch and feed well the fires. The many flickering fires, about which the men gathered ever more closely, the pitchy dark- ness of the night, the warning cries of the watchmen, the increased precautions taken for our protection, all made me fancy that we were at last in the real unexplored wilderness, and I was filled with delight at the thought; but, alas! we were still far away from it, and its actual appearance turned out to be very different from what I expected. In the night we were surprised by the arrival of Jumbe Kimemeta, the Askar, Muyni Bor, from Pangani, and our two latest fugitives. Kimemeta explained that when he heard of the fight at Kwa Meumi he had hastened forward, in the hope of making peace and preventing further bloodshed. I A LITTLE CONTRETEMPS 69 was the more delighted as I had felt sure he had been arrested again, and had given up all hope of seeing him. A little contretenps occurred early the next morning, three men having run away; but I wrote at once to Herr Brausche, asking him to have them pursued. We now followed a path which soon led us away from the river and got rapidly worse, ending, finally, in an impenetrable thicket. Bedue, who had gone on in front as the chief guide of the party, and had evi- dently lost his way, calmly halted here, and said we could go no farther. Then out stepped the porter, Muhinna Nidiwa (so named on account of his well-built, sturdy figure), and with the cry ‘ Follow me!’ placed himself at the head of the caravan, and calmly forced his way through the thorns, which tore his clothes to pieces, back to the river. An hour later we were camped once more by the Pangani. Whilst there another porter of gigantic stature, Bakuri Wadi Seiff by name, attracted my attention by the way in which, without any instructions, he got the loads into order after they were, as usual, flung down here, there, and everywhere, in hopeless confusion. This really was the business of the Askari and guides; but I saw Bakuri toiling on alone for an hour and a haif, only indulging now and then in a quiet curse at the laziness of the rest. He did not pause till all was done. Such a sight is wonderfully cheering to the traveller, who knows too well how untrust- worthy most of his followers are; and it is of men such as this that he eventually forms the bodyguard he depends on in emergencies. At eleven o'clock on the following night I was roused to be told that three of the chained men had escaped;. the fourth of the group had not been disturbed by the proceedings of the other three, and knew nothing about the matter. Their fight was, however, soon discovered, and I of course lost not a moment in sending some men after them; equally of course 70 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO they returned without having seen a trace of the fugitives, for one crow does not peck out the eyes of another. Through this delay in starting we got no farther in the next day’s march, in which we skirted along a small swamp, than to Buiko, a very uncomfortable halting-place. From some of Count Teleki’s men who were wandering about in the neighbourhood I heard, however, that we were only an hour’s journey from Miko- cheni, the place appointed for our reunion, and as the Count had already waited there four days, I started very early on March 12 to join him. On March 1, the day he had left Korogwe, Count Teleki had reached Kwa Sigi, where the path leaves the Pangani and leads to the foot of the Usambararange. During the one night the caravan halted there they were attacked by driver ants (Anoonuna arceus) and put to flight. It is astonishing what havoc these little creatures can make when they attack in force. As the ery of ‘ Siufa!’ or ants, rmgs through the camp nearly everyone runs away, and it is always a long time before the few who retain presence of mind enough to attack the enemy with hot ashes and glowing embers restore tranquillity and the night's rest can be resumed. The next day Count Teleki marched to Makuyuni, a beautiful and fertile district, which he reached at 4 o’clock in the after- noon. One of the little streams with which it is watered was full of leeches, and directly the men stepped into it dozens of these creatures attached themselves to the poor fellows’ bare legs. From Makuyuni the caravan pushed on through a swampy tract to Mombo, where a midday halt was made beneath the shade of fine trees, chiefly euphorbia and fan palms. The camp was soon surrounded by men and women, who brought food for sale. Oxen and sheep were also offered, and Count Teleki bought several animals for actual money, a cow costing from thirteen to eighteen dollars, and a goat from four to six rupees. SULTAN SEMBODJA AT MASINDE 71 In the afternoon the march was resumed across dried-up swamps, overlooked by rugged heights, to a picturesque little stream, where the camp was pitched for the night at about five o’clock in the afternoon. On this day’s journey Count Teleki shot a great many guinea-fowl and a large, queer-looking bird, name unknown, not unlike a dodo. It was about the size of a pelican, with a big black saw-like beak, a red crop, and short black feet. But for a few white feathers with black tips the plumage was all black. The men avoided it, as it was evidently arapacious bird. The neighbourhood was very unhealthy, for six Swahili and three Somal were taken ill here with fever. On March 4 Masinde was at last reached. The capital of Usambara consists of a large number of huts surrounded by a strong palisade with well-defended entrance-gates. The residence of the Sultan is really a collection of huts differmeg in nothing from those of his people except that a separate hedge fences them round. Sultan Sembodja sent word that he was eagerly expecting the visit of the Europeans, so Count Teleki went to pay his respects in the afternoon in full state, preceded by the euides and Askari, with the Somal guard bringing up the rear. Arrived at the residence, they were shown into a hut called a baraja, which served the purpose of a council-chamber. I leave Count Teleki to give an account in his own words of the rest of his experiences :— ‘The hut,’ he says, ‘in which Sembodja awaited me was already full of negroes, and a most horrible stench greeted me as I stooped to enter. Sembodja was seated on a /utanda, or native bed, on one side of the long space, and I seated myself on a similar one opposite tohim. ‘There was no other furniture, but the hut was decorated with a few European curiosities, such as a looking-glass in a gilt frame and a picture of a steam- engine going at full speed, which were probably presents from 72 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO previous visitors. Sembodja was dressed in Arab style, and resembled an Arab the more as his complexion, like that of all the Wambugu, was heht brown. He talked principally about the Germans, who, he said, were anxious to settle in his country ; and, as far as he was concerned, they were welcome to do so, and probably would if they could get the consent of His High- ness the Sultan of Zanzibar; at which he pointed to the red flao floating over his house. Then he congratulated me on the victory at Kwa Mgumi, and offered to punish the natives further if [were not satisfied with the vengeance already taken on them. And so the audience went on until I rose to take my leave. ‘The next afternoon Sembodja sent a message to say I might visit him again. As I had not yet made him a present, I collected the things | meant for him, and made my way again to the council-hall, where he was awaiting me. The bales were then opened in his presence, the valuable contents of which were four djora merikani, two djora kaniki, several lessos, two coarse brown caftans, two cases of gin, 15 lb. of fine gunpowder, a pocket watch, a bottle of Eno’s Fruit Salt, a few picture-books, and an empty metal flask. Sembodja, who watched everything eagerly as the contents of bale after bale were laid before him, seemed anything but satisfied, and after fidgeting about for some time on his kitanda, he suddenly jumped up, called to Qualla to accompany him, and left the hut. Outside he said to Qualla, in a most unabashed manner : Tell your master that I am a great Sultan,.and I want money, lots of money, hunting weapons, and medicine, and not all that rubbish.” Qualla, who held all negroes, whether high or low, in much the same contempt, did not hesitate to answer the Usambara chief briefly and drily, to the effect that his. master was a very much greater Sultan than he, and that he had already received a great deal more than enough. Then Sembodja returned, with some little loss of assurance, squatted SEMBODJA’S WARNING ie down near me, and began talking about the Masai, and the dread he was in from them; after which he proceeded to beg. I cut him short at once, told him to produce the two grey donkeys he had promised me, and which had cost me dear enough already. ‘Sembodja declared that he could not send to Taveta for the goods waiting there for me, so | had to spare Qualla to fetch them in the evening. It appeared, moreover, that my valuable stock of brandy and wine had been tampered with, so that I did not feel disposed to have anything more to do with the Sultan. Quite early the next morning, however, just as I was getting up, Sembodja himself appeared in my camp, this time with a turban on his head, a coloured cloth about his loins, and wearing a jacket decked with different kinds o buttons. About his neck hung the watch I had given him; in the buttonhole of the jacket a soup-spoon was stuck, as a flower might be; whilst from the pockets peeped the necks of empty bottles. One of the men with him was also drageing along a basket quite full of the latter. ‘After Sembodja had watched me performing my toilet with apparently great interest for some time, he began to tell me that he had been warned in a dream that we were all soon to be attacked with small-pox, and he had turned out early in the morning to tell us of a cure he knewof. “To begin with,” he said, “* you must let three of your men eat a white hen; then seven must eat a black one; then you must shoot a guinea- fowl, and divide it amongst all your men.” This wonderful recipe Sembodja offered me with the greatest solemnity, and then he began to beg, chiefly for brandy and medicine ; so, to get rid of him, I had all his bottles filled with water, sat down to breakfast, and gave orders that the camp was to be broken up at once.’ Wandering alone the swampy districts at the base of T4 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO the Usambara range, Count Teleki came the same day, atter passing Kumbaja and Kimuneu, to Kambula, the place of resi- dence of Kimueri, a son of Sembodja. Kimueri himself and numerous natives visited the camp, affording the leader an opportunity of noting the differences in the complexions of the inhabitants of Usambara, which varied from pale yellow to the deepest brownish black. Amongst the visitors was a Masai warrior, who amused himself, in a perfectly unabashed manner, by brandishing his spear and showing us how he killed the Wangwana. ‘This performance, accompanied by wild gestures and horrible yells, was watched with anything but pleasure by the men, so Count Teleki thought he would take his pride down a bit by showing him the working of our ‘spears. He therefore had a few shots fired at a tree hard by ; but this did not have the desired effect, for the self-satisfied warrior was sure he could have protected himself quite well with his shield. Then Count Teleki persuaded the Masai to let his shield be placed against the tree, and ordered the Somal to fire at it with their repeating-rifles till it was riddled with shot. Silent and crestfallen, the Masai took back his now useless shield, and slunk out of the camp. At Kambula the base of the Usambara range was left be- hind, the path leading across a burnt-up, arid steppe. On the 7th the Mkomasi river was reached, and the next day Miko- cheni, our appointed rendezvous. Already, on the way there, ostriches, giraffes, and zebras, with a few buffaloes, had been seen, and Count Teleki did not find the time hang heavily at all, in spite of the enforced inaction, for in the wild districts round about the camp there was plenty of game, and he suc- ceeded in bringing down no less than five rhinoceroses and a leopard; but he only shot two Mpala antelopes, one water- buck, one wild boar, and an antelope with a very small body and big legs. AT MIKOCHENI i Mikocheni, where we were now camped, is on the shores of the Pangani river, 1,800 feet above the sea-level, and is over- shadowed by many trees, chiefly doum palms ; hence its name, which signifies, near the doum palms.' Outside the thicket, on the banks of the stream, the view extends on the north to the precipitous Pare mountains, rising from 2,618 to 2,945 feet above the plain, and on the east to the isolated Mount Lasa, whilst beyond them both is the still visible Usambara range. Mikocheni is often visited by caravans, and the ground is strewn with the rubbish left behind by them, so that there is of course plenty of vermin; scorpions abound, and there are such countless fleas that the luckless traveller does not get a moment's peace. Here a plan was ripened which was the result of our separation, ‘The tract of country on the Pangani, some forty- three miles in extent, between Mikocheni and Upuni was still quite unknown---that is to say, 1t had not yet been explored by Europeans. Count Teleki was very much interested in this district; but it would not do to attempt to traverse it with the whole Expedition, so I was to be sent on by the ordinary caravan route, skirting the Pare range to Same, where we were to meet again. Count Teleki started on March 13, with about eighty men, to follow the course of the river, and I re- mained encamped another day, to give my people time to rest. I turned this pause to account by chmbing one of the lower heights of the Pare range, so as to look down upon the 1 This is how most of the caravan halting-places get their names. For instance, Mikwajunt means near the tamarinds; Mibuyuni, near the baobabs ; Miwirimi, near the medlars. Other names of frequent occurrence are Mtoni, or near the stream; Massimani, near the water-hole. Other places are named after the wild animals in their neighbourhood; for instance, Malago kanga means the home of the guinea-fowl; Malago tembos, the elephant camp; and Malago faru, the rhinoceros haunt; these names being retained long after all the animals are ex- terminated. When the camp is by the path it is called Indyrani; if it is in a wood it is nsttont, and if it is on a thorny steppe it is nyvkanz or porint; and so on. 76 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO basin of the Pangani, which resembled a wide-stretching ocean, dotted here and there with isolated island-like blue mountains ; whilst in the west rose the Lasiti mountains, the outlying spurs of the Pare range, on which I stood, shutting out the horizon. After a short march along the bank of the Pangani, we halted in a very picturesque bend of the river. To our sur- prise, we saw clouds of smoke issuing from a thicket not far off, which it turned out proceeded from Count Teleki’s camp. He had hada good day’s start of us, but he had sent some men to buy food in a village near, and they had not yet returned. It was not until the afternoon that the dawdlers turned up and he was able to resume his march. The Count’s camping-place was called Mabirioni, a very usual name, signifying boundary, and in this case appropriate, as it is here that the caravan route branches off from the river for the Pare range. The next day we started in the same direc- tion, and reached Pare Maboga, also knownas Massangu. The farther we got from the river the more sterile became the country, till we reached the base of the mountains, when we were again amongst green thickets and marshes. We camped by a clear brook, which we reached at last. A troop of apes, which fled terrified at our approach, enticed me into the thicket, and I pressed on and on, in spite of being dreadfully scratched and torn, till I could get no farther.! + East Africa abounds in a kind of Sanseviera, which grows at the edge of thorn thickets, springing up between the bushes, and making it all but impossible to get through them. The stems of these plants are about one and a half inch in diameter, and grow to a height of from two feet to five feet. They are very stiff and upright, cylindrical in form, of a greyish-green colour, and end in a sharp, hard point, which inflicts a severe wound. We frequently met with two kinds of Sanseviera in our travels, but seldom saw one bearing flowers or fruit. Both kinds have very strong fibres, which, after being beaten and dried, are used by the people of caravans for making fishing-lines, &e. If possible, the thin, almost thread-like creepers are even greater impediments to progress. Belonging mostly to the Smilacew, they too bear thorns, and though they look innocent enough, and you TERRORS OF AN AFRICAN THICKET v7 The apes had long since been out of sight, and I had not only given them up, but also all wish to pay a visit to the natives living on the mountain; in fact, I did not see how either to advance or retreat, but just stood still, wondering how I was to get out of this horrible thicket of thorns. I had certainly no fancy for returning by the way I had come. Presently I heard the murmuring of a brook flowing towards the plain on the left; at last I had found a way out! I was soon wading through the cool water ; before long the thorn bushes on the bank became thinner, and all of a sudden I stepped out into the open country again, on to a path leading towards the mountains. There was not a sign of a village, but some of my people, who had fortunately joined me, thought it could not be far off, and as a matter of fact we very soon reached it, and were quickly surrounded by a crowd of natives of all ages. Although it was beginning to rain we were soon trading briskly ; but the only food to be had was maize, and with it I had to allay the pangs of hunger. Not until I had devoured a couple of green ears could I attend to anything else. The natives, who were called Wapare, seemed poor half- starved creatures. Their only garments were loin-cloths made of goats’ skins, and round their necks they wore a few strings of white or blue beads. They had also thick rings of brass and iron wire. Bracelets, anklets, and earrings seemed the fashion. Some of the women also had necklaces made of twisted iron wire, such as those worn by the Masai; and all, without exception, had their teeth filed to a point, looking like fancy you can easily break through them, you soon find yourself, like a fly in a spider’s web, unable to move backwards or forwards. Every effort to get through only increases the danger, and a second person is needed to take the thorns out one by one. In East Africa every plant seems to bear thorns, and even the bark of large trees is provided with them. It does not do to travel in these parts in the light clothes suitable for the tropics, as they are sure to be torn to pieces, whilst the whole body becomes covered with wounds. 78 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO those of beasts of prey. Their only weapons were bows and ALTOWS. A little later I brought our marketing to an end, and re- turned to camp in pouring rain. Arrived there, the first thing I had to do was to send after a group of four of our chained criminals, who had made off with their loads containing our stock of rice; then the poscho had to be given out for four days to each man, consisting of a so-called schuka or upande of merikani. We now also discovered that a man who had been taken ill with fever in the morning was missing. The men I sent to seek him soon found him and his stick, but no load, near a swamp not far off; he had evidently taken a wrong turn in the delirium of fever, for the next morning he was gone again, and this time he could not be found. The country we passed through on the next stage was called nyika by the natives—that is to say, it was an unin- habited, barren, waterless, bushy steppe. The glare from the red laterite soil was terrible, and the dust was fearfully deep. The thorny acacias were almost bare of leaves, the patches of coarse grass were few and far between; the euphorbia alone seemed to flourish and to be in its element. There were many pitfalls, from nine and a half to thirteen feet deep, often several in succession, so carefully concealed that the greatest caution was needed to avoid them. ‘These pitfalls and the footprints of wild beasts proved that there was plenty of big game in the neighbourhood, but we saw none. I noticed, however, several gallinaceous birds, and I went after some of them into the bush with my gun. An incident happened now which brought forcibly before my mind the fact that I was in Africa, for just as [ was going to pick up a guinea-fowl I had shot, and which had fallen among some bushes, out came a fine leopard, striding rapidly along. Unfortunately I was not quick enough in pointing my weapon, and I missed the beast with both barrels. THE MAKUYUNI STREAM 79 After a long, hot march we reached the Makuyuni stream in the late afternoon, and decided to camp for the night in a OUT CAME A FINE LEOPARD. shady thicket on its farther bank. Although but a narrow thread-like rivulet, it flowed through a cleft some thirty to forty-three feet deep, with crumbling, precipitous sides, which 80 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO made crossing it a matter of considerable difficulty. Once over, we followed its course a little farther, and halted at the entrance to the valley through which it flows from the Pare mountains to the plain. Although there was no village in sight, natives soon ap- peared with maize and potatoes for sale, followed by Mpesa, the chief of the valley, dragging along two refractory goats. Some of the pack animals arrived that evening, but others not till the next morning, so that I was obliged to remain here for aday. I employed the time in climbing a steep mountain called Bibirri, near my camp. The ascent could only be made from the farther side, and the denseness of the vegetation ren- dered it in some parts extremely arduous. Thorny creepers and thickets of prickly euphorbia compelled us again and again to cut our way with axe and knife; but at last we reached the comparatively unencumbered summit, and were rewarded by a splendid and widespread view. At our feet lay the wood of Makuyuni, the rising smoke and loud cries from which betrayed the presence of our camp. Near to it rose the Kwa Nduyu mountains, a chain of heights on the west of the Pare range ; whilst beyond, divided from them by a stretch of nyika, or barren steppe, we could see the Lasiti and Sambo mountains, with an apparently interminable, shehtly undulating, bush- clad plain as a background. The graceful-looking masses of dracena which surrounded us were just then in flower, and the air was laden with their scent. In a word, the summit of the mountain would have been a perfect spot but for the number of bee-like stinging flies. which attacked us in such a manner that I should have had to beat a retreat at once if I had not been able to protect my head and neck with a silk veil I had fortunately brought with me. In the afternoon the rain poured down; but this did not a NATIVE MODE OF GETTING FIRE Sl prevent the natives from overwhelming us with their visits, and the chief, Mpesa, who was, however, quite a young man, sat in my tent nearly the whole time. Amongst other things, he begged for poison, to aid him in dealing with the Masai, who often came to him as uninvited and unwelcome guests. I got him off this topic pretty soon, however, by asking him to show me how to get fire by rubbing two sticks together. It was really wonderful, considering the moisture-laden atmo- sphere, with what rapidity he did as I requested. The materials employed were such as we saw wherever we went: two simple bits of wood, one flat, about six inches long and not quite one inch wide, with a row of grooves in one side; the other was about twelve inches long, and of the thickness and shape of a lead-pencil. The latter was fixed in one of the grooves of the former, held tightly between the palms of the hands, and whirled rapidly round and round. In a very few seconds the wood- dust produced by the friction, and which fell through the erooves, began to smoke; this dust was carefully nursed into a blaze, and then fed with fine grass and bits of cotton stuff. The whole thing is done so rapidly that our men, even the lazy Wasungu, always employ this method, on quite short halts, for lighting their pipes; and the caravans trading in this district never carry matches, but get fire with the help of a blank cartridge. On March 19 we were off again, no longer skirting the mountain-base, but going through the wide valley between the Pare and Kwa Nduyu ranges. In an hour’s time we passed Mpesa’s dirty little village, then crossed a number of deep brooks, and at eleven o’clock in the morning stopped at a wayside pool to cook our food. These marches, broken by a mid-day halt for food, are known as telekesa marches, and are made when there is a long stretch of waterless district to be traversed. After a good rest, the caravan moves on late in VOL. T. | G 82 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO the afternoon, to camp again for the night without water, which is not found until the next day. On this occasion we pushed on until near sunset across a steppe with scarcely any trees, and there being nothing to cook, and no water to cook with, there was soon perfect silence round the fire. | On this march we met with specimens of the same peculiar and huge growth we had already noticed at Mafi, a kind ot Aristolochia. ‘From a rough, knotty stem, from 20 inches to 5 feet in diameter and from 12 to 20 inches high, spring a number of long, thin, almost leafless branches, which mostly attach themselves to some bush or tree hard by. The quaintly- formed root is almost entirely exposed to view above the soil, and is not unlike a carrot in consistency. It has a thin, ereenish-brown epidermis, with Ay & é S - TF I SY 0, MYT UNS 5, vam se 2 a sort of silvery sheen about it. We did not find this strange plant farther inland ARISTOLOCHIA SP. than Kilimanjaro. The weather looked very dull and threatening the next morning, and the rugged mountains near by were shrouded in thick mist. Our march led us across flat plains, and then beside the all but dried-up bed of a stream, till we came to the village of Muanamata, also called Mwemba. Very few natives came to our camp, and the chief did not appear till early the next morning. When he approached, with some ceremony, bringing with him two oxen and a goat as his present, we were already on the eve of departure, and the camp presented a very lively appearance. I was only able to give him a bale of goods in return. Muanamata, after whom. the village ‘is named, was a shrivelled old man, and even with Jumbe WANT OF WATER 83 Kimemeta’s help I could not get much out of him, though I tried to ascertain whether the Wapare practised any religious ceremonies. The inquiry was quite incomprehensible to him, and as he seemed altogether indifferent to everything [ said, I very soon broke up the shauri. A tramp of five miles across a bush-clad steppe brought us to the swampy mouth of a brook flowing from a valley dividing the Pare Same, or north end of the Pare range, from the Pare Kisingo mountains. This was where we were to join forces again, but Count Teleki had not yet arrived. We pitched our tent close to the edge of a small reed-grown swamp, beneath the cool and pleasant shade of a mighty tree, but the noise of the concert the frogs gave us at night was positively deafening. The ground about our camp was riddled with countless holes, the footprints of elephants; and a little farther off were the traces of many burnt-out fires, scorched bushes, and so on. Here.and there grass was sprouting up again, but the general appearance of the district was melan- choly in the extreme. Our days were fully occupied with making topographical observations and in unfruitful shooting expeditions until the late afternoon. of March 23, when, to my delight, Count Teleki arrived. His men had not had a drop of water since the early morning, and many had dropped down exhausted by the way. Water was at once sent to them, and their loads were carried for them, a service of love which the Wangwana were eager to render. As will be remembered, Count Teleki had been unable to leave Mabirioni before noon, so he only made a short march on the day we parted. The next morning his course was north-westerly, and he for the first time met some of the Masai, the dreaded inhabitants of these districts—four warriors, who hastened forward, eager to show the leader of the caravan a Gr S84 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO good camping-place on the Ruvu near their own kraal. There was, for once, no talk of presents from the white man; on the contrary, Alkomai, the chief man of the place, brought two fine oxen as a gift from himself. Count Teleki, who did not happen to have with him any of the iron wire the Masai set so much store by, declined to accept the oxen, but in spite of all he could urge he was compelled to receive two goats. The next day the journey was resumed under the guidance of two Masai warriors. For two days the course was in a northerly direc- tion from two and a half to three and three-quarter miles from the banks of the Pangani, which were here very swampy, across flat plains with a few isolated acacias, past the Lasiti range to Mount Sambo. On the second day the monotony was. broken by herds of oxen and goats, whilst Masai men and women hastened to join the caravan, behaving in a most peaceable and friendly manner, and pointing out a good camping-place near a water-hole. Then a further march northwards, across districts encumbered with reeds, making walking very difficult till the swampy region was passed, when a detour westwards was made back to the river, on the banks of which the camp was pitched. On this march the caravan passed very near the Sambo mountain, which presented a very rugged, barren appearance, and, according to the natives, was only visited by the herds of cattle, &c., in the rainy season. The district in which the Count now found himself was called Angata Lesulenge, the first word meaning, in Masai, pasture or meadow lands. The river was here from 43 to 55 yards wide, and flowed at about the rate of two miles an hour. Countless crocodiles haunted the stream, and in a few minutes after his arrival at the campine-place Count Teleki had shot three, as well as a python some 33 yards long. The Count decided to rest here a day, and from far and near the people flocked in in such numbers that the caravan almost COUNT TELEK1 AS A DOCTOR 85 disappeared amongst them, and the leader was not only stared at and touched by everyone—the girls especially being immensely struck with his shoes, which they took for hoofs —but he was expected to work miracles as a doctor by healing all the natives sick with fever, and hundreds of oxen smitten with anthrax. He found alum, of which he had a large quantity with him, very useful; he also recom- mended better grass for the cattle, and discovered that strips of paper and old discharged and discoloured rockets made first-rate charms. The next march, which only took two hours, brought the party to Upuni, a well-known halting-place for trading cara- vans, already visited in 1883 by Dr. G. Fischer; but beyond this point the course of the Pangani was quite unexplored. There were plenty of big game in the neighbourhood, and Count Teleki shot one zebra, one water-buck, and three Mpala antelopes. Accompanied by many Masai warriors, Count Teleki now made a forced march to Same, our appointed rendezvous, across dreary sandstone districts with here and there some fairly luxuriant vegetation, but entirely without water—a terribly severe strain upon the as yet untrained men, who vainly sought for the precious fluid in the dried-up holes, many of them, as we have seen, succumbing altogether. The mountains near Same were uninhabited, so that the men had to get their food from Muanamata, which delayed us two days more. We employed the time in shooting expeditions, with very small results, for I only brought down an eland or two; but our hunting led to a very unexpected result. Thad killed one old male and sorely wounded another, which, however, went off with the rest of the herd. I followed the animal a long way, but at last had to give him up, as he was taking me too far from the camp. On my way back I 86 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO e was slinking over a sterile sun-baked bit of ground, bordered by a low thicket, into which I peered as I went, thinking that perchance I might find my wounded game, when I suddenly heard a horrible snort close to me on the left, whilst at the same moment past rushed a huge brownish black rhinoceros, nearly frightening me out of my wits. This apparition so startled me that I did not at first remember the gun in my hand; but I soon sent two shots after the fugitive, apparently without result. The spell was broken now, however, and I[ quickly followed the animal, which I could easily trace by the deep footprints he had left. But these prints led into just such a thicket as the one from which I had roused my game, and I had not forgotten certain previous episodes of a similar kind. Remembering also that I had so far had no experi- ence in dealing with rhinoceroses, I decided that it would be best after all to make for the camp, which I accordingly did. On March 26 we were at last able to be off again, our route being first eastwards, crossing a low saddle connecting the main Pare chain with the Pare Kisingo mountains, then northwards along the base of the latter. We camped for the night in one of the eastern valleys of the Kisingo heights, the last stage of the march having been made through a down- pour of rain which soaked us to the skin, and converted the plain we were crossing into a lake with water an inch deep. The next morning we did not start till half-past nine, as we were obliged to let the people cook their food first. We should reach no water till the day after, the nearest being Lake Jipe, too far away for one march. We started in high spirits, as we expected to have our first view on this march of the snow-clad peaks of Kilimanjaro, the view of which was at first shut out by the heights filling in the valley between the Kisingo and Kwa Mdimu mountains. When these were left behind there was nothing to impede our vision. The “ Il tn CARAVAN, THE REARGUARD OF THE ADVENTURE WITH A LEOPARD 89 whole extent of the valley was now spread out before us; on the west rose rugged mountains, gradually increasing in height, for the Kisingo range is succeeded by that of Ugweno. And near the base of the latter, in the wide plain stretching away to the east, we could see Lake Jipe, which looked like a narrow gleaming streak of light, far above which lowered a dark unchanging shadow, encircled by greyish-white clouds. This was Kimawenzi, with its rugged buttresses and pinnacles, the lower of the two peaks of Kilimanjaro; but unfortunately the ice-crowned peak of Kibo, which rises considerably higher than Kimawenzi, was hidden now. We started along the valley at the base of the Kwa Mdimu mountains, camping at about four o’clock in the afternoon near a dried-up rainwater pool. On this day’s march Count Teleki had started earlier than the caravan, so as to do some hunting. Besides a successful double shot at two Mpala antelopes, he had an interesting adventure with a leopard. He had seen one in the high erass, but it disappeared too quickly for him to fire at it. At the same moment he heard a growling near by, and saw some animal. approaching him through the long grass. Thinking it was a wild boar, or something of that kind, he changed his rifle for a gun and fired, little dreaming of what he had done. There was a rolling over and over in the grass, and then he saw the paws of a great leopard. Quickly the rifle was seized again ; but the danger was past, the animal was quite dead. Late in the afternoon Kibo also became visible, and the beautifully serrated line of the saddle connecting the two peaks of Kilimanjaro was also fully revealed. The setting sun touched them for a time with glory; then a thick mantle of white cloud shrouded the rugged form of Kimawenzi, leaving only the snow-clad dome of Kibo rising up in solitary 90 FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO nught, like some incorporeal vision, far above all things earthy and material. As we approached Lake Jipe it disappeared from view, and. even when we were marching along its eastern banks the next day, and could feel its presence, we were unable to see it, on account of the dense and high growth of reeds between it and us. ‘The oppressive heat in which we had marched across the sterile steppes made us look with longing eyes at a wood of fresh green acacias near the lake, and in another hour we were camped in their shade, able to feast our eyes on Lake Jipe; but, alas! its water turned out to be turbid, tasting of mud, and what we got from the middle of the lake, where there were no rushes, with the aid of our boat, was not fit to make tea, even when filtered and boiled. A march of three hours next day alone the banks of the lake brought us to the northern end. We had not been able to see the water, for the same reason as on the previous day, so that we were the more surprised at the lovely view from a little hill near by, over- looking the whole extent of the quiet lake, with the dense, impenetrable-looking forests on the north, from which, how- ever, the risme smoke here and there bore witness to the presence of inhabitants. Charming indeed was the appearance of the lake, with the acacia-woods lining its shores and the rugged heights of the Ugweno mountains forming a background; but very dreary was the view on the east of the monotonous bush-clad steppes stretching away to the coast, a waterless, and therefore unin- habited, wilderness. The immediate neighbourhood of Lake Jipe is, however, haunted by lions and leopards, giraffes, hyenas, ostriches, and other wild creatures, who come down to the water to drink, so that it is a very paradise for the hunter. The lake itself abounds in crocodiles and hippopotami, as well as in catfish and perch. EXCITEMENT AMONGST THE MEN 91 But a few hours’ march now separated us from the first goal of our journey, the forest-girt Taveta. Often the very sound of the name had acted lke a magic spell upon our men, filling them, weary and worn as they were, with fresh hope, fresh energy. What wonder, then, that now we were so near it we were all, Count Teleki and I included, intoxicated with delightful anticipation! How much we might hope for in the beautiful quiet forest, into the depths of which we tried in vain ELANDS. to peer from the hill near the lake! What peace, what rest in the cool shade of this African paradise, beside murmuring streams, after our long tramp across the arid steppes! Tull quite late at night the men were carousing in honour of our near approach to the much-longed-for goal, and when the morning dawned there was a joyful stir in the camp such as we had never seen before. Many had put on their best clothes in honour of the occasion, others had washed their shirts the day before. The guns were loaded to bursting with powder, OZ FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO ready for firmg in an imposing manner the customary salute on entering Taveta. Everyone worked hard and eagerly in the preparations for the start, and the caravan got under way amidst loud shouts of rejoicing. As we neared the town the vegetation became greener and more luxuriant, the trees grew higher and closer together, the undergrowth denser, the para- sites more numerous, until at last we were altogether immersed in the dark, humid shades of the forest. The trees rose many feet above our heads, casting their lone dark shadows across the path. Rank undergrowth, thorny bushes, and creepers filled up the spaces between their trunks. Many a stem lay right across the track, which wound in and out and backwards and forwards. We had to stoop and twist, to creep and crawl in single file, to avoid the many impediments in the way. There were long and continual delays, our men were getting exhausted and out of heart, when suddenly there was a shout of joy at the sound of distant firmg—the signal that the head of the caravan had reached the actual entrance to Taveta, a wooden door made of tree-trunks closing the pathway to the settlement. And now, like rolling thunder, the sound of the firmg of guns echoed on every side, whilst the smoke rose up in clouds from the woods, starthng hundreds of birds and terrifying the apes, which had been peering at us at close quarters as we made our painful way along, but now scuttled off to the topmost branches of the trees as fast as they could. The people of another caravan camped in the wood were roused from their happy dolce far niente by the noise, and they too wasted a vast amount of powder in giving us a return salute. So there was cracking to the right, cracking to the left, cracking above us, the really peaceful greetings sounding like the roar of a battle. When we had made our way on all- fours through the narrow entrance, we found ourselves in somewhat freer quarters: we could see better, and the path APRIVAL AT TAVETA 95 led between hedges of banana-palms and across numerous little rivulets. Idle natives stood about here and there, and gazed at us in friendly fashion, whilst the women at work in the little wood-encircled fields paused, as the Wangwana hurried on, their smoking weapons in their hands, to shout a greeting to us as if we were old friends, crying: ‘ Yambo, Yambo, sana ! Sabalcher! Uhah ghan? Habari ghani?’ and so on, which meant, ‘Good day! God bless you! How are you? What's the news?’ On we pressed, however, till we came to a good-sized clearing, overgrown with weeds, and found ourselves in the very heart of the paradise called Taveta. J4 CHAPTER III STAY IN TAVETA AND TRIPS TO MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU April 80 to July 15, 1887 Taveta an El Dorado—Meeting with the English hunting party—Hut-building and life in camp-—Our ape Hamis—The Wataveta—Qualla Idris—The wild animals of the forest—Two caravans return to the coast—We start for Mount Meru—Rhinoceros hunt—Three days on Kilimanjaro—-Along the base of Kil- manjaro to Mount Meru—Further hunting adventures— Meeting with Masai— By the Engilata— Weather conditions and state of the road in the rainy season —Buffalo hunt—First acquaintance with the Wameru— We make peace—Life among the Wameru—Lake Balbal—Sultan Matunda—On the Dariama— Across the Ronga to Little Arusha—Kahe—Back again at Taveta—Overhaul- ing of our stores—A hunting expedition—Start for the ascent of Kilimanjaro— A night with the thermometer at —11° Centigrade—Attempt to ascend Kibo— Return to Taveta—The start for Masailand. Iv is but a short time since the grandparents of the present inhabitants of Taveta, driven from their previous homes by their powerful neighbours, took refuge in the shady woods by the Lumi. The absolute quiet reigning in the depths of the forest, the clear waters of the stream, the fruitful soil, which repaid a hundredfold the tillage bestowed on it—in a word, everything combined to tempt them to found a new settlement here, and so with eager haste they quickly made a clearing with axe and fire, sowed their crops, and settled down. Here, cut off from all the world, the woodlanders led their simple, peaceful life till they were one day discovered by some traders from the coast. Henceforth they were constantly visited by caravans, and Taveta, with its shady banana-hedges, DESCRIPTION OF TAVETA 95 became a favourite halting-place. The natives welcomed the traders, as they felt safer whilst they were with them; and they gladly exchanged for stuffs, beads, weapons, and ammu- nition the superfluous produce of their fields, and the new settlement rapidly increased in prosperity, till it became what it now is—a beautiful, thriving, Arcadian colony, eagerly looked forward to alike by outgoing and home-returning caravans, for it is the last link with civilisation to the former and the first halting-place in the final stage of the wanderings of the latter. The forest, which is in case of need so great a protection to the people of Taveta, is carefully preserved by them. They have plenty of weapons, and they are really pretty safe from attack, as it is well known that there are generally people from the coast with them. ‘The clearings are picturesquely situated in the depths of the wood, so that they are surrounded on every side by impenetrable vegetation. Only three narrow, tortuously- winding paths lead through the forest, and even these are care- fully patrolled by wood-beaters and closed to passengers at night. ‘The huts of the natives are hidden amongst the shady trees like the nests of birds; one has to hunt for them, as well as for the equally well-concealed plantations of maize, yams, and sugar-cane. The banana-palms, however, the fruit of which is the staple food at Taveta, cover vast tracts of ground, forming thick, shady groves, the protection afforded by the background of trees preserving the huge leaves intact ; whilst a. perfect network of rivulets intersect the whole settlement in picturesque fashion. ilitte clearing on which we were to camp, and to whichwe were cuided by natives, was less than a hundred paces from the left bank of the Lumi. It was bounded on three sides by the forest, and on the fourth side by a banana-hedge. A few monarchs of the wood, with their mighty crowns of leaves, had been left standing; beneath the grateful shade of one of them our daily 96 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU market was generally held, and it became to us what the spreading chestnut-tree was to the Village Blacksmith. Our men, who were almost out of their minds with delight, now became nearly unmanageable, as they rushed about sur- rounded by countless natives. The firing and shouting never ceased, and it was no easy matter to keep order, so we handed the control of the caravan over to Qualla for the day, and went ourselves to visit Messrs. Harvey, Willoughby and Hunter, the English hunters already mentioned in our first chapter, who were camped but a few minutes’ walk from us by the side of the Lumi. We were most heartily welcomed by these gentlemen, whose acquaintance we had already made in Zanzibar, and soon after we had exchanged the latest news with them we sat down to a sumptuous repast, including fish from the Lumi, buffaloes’ tongues, antelope steaks, and a euinea-fowl ragotit, actually succeeded by a regular English plum-pudding. The best part of the meal, however, was, without doubt, the lively talk we all kept up, our hosts enter- taining us with anecdotes of their hunting adventures with the terrible big game of Africa, which seemed the more thrilling when listened to with an accompaniment of the clinking of champagne-glasses. We did not retire to our own camp to rest till long past midnight. 7 As we intended to stop for a long time in Taveta, our first care was to get our camp into order, and the next day our clearing was as busy as any Huropean building-yard. Some of the men were cutting away the weeds overgrowing the eround, others were dragging along the tree-trunks and palm- leaf ribs with which the huts were to be built; whilst our architects, Manwa Sera and Maktubu, with an air of great importance, marked out the sites of the huts. The work went on, with a short break at mid-day, from early morning to sunset, and with but little effort on our part we were in a very ARRANGEMENTS IN CAMP 97 few days the owners of a complete village. Near our own tent, which was pitched beneath a shady tree, as far as possible from the thatched huts of the men, was Qualla’s residence, containing our stores of ammunition; and near to it again, but standing alone, was a big wooden hut, thatched with reeds, containing the greater portion of our other goods. This was protected by an encircling hedge, as in case of fire in the camp ONE OF THE ENTRANCES TO TAVETA. there would be a danger of our losing everything, or at least of having everything damaged. Opposite to this hut were the stables for the donkeys and goats, a big workshop, and the kitchen ; whilst the tents of the men were arranged in circles round this central nucleus, the paths between our quarters and theirs being usually pretty full of natives. The first of them generally appeared quite early in the morning, bringing fish for sale—plump fellows caught in baskets in the Lumi, NOT: Db. H 98 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU during the nght. As the sun rose higher the number of our visitors increased, till every shady corner was crowded with a chattering mob. The open space between our tent and the warehouse was particularly popular, and was always full of women and children offering their wares for sale, who were none of them in any hurry to go, the pretty ones especially not dreaming of returning home till sunset. And another eager group was generally gathered beneath the spreading shade of our village-tree. Livery day great bunches of bananas of dif- ferent kinds were brought to us, some ripe and golden, others still green. The latter were skinned, cut in slices, and fried. There was plenty of pombe, or banana wine, too, in anything but appetising-looking earthenware vessels. Our Zanzibaris, however, tossed off the contents, taking a pull, first from one and then from another jar, with the air of experienced con- noisseurs, till the women selling the wine became impatient and gave vent to shrill cries of protest. Amongst other things offered for sale were flat straw spoons filled with a finely ground white flour made of maize, or a kind of red-coloured meal of bananas and dhurra mixed together ; skinned and dried manioc, yams, potatoes, tomatoes, colocosia, tobacco, dhurra, maize; a kind of eleusine still in the husk, packed in cylindrical-shaped wooden vessels with leather covers; and quantities of long stems of sugar-cane, which were set up against the trunks of the trees until they found a purchaser. Honey, too, was brought into camp almost every day, and now and then a little fellow would appear with a hen tucked under his arm. Our men received every six days about 14 yard of stuff or thirty strings of beads, and were very happy and contented in being able to pick and choose for themselves amongst all these wares. The market was open all day long, and everything went on fairly quietly until the afternoon, when the arrival of ‘OUR PET APE 99 a few aboriginal Wakwafi women and children with fish, &c., from Lake Jipe would cause considerable excitement ; everyone rushed to secure his own kitoweo.! When the day was nearing its close our men would invite their young lady visitors to have a dance, a proposal they readily agreed to, and the couples would form in two long rows, the gentlemen opposite the ladies, and foot it nimbly to the measure of some Masai song without words. A few days after our arrival the Enghsh huntsmen started in different directions to continue their sport. As they meant to be absent a short time only, and we expected to see them back soon, we bade them a very light-hearted farewell; but, alas ! we never came across each other again. The chief result of their departure was that the curiosity of the people of Taveta was now concentrated on our camp alone. This was by no means an unmixed advantage, as our tent was the chief object of attraction, and we were literally besieged all day long. The good fellows did not lke our wanting to get rid of them at all. It will be remembered that Count Teleki had already several times played the part of a medicine-man or conjurer, and at Taveta he gladly exercised his craft, for the natives were very attentive to his instructions and erateful for his help. When we really were too tired to answer any more questions our visitors would turn to our pet ape, Hamis, whom I quite forgot to men- tion before, but who had now become very dear to us, and was generally disporting himself outside our tent. Hamis, as we had dubbed him, shared all our wanderings, and even went home with usto Vienna. He was terribly impudent, and made no secret of his contempt for all black people. He recognised so well the distinctions of rank that he owned no one as his master but Count Teleki, and if no other victim was handy, he * *Kitoweo’ means a tit-bit of anything, such as meal, fish, rice, panada, «ce. Ho 100 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU would grin, show his teeth, and scowl at me. If I made him understand that I would not put up with this, he would revenge himself by flying at the first coloured man who passed, pinching him and pulling his hair. Hamis often made us angry ; but he was so very amusing that, whatever his misdeeds, we always ended by forgiving him. Never did our little pet have a jollier time than in Taveta. The women and children, whom he never bit, plied him perpetu- ally with bananas and sugar-cane, whilst the boys gave him locusts and beetles; and withit all Hamis maintained an air of condescending grandeur which was irresistibly comic? We got to know the people of Taveta very well in our long, almost uninterrupted intercourse with them. The first 1mpres- sion they always make is, that they are extremely primitive in their ideas and ways, which seems the more surprising consider- ing how many visitors they have from the coast; but nearer acquaintance proves that, like all the other tribes living near the Masai, they really, in many respects, more or less closely resemble that well-known type. This is the less surprising as some fifty years ago the Tavetaners were joined by a considerable number of Wakwafi, originally a branch of the great Masai family, who, after being decimated by a long and bloody civil war, had dispersed in every direction. Deprived of nearly all their cattle, they had been obliged to give up their pastoral life, and were now scattered about all round Masailand as tillers of the soil, many of them having settled down in the woods between Taveta and Lake Jipe. The Masai style of costume is, however, servilely copied only by young people of both sexes. The young men, as a rule, wear one garment only, a short mantle made of hairy goatskin or of some brownish red cotton stuff, which covers the left side of the body, and is fastened on the right shoulder. a? a COSTUMES OF THE WATAVETA 101 Now and then, however, a kind of leather apron to sit upon is also worn hanging down the back. The hair is generally twisted into a number of thin spiral locks, which fall low on the forehead, sometimes down to the eyes. At the back the hair is lengthened with plaited bast, which hangs down like a short pigtail. The lobes of the ears are artificially widened, and decked with heavy ornaments of different forms, made of ———— SS = a re a ee WATAVETA. iron or brass wire, beads, or iron chains. A few ornaments round the wrist, bracelets and anklets, mostly made of twisted wire, or strips of leather sewn with beads, complete the costume. On the right side they wear the s7mé, a short straight sword with a broad, gradually-widening blade, and on the other a finely decorated wooden club. If we compare this with the descrip- tion of the costume of a Masai warrior given farther on, we shall see that a young spark of Taveta is as like to him as 102 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU two peas, especially when, prepared for the dance, he is smeared with red grease, and carries his shield and spear instead of his oun. The girls wear a petticoat of tanned and dressed goatskin, which sometimes hanes down below the thighs. The upper portion is often quite prettily trimmed with beads. These Taveta maidens are particularly fond of neck ornaments, and sometimes wear necklaces made of more than a hundred strings of beads twisted together. In the widened lobes of the ears they insert a piece of fresh banana-leaf rolled up lke a quill, ora round bit of wood; and, of course, the usual bracelets and anklets of brass and iron wire are not wanting. Like the men, the young women smear the nude portions of their bodies with a preparation of red earth and fat, presenting in our eyes a most terrible appearance; but in that of their fellow Wataveta a thick layer of grease gives a delicate finish to the Set-Up. The clder women wear, in addition to the petticoat, a second garment, partly covering the upper portion of the body; and some few ancient dames have lately adopted the cotton drapery, wrapped tightly about the bust in the style of the bibis of Zanzibar. One much-admired ear ornament worn by married people of both sexes consists of thick brass wire wound round in spiral fashion till it forms a circle about four inches in diameter. These coils being too heavy for the lobe of the ear, from which they hang, are connected 5). by a band, which rests upon the neck and keeps them in position. It is difficult to estimate the number of the inhabitants of Taveta, for they are very much scattered in the forest; but they must exceed 1,500. As we noted when the compulsory hongos, or presents, were given at the beginning of our stay amongst them, the Wataveta are a patriarchal community, in ON Pe re yee LANGUAGE OF THE WATAVETA 1038 which the eldest and most respected men are consulted and deferred to on every occasion. Our by no means insignificant hongo, which consisted of two loads of cotton goods and beads, was divided amongst these elders, but about a hundred of the younger men, who were present at the distribution, also received their share. The language of the Wataveta scarcely differs from that of the Wapare and Waeweno, and proves them to belong to the Bantu stock. In spite of constant intercourse with the Wakwafi, who use the Masai idiom, the people of Taveta rarely under- stand their language, though many are acquainted with the Kiswahili, or Zanzibar dialect. Circumcision is universally practised amongst the Wataveta, in the same manner and with the same attendant ceremonies as amongst the Masai. Boys generally retire after undergoing it to the forest for a time, whilst girls, on whom a somewhat similar operation is inflicted, remain secluded for a month in their huts. Ifa stranger approaches, they are expected to hide their faces. The mothers of the girls meanwhile can easily be identified, as they go about with their faces smeared with alternate streaks of red and white colour. With regard to the morality of the fair sex in Taveta, I am scarcely in a position to pronounce an opinion one way or the other, but in the interests of the truth I must relate an incident which occurred during the first week of our stay. One day we were surprised to find that all the natives kept away from us; not a man, not a woman, not even a child, was to be seen in our quarters, but each entrance to the camp was guarded by several youths, who would allow no one to pass in, and were specially eager in turning back those bringing food for sale. What had happened? Just this. The young married men of Taveta were enraged against our followers because of certain liberties taken with their women. We 104 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU were, In consequence, to be boycotted, starved out, which is the usual revenge taken amongst all negroes when they are annoyed. We rejoiced in the one day’s quiet, and were not sorry that our men, who were getting spoiled with good living again, should have short commons for a bit ; but for all that we set to work the same evening to try and set matters right again. The ten elders of Tiaveta were invited to our camp, and after making them a little present, we assured them that if they on their part would look better after their wives and daughters, we on ours would take care they had no further cause for complaint. Peace was restored, and the next morning we had more visitors than ever. Soon after our arrival at Taveta we had taken the guns and ammunition away from the men. We were no longer in such dread of desertion, so one fine day we decided to relieve our captives of their chains. When the time for taking their fetters off arrived, all the gangs of four were assembled in front of Count Teleki’s tent. Chisels, files, hammers, and pincers were brought; but before they could be used one Jibu wadi Kombo, who was much beloved in camp for his oratorical powers, suddenly cried, ‘ But why all this fuss, Bwana? The chains would not have kept me from running away from you again if I had wanted to. With that he bit through a scrap of thin thread, and sprang up, full of joy at being completely free once more: His fetters had long since been broken! We were now fairly settled in camp, and there was not so. much for the men to do in one way; but we had now to see to all the equipments of the caravan for the further journey, and everything had to be overhauled and repacked. ‘The beads, for instance, which so far had been carried loosely in sacks, and were most of them very badly strung on rotten thread, had to be re-threaded in lengths of some twenty-one or twenty-two inches, and with the quantities we had with us this would take MAKING NAIBERES AND SCHUKAS 105 weeks, even when hundreds of hands were busy with them. Moreover, we had to stitch away at nazberes and schukas—that is to say, at mantles for the Masai, traders from the coast having accustomed them to receive stuffs, especially white cotton stuffs, in one form only; so we had to meet the necessities of the case by transforming some of our wares into the required shape. Naiberes, or war mantles, consist of about two yards of ulayte mfupi, which is a common and narrow sort of merikani brightened up with a strip of calico, generally red, some six or eight inches wide, sewn down the middle, whilst the edges are frayed out for some four or four and a half inches, the fringe thus formed being headed with a very narrow strip of some reddish-purple stuff. For old married Masai about two yards | and an eighth of somewhat wider ulayti were also cut off and treated in the same way, but without the broad stripe in the middle, and thus prepared they became schukas. Jumbe Kime- meta advised us to make 1,200 such naiberes and schukas, and for the work we set up a big shelter, in which some eighty to a hundred of our men were always busy. ‘To check thefts the beads were weighed before and after stringing, showing the very first day a slight deficiency. The culprits were tor the first offence only debited with the amount stolen against next pay-day, but they were told that another time the stick would be brought to bear upon them, and there was no repetition of the offence. It was such an expensive business to do all this work on the route that we felt it would have been much better to have had it done at Zanzibar before starting. Qualla Idris, the invaluable chief of our Somal guard, con- sidered himself responsible for the conduct of the whole caravan, so we did not trouble ourselves very much about details. Every day we learnt to value Qualla more; he was such a sympathetic fellow, so thoroughly to be relied upon, and although he did not look particularly strong, he had wonderful 106 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU pluck and powers of endurance. He had a clear dark skin, almost black in parts; his eyes were jet black, and though their usual expression was earnest and penetrating, they often sparkled with merriment. He had finely cut nostrils, and from between his lips, which were generally apart, gleamed two rows of regular ivory-hke teeth. Qualla was exceptionally intelligent, and very quick to learn. He could soon distinguish all the different bottles in our well-stocked medicine-chest, and had the contents of the various bales at his fingers’ ends. And as he had a good deal of vanity, he was generally very well dressed. He was the most zealous Mahomedan in the caravan, and never once neglected the prescribed purifications and prayers. His influence over the natives and our men, not excluding Jumbe Kimemeta himself, was great and salutary, indeed almost magical, and we never once had cause to regret the con- fidence we reposed in him. Only one or two of the other Somal shared any of Qualla’s eood qualities, but they were all younger, and had not, of course, had his experience. They were, however, all alike remarkable for unusual decision of character, for their esprit de corps, and their proud, reserved bearing towards the rest of the caravan; on this account, and also because to them was entrusted the infliction of the flogging which was often absolutely necessary, they were almost as much feared and loved—which amongst negroes is the same thing—as our- selves. But although Qualla relieved us of a great deal of work and responsibility, there remained plenty for us to do. To begin with, the condition and rate of the chronometer had to be determined afresh, as the original data had been lost. It then became apparent that the soil of Taveta was remarkably easily thrown into a state of oscillation, so that even at a distance of NATIVE TERROR OF OUR CAMERA 107 several hundred paces from the camp it was quite impossible to make observations with the artificial horizon. ‘To accom- plish this we had to betake ourselves to a somewhat distant clearing, and, by placing guards all round, to prevent even single natives from passing. | Many hours a day were occupied in making and arranging collections. As the rainy season was approaching, insects and butterflies were especially numerous ; so were sauria, including big lizards and several kinds of chameleons. Specimens of one shining brownish-black variety, about the size of an earth- worm or blindworm, were caught in camp almost every day. The forest round about Taveta is a perfect mine of wealth to the ornithologist, but it is extremely difficult to get at the birds, as they avoid the close-growing lower branches of the trees, which impede their flight, building their nests on the very highest accessible point, beyond the range of grape-shot. And if by chance one is fortunate enough to bring down a bird, one may be pretty sure that it will remain hanging on some branch, or fall to the ground where it cannot possibly be got at. We had to take photographs, too, and that under many difficulties, for the appearance of the apparatus in the distance was always the immediate signal for the dispersion of the natives, however many happened to be gathered together at the time. The only thing to be done was to set up the camera in some much-frequented spot, and then to wait patiently. For a long time after this place would be shunned by everyone, but by degrees the dreaded object was forgotten, and it became possible now and then to take off a group unawares. Mean- while, however, the apparatus often got shifted, or the plates had become injured by too long an exposure to the heat of the sun, so that many of them were quite useless. The monotony of our life in camp was also reheved by various incidents, such as the arrival of a messenger from Miriali, 108 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO: AND MERU a Kilimanjaro chief, bringing an ox and a goat as presents; an occasional afternoon hunting expedition, generally in the direc- tion of Lake Jipe; the arrival of thirty Wanegwana from Little Arusha, on a visit to Jumbe Kimemeta, whom we, however, had the honour of entertaining ; and, most thrilling of all, a big fire in the camp, which, thanks to the way the wind was blow- THE CAMP ON FIRE. ine at the time, we were able to get under before much mischief was done. Lastly, we had to despatch caravans in different directions to collect our scattered goods. One hundred men must go to Pangani, and another hundred to Mombasa. ‘There were plenty of volunteers for this service, for everyone was eager to go back to the coast; some had purchases to make or business to attend to in Pangani, others in Mombasa. We WE START FOR MOUNT MERU 109 listened to all that was put before us, and decided to send those who wanted to go to Pangani to Mombasa, and vwice versa. Great was the astonishment and dismay amongst the men when their several destinations became known, and although we had carefully weeded out all whom we thought likely to run away, we could not hope that every one would return to us. We decided to leave Taveta for a month, with the rest of the men in good health, to pay a visit to Miriali and have a look at Mount Meru. We had several other ends in view besides exploration. It was necessary that we should make friends with Miriali, as we should have to start from his terri- tory for our proposed ascent of Kibo; and we were also anxious to get him to take charge of our donkeys and cattle, the Taveta forest being most unsuitable and unhealthy for them. Our visit to Mount Meru would also afford us an excellent opportunity for buying pack-animals of the Wakwafi, who are settled at its base in Arusha-Wa-Ju, or Great Arusha. The caravan with which we left Taveta on April 12 con- sisted of sixty-six porters and servants, whilst to euard our camp and goods there remained behind only Qualla and a dozen sick men. Jumbe Kimemeta, who, though very ill, would not hear of being left behind, was carried with us in a hammock. Our trip had been so hastily decided on that there was a ereat deal left to do at the last minute, and the last of us did not leave the camp till ten o’clock in the morning for the rendezvous on the skirts of the wood. Our men had gone off one by one as they were ready, and as none of them knew their way through the wood, they most of them went astray. Some one thousand and ninety-four yards only in a straight line from the camp had to be crossed to reach the edge of the wood, but it was four o’clock in the afternoon before we were all together again. 110 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU Weary of the long delay, we started again immediately, and proceeded in a north-westerly direction, up an almost impercep- tibly ascending plain, towards the northern side of Kilimanjaro. Groups of acacias or isolated trees of a soft green colour dotted the steppe, whilst here and there rose a knotty greyish- yellow ebony-tree. There were no palms, but the general appearance of this natural park was extremely pleasing, especially as it was tenanted by a great variety of game. Timid ostriches fled with great strides across the plain at our approach, their quills erect to accelerate their speed, whilst gazelles and larger antelopes jostled each other as they gathered about us in quite a confiding manner, so that we might easily have shot them as we went along. And it was difficult to resist such a temptation; so, although as a rule we refrained from mixing up hunting with marching, I let the men go on, and lingered im the rear behind the herd of antelopes, for I felt I must secure one or two animals. But, strange to relate, directly I leit the track the confidence of the wild creatures was destroyed. They were quick to gain wisdom by experience, and in spite of all my caution they sped away and were soon out of the range of my weapon. It was impossible for me to reach any cover from which to take aim without the alarm being given by one or another animal, and before long nearly the entire herd of antelopes had dis- appeared. They were succeeded, however, by a number of fine zebras, who approached slowly, grazing as they came. Up went my rifle again, but only with the same disappointing result; the zebras, too, disappeared in a cloud of dust. One very inquisitive hartebeest had, however, lingered behind his comrades, so there was still a hope of some venison. And with all the patience and caution known to none but a hunter once disappointed of his prey, I crept on all-fours through the long grass to the friendly shelter of an acacia, feeling this MY FIRST RHINOCEROS Lit time quite sure of my victim; but at the critical moment up flew alot of small birds, screeching loudly. Of course I sprang forward to send a flying shot after the retreating antelope; but now I made a very unexpected discovery, for I all but fell over the body of a great rhinoceros, which was taking a nap in the long grass under the acacia. A whispered ‘ aru!’ (rhinoceros) revealed the position to my black companion, Muallim Harun, and then, following his example, I slunk like a snake along the ground and made for the shelter of another tree. Arrived there we felt safe, but the long grass prevented us from seeing more than one ear and the tip of the nose of the rhinoceros. To make him get up we now both shouted at the top of our voices, ‘ Holla! Holla!’ but the sound died away on the plain without result. The rhinoceros wanted more than the noise we could make to rouse him from his slumbers, and I was just about to fire at him when a dozen zebras suddenly appeared, crossing the plain in single file. As a matter of course, I now pointed my weapon at them, and hoped, so to speak, to be lucky enough to kill two birds with one stone, and it fell out just as I wished. Crack went the shot, there was a cloud of dust; but this time one of the beautiful creatures lav on the ground, whilst the rhinoceros started up and revealed the whole of his huge bulk. As if annoyed at being disturbed, he tossed up his head, sniffed the air, and stared in our direction, but without shifting his position. Of course there was no chance of shooting him thus; but the sight was so new to me that I should have gazed at him for some time longer if a sharp shower of rain had not come to our assistance. The rhinoceros lost scent of us, moved away, and thus exposed his whole flank to us. JI was not very well up in the subject of rhinoceros shooting ; but I thought a good volley would not be amiss with such very big game, so I got my 500 Express rifle into position, and taking careful aim I fired. The rhinoceros shuddered, but 112 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU remained standing as if rooted to the spot; it needed a second shot to bring him to his knees, and we presently found him dead where he had beensleeping. Meanwhile the caravan had long been out of sight, so we had to leave our victims on the ground and hasten forward. It was quite dark when we reached the camp, which, on account of a storm of rain, Count Teleki had pitched earlier than he had intended on the north side of the hill. The next day Jumbe Kimemeta took the men a couple of hours’ farther march to the Sagana stream, whilst we remained behind to hunt; but we had no luck, and got back to camp late in the afternoon dead tired, and with absolutely empty hands. From Sagana the route led straight to the mountain, and the dry yellow steppe grass and thorny acacias were exchanged for a varied flora reminding us of that of Europe. Soon after we had crossed the Huna stream, which flowed rapidly along in a deep bed, we came upon the first natives. Under their cuidance we went on, under the shade of thickly growing hedges, flanked by banana-trees, till we came to Miriali’s home. The crowds of natives who had watched our approach parted to make room for us, and then Sultan Miriali, chief of the little State of Marangu, wearing a bright-red flowing toga, appeared, and, offering us his right hand to shake, bid us welcome with the words, ‘ Yambo, Bwana.’ In fluent Kiswahili, but with some little hesitation, he next inquired if he should show us where to camp, and led the way, followed by the whole community. We halted in a meadow with soft greensward, watered by a little eureling brook about one foot wide, and surrounded by banana- trees. Miriali saw how delighted we were with this charming camping-eground, and, with almost Spanish politeness, he placed it at Count Teleki’s disposal. He struck us as being a young man of a highly nervous temperament, and he now left us; but not so his followers, and we were soon surrounded by crowds MIRIALIS MOTHER its of natives. Very soon, too, we were honoured by a visit from the barefooted mother of the ruler of the land. In default of the purple she was distinguished from other old women by an extra number of strings of bead and copper chains. This, then, was the worthy matron whose piercing glance had nearly blinded Johnston! Although remembering that scene, we were A KILIMANJARO BEAUTY. very glad to welcome our visitor. Our politeness was not very long proof against her perpetual begging for kilengele (beads), and when breakfast-time came she was dismissed by our Somal with a short ‘ Tonga mbuya !’ (* Off with you now, friend !’) like any other mortal, and bowed out of our tent. Miriali came again in the afternoon, and we offered him VOL. I i 114. TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU coffee and cigarettes. He tried both, and seemed to begin to feel more at ease. He was, of course, accompanied by his very numerous court, and his people squatted round us, taking the greatest interest in our interview. Miriali, who was only about twenty-four or twenty-five years old then, though he said he was ahundred, was a very intelligent-looking young fellow, with very little of the negro in his mobile features. According to the custom of the country, he wore in the pierced lobe of the right ear a round bit of wood some four inches long and about the thickness of a lead-pencil, whilst in the unusually distended lobe of the left was a decorated wooden ring, some four inches in diameter. Round his neck he had only a string of blue beads. He seemed altogether simpler-minded than his people, and we were able to converse with him in Kiswahili without an interpreter. Wehadmany a pleasant chat as he became more at home with us. If we told him a story or explained anything to him, he generally translated into Kijagea for the benefit of his followers. Muiriah was fond of talking, and was apparently witty, for his sallies were constantly greeted with shouts of merriment. | As far as we could judge, the natives of Marangu were very devoted to their young mangi, or chief; but of course his real power depended upon the fighting-men of the community, and waned or increased according to their good pleasure. In the afternoon Miriali invited us to go with him to his quarters, and led us there by a different route to that taken when we first arrived. Through a low, narrow plank door, we came first to a little wood of banana-trees, then through a second opening into an avenue of lofty dracena, leading to a eroup of huts surrounded by a strong palisade of sawn planks. Then, without the slightest embarrassment, our host’s whole harem—three wives and three slave-girls—came out to greet us, one of the former being, as Miriali informed us, a daughter MIRIAL’S WINDOWLESS ‘ PALACE’ rls of his notorious neighbour, Mandara, whom, as a matter of policy, he had bought for 300 cows. Muiriali had shown better taste in the choice of his slave-girls than in that of his wives, for they were pretty little things, even from the European point of view. They were charmingly confiding with us, nestling up to us like young kittens, and pushing up the sleeves of our shirts to look at our white skin. They were all most anxious to serve us, and one of them persistently held up rather a big looking-giass opposite to us; but of all their endearing chatter- ing the chief refrain was ‘kilengele. The wives were all wrapped in long purple mantles, whilst the girls wore the simple but picturesque costume, represented on page 117, common to all unmarried women of the Kilimanjaro district. We would gladly have lingered much longer with them, but Miriali was impatient to take us on to see his palace, of which he appeared to be not a httle proud. It greatly resembled the negro huts of Zanzibar, and was, in fact, built by men from the coast, many of whom attach themselves like parasites to all the Kilimanjaro chieftains. Like the worthy burghers of old with their town-hall, the architects had forgotten the windows, so that it was quite dark inside. But Miriali had brought with him a couple of fine candles, so to please him we crept after him through all his apartments. The most beautiful thing about the house was its site, for 1t commanded a grand view of the country south of Kilimanjaro. We therefore gladly sat down here and enjoyed a positively idyllic hour gazing at the scene spread out before us. / At our feet squatted Miriali’s wives and slave-girls, who drageed themselves nearer and nearer to us, whispering every now and then a soft ‘kilengele’ in our ears. The chief himself was drinking pombe, a sour and weak concoction made from eleusine! * The eleusine so often mentioned by the author is a cereal native to East Africa.—TRANS. Tee 116 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU and bananas, which we did not much care for. He became more and more communicative and friendly, and our ques- tions elicited a good deal of geographical information. The bluish-grey forest, he told us, with the clouds of smoke above it, was Taveta, the gleaming water was Lake Jipe, the lofty mountain on our left was Mount Teita; and so he went on naming every height included in the lovely view, till he came to snow-capped Kibo, and we knew it was time for us to go. Later in the evening Miriali came to our camp, bringing with him an ox, a fine spear, a sword, and three colobus skins.! As a return present Count Teleki at once produced a good revolver, whilst the usual gift of a quantity of stuffs, beads, wire, gunpowder, &c., was, according to custom, handed over late in the evening in perfect silence. During the night it rained in torrents, and the next morning, which broke grey and dull, we had our first opportunity of watching the metamorphosis of termites. We had passed a good many ‘ white ant’ hills on our way to Kilimanjaro, but so far we had never seen their inhabitants. But to-day the early morning mist was alive with myriads of them, looking like snow- flakes as they fluttered about on their newly acquired wings. In spite of the great size of these wings, they could only fly very slowly, and they seemed chiefly anxious to get rid of their new appendages. Presently they all sank down, and alighting on the ground, on grass, leaves, or on the tent, they doubled them- selves up, and with their hind legs stripped off, first the hinder, and then the front wings. Now and then they bit off each other’s wings, the whole thing lasting about an hour ; and soon the now creeping termites had all disappeared, leaving nothing 1 The Colobus guereza is a beautiful monkey, native to the dense forests near Kilimanjaro, its most noteworthy peculiarity being the bushy white tail and streaks of white hair on its sides.—TRANS. Ae GREAT FLIRT Ee to show what had taken place but the countless wings with which everything near was covered. MIRIALI’S WIVES AND SLAVE-GIRLS. In the course of the morning the weather brightened, the sun came out, and with it Miriali and all his people, big and little, including his mother and one of his sisters—the latter, 118 + TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU so unkind rumour said, was a great flirt; im fact our tent was besieged. But this did not put us about much, though it hastened our departure, as we saw we should not get another moment to ourselves. We meant to start again early on the 16th instant, but it poured so with rain that we had to wait some hours. Miriali, who seemed eager to make the very elements yield to our wishes, was greatly distressed, and told us he had instructed his mganga (medicine-man) to stop the rain the evening before. Then he went home, probably to drown his regret in wine, for when we passed a few hours afterwards he was sitting on a heap of dried banana-leaves, quite tipsy from the pombe he had drunk. To avoid a very bad bit of road we had to go back in the direction we had come, not turning westwards till we had passed very near our old camping-place on the Sagana stream. We halted at an abrupt bend of the Huna river, beneath beautiful and lofty trees. A number of straw huts in good condition, old corks, bones, &c., proved that we had chosen a spot lately occupied by the English hunting party. These relics had attracted a great number of butterflies with brillant cleaming red and green wings. Late in‘ the evening some men arrived from the chief of Mochi, bringing an ox as a present for Jumbe Kimemeta. This was meant to induce Kimemeta to get us to go to Mochi; but the leader of our caravan knew Count Teleki did not wish to open relations with Mandara, so in spite of the risk of hurting his feelings the ox was sent back. During the next day we followed a westerly course on a wooded plain at the foot of Kilimanjaro. On the 17th we crossed several ravines and camped by the Kirua stream. We now left the beaten track altogether, and followed a mere game-spoor, none of our men knowing the way. Rain fell JUMBE KIMEMETA IS SWUNG ACROSS A TORRENT 119 constantly, fortunately generally at night ; but the path became very slippery, the meadows grew swampy, the little streams were converted into rushing waterfalls, and the grass and bushes reeked with damp, so that our clothes were always wet. The chief trees were baobabs, which gave a weird character to the landscape. In many hollow trunks hung the beehives peculiar to the country, and, taught by our previous experience, we gave such trees as wide a berth as possible; but, for all that, our rearguard made closer acquaintance with the bees, and fled in every direction. It was several hours before we were all to- gether again on the banks of the rapid Kirerema, which is from eighteen to thirty-three feet wide, and flows through a very deep channel, though the water itself 1s but from half to three- quarters of a foot deep. On account of the bee episode we camped here, but there was not a dry spot to be found, and we were glad enough to be off again. A march of three hours and a half brought us to another stream, some twenty-one and a half yards wide and of little depth, but so rapid we could not have crossed it without. a rope. We had got rather too near the densely wooded base of the mountain now, so we bore a little south the next morning to get into a more open district. We crossed two more small brooks, and then came to a mountain torrent some sixteen and a half yards broad, which brought our march to an end for the day. Huge masses of rock encum- bered the bed, making the water seethe and foam, so that we could not hope to use our canvas boat. So we made a strong rope taut well above the fall, and our bales being provided with slip-nooses, we swung them across the water as quick as lightning without a singlemishap. Jumbe Kimemeta made the transit in his hammock in a similar manner. The other side of the torrent was so thickly overgrown that we had to make a clearing before we could camp; but we had better shelter for the men, of which we were glad, as they were 120 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU srumbling very much at the continuous rain. Here Count Teleki had a very dangerous visitor—a puff-adder with poison- fangs nearly an inch and a half long. On April 20 we reached the Weruweru river, the largest of the Kilimanjaro tributaries of the Pangani, which is here a little more than twenty-two yards wide, and of considerable depth, flowing rapidly southwards. The whole Expedition was ferried over it in our canvas boat. but first some of the men had to swim across with a rope, a rather perilous task, as all these rivers are full of crocodiles. There is not much risk in deep water, because the monsters cannot strike a really formidable blow with their tails unless the body rests on the ground. The chief danger was on the banks, so we always fired a volley before we sent the men into the water. We had only one boat with us, and it took two hours and a half to get the men and bales over. The cattle and donkeys we simply drove into the river, and the former swam over bravely enough, but the latter, though they knew perfectly well how to swim, seemed to lose their heads in deep water, and drifted dangerously down- stream. Sheep and goats always have to be carried, even over quite shallow brooks. After crossing the Weruweru we bore westward, and camped at one o'clock near a httle stream called the Kikaso. The districts traversed were now much more open; baobabs, with low bushes and thickets of sanseviera, were almost the only vegetation. In the densely wooded districts through which we had lately passed we had hunted in vain, all the large game pre- ferring the open plain. The only traces of wild animals were the heaps of elephant dung, which were often the height of a man, and were extremely useful to us, as they generally remained dry, and served us for fuel when nothing else was to be had. Although our cook had grown grey in African travel, and was WE RUN SHORT OF FOOD al quite an adept at fire-making, it was often a very long business, most trying to our patience, and, generally speaking, a shelter had to be erected to begin with. We had nearly exhausted the food we had brought with us, and as we were anxious to save our cattle, we had to fill the end NENA NT N INVA GIRAFFES. men’s pots with game. Soin the afternoon we went off hunting, Count Teleki in a southerly and I in a westerly direction, the other side of the stream, whilst the men tried their luck at fishing. I found an open steppe on the west of the Kikaso, with some pretty thick vegetation in the distance. The first glance 122 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU was not particularly reassuring, and only after a long search with the help of glasses did I spy a small herd of giraffes browsing far away to leeward. Giraffes are very difficult to stalk, as their long necks enable them to see over the bushes, and, besides, they always keep a good look-out. With very little hope of a satisfactory result, I set to work to hunt the shy creatures. As the wind was unfavourable to me, I had to make a wide detour; but I had hardly stepped on to the plain, leaving the bush behind me, before I came quite suddenly upon a rhinoceros. A shot from my rifle, calibre 8, made it whirl round several times and dash off with a speed no one would have expected from such a heavy animal. When it was some 200 paces off it stopped, swayed to and fro for a few moments, then, as the blood poured from its mouth, it fell down dead. A little later I came upon a pair of rhinoceroses standing carelessly at the edge of a thicket, one completely caked with brown mud, the other of a black colour. This time I fired with my 000 Express rifle, at a distance of some seventy paces, at the shoulder of the larger of the two animals. The wounded creature dashed away, whilst the other, after hesitating a moment, followed it, and I found one lying dead in the bush, the other standing beside it. For the third time I fired, bring- ing down my third rhinoceros. In each case my charge had taken effect behind the shoulder-blade and pierced both lungs. I felt I had done enough now, and, leaving my gun-bearer beside my trophies, I returned to camp to send men out to fetch the meat. Count Teleki had not been so successful, as he had only brought down two fine water-bucks, and had sighted no other game. The so-called water-buck is one of the finest of the antelope family. Except for the antlers, it greatly resembles in form, colour, and size the noble stag of Kurope. It takes its name from the fact that its habitat 1s always near running water. THE HYDNORA AFRICANA 125 As we had now plenty of meat for the men, Count Teleki decided to rest a day and enjoy some more hunting. After a rainy night the morning broke clear and bright, and we started off this time together in high spirits, but only to be disappointed, for the morning slipped away without our having seen any big game at all; on the other hand, we had a very pleasant ramble in beautiful scenery, the vegetation at its freshest and greenest, the shrubs in flower, and even the baobabs, generally so bare and grey, were now putting forth new shoots. The soft air which swept across the steppe was laden with sweet scents, the birds were chirping happily, and we ourselves felt a kind of intoxication in the midst of all the beauty sur- rounding us. A baobab that has, if I may so express it, died of old age presents a very singular appearance. It splits open, and the silver-grey bark, with the brittle white inner wood, falls off in strips, making a heap of wreckage which, bleached by wind and sun, looks from the distance so exactly ike ruined tents that we were quite deceived till we examined one of them closely. = Of the flowering plants, a kind of HYDNORA AFRICANA. root-parasite especially struck us, consisting of single red blossoms about a foot long, which, with their stems, were almost hidden in the ground. We found them along the banks of the Kikaso, but nowhere else. Our Somal, who were familiar with them in their own land, called them ikke, and ate them raw. They have an acrid watery taste, and, especially when decaying, emit a putrid odour. They belong to the Cytinacese genus, and are known 124 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU to botanists as the Hydnora africana. The fleshy flowers of those we saw were some twelve to sixteen inches long, and consisted of a single cup-like flower, the outer rim of which ig cut into four lips. : We dreamed away the hot mid-day hours stretched out upon the greensward opposite Kybo, which now showed its head again, and resumed our walk in the cool of the afternoon. Flocks of vultures and storks guided us to the remains of my yesterday's victims, and then we bore in a south-westerly : ) ue g < a : sl HORNS OF THE RHINOCEROS BICORNIS. a hice | _ ( : L i direction. A water-buck disturbed in its siesta, which sprang up suddenly almost at our feet, was the only game which came within range. We both missed him; but 1 followed on his track, whilst Count Teleki went on in the original direction, so that we were separated in a very unexpected manner. With two atten- dants to carry my guns, I penetrated into a very wild and lonely district, where the baobab-trees were closer together and the ground was strewn with great blocks of volcanic rock, half- hidden in the long grass. But there was nothing to shoot, and I was beginning to console myself with botanising, when we SURPRISED BY A RHINOCEROS 5 came on numerous fresh buffalo-spoors. The animals had evi- dently only just passed, as the peculiar musk scent there always is about them still lingered in theair. We followed the tracks carefully, but did not come up with the buffaloes, though we sur- prised a rhinoceros and very nearly had a mishap with him. We had only just noticed an ominous grunting in the thick bushes on our right, when crash went some branches, and a huge brownish-black beast dashed out with such tremendous impetus that I had only just time to step backwards into the bush and avoid the charge. I saw my two men fleeing before the lowered head of the rhinoceros, then I lost sight of them, and all was still. In the greatest anxiety, I shouted to them, and to my delighted relief they both answered. Simba had with great presence of mind turned aside into the bush, and though he was a good deal scratched, he escaped. ‘he other man had been in no real danger, but in his fright he had flung away my rifle, and we found it afterwards with both barrels stopped up with earth. We were a good bit upset by the surprise, and went on cautiously enough after this, expecting to see some huge beast behind every bush. It was beginning to get dark when we really did come upon another rhinoceros standing just in our path. My charge took effect, however, and he went off ap- parently mortally wounded, but it was too late to follow him. It had not rained all day, but at midnight it began to pour, and continued steadily till twelve o’clock the next morning. Our poor men had a bad time of it, as it was impossible to keep the fires alight. They looked as miserable as the weather the next morning, and the reproachful glances they cast at us said as plainly as possible that they considered us out of our minds for choosing to travel in the rainy season. But we were not to be daunted, and though we were obliged to wade through water nearly up to our thighs, and our clothes were wet up to the waist, the green of the thickets looked all the fresher and 126 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU brighter for the wet. Still, after three hours’ marching under these conditions even we had had enough of it, so we halted just where we happened to be. The thermometer registered + 20° Centigrade, but we all gathered shivering round our cook, who was this time more than half an hour before he could get a fire. Our march had been along the left bank of the Kikaso and across the two streams with troubled milky waters alluded to in Baron von der Decken’s travels; and before we reached them we passed one of the camping-places of the English sportsmen, who had started a few weeks earlier intending to explore the virgin hunting-grounds on the south of Mount Meru, but, as related in Sir John C. Willoughby’s ‘ East Africa and its Big Game,’ they heard such disquieting rumours at Kikaso of the number of Masai in the neighbourhood that they decided to turn back. I may add here that travellers are often falsely informed, partly unintentionally, as there are always many stories about of the approaching of the dreaded Masai, and partly intentionally, the caravan people deceiving them in the hope of preventing them from going farther. Hunting was anything but pleasant work in the swampy, densely overgrown woods, and Count Teleki came home after an afternoon expedition empty handed but in good spirits, as he had seen a great quantity of big game, including four rhinoceroses standing close together to leeward. He had not got within range when a fifth rhinoceros rose up from the long erass and made straight for him. This was exactly what he wanted ; but it happened at rather an awkward moment, as he was just tightening ashawl he was wearing on account of the cold and damp. The rhinoceros was close upon him before he could get his rifle in position; but the charge took effect, the animal whirled round once, and then disappeared in the thicket. Count Teleki followed his track for some distance, but abandoned it later, as he came in sight of a herd of twenty- l | li | / i | is | iN BIRDS OF PREY FEASTING. IN SIGHT OF SIGIRARI 129 two giraffes. On such an open tract, however, he found it impossible to come within range of these shy creatures, so he presently gave them up to return to his rhinoceros, only to swerve aside once more to shoot a water-buck, which, though sorely wounded, got away. Pursuing it into the ever thickening bush, the Count surprised three rhinoceroses, who broke through the wood, snorting furiously ; a flymeg shot at one of them was all he could achieve, and as it was now nearly dark he was obliged to give up further hunting. According to our men, they often heard hons roaring when we were asleep, so we determined to keep watch ourselves to-night for the first time. One hon made the circuit of our camp, for though it was too dark to see it, we could hear its deep bass voice. We were unprotected by any hedge of bushes, but the yelling of the natives was enough to make the king of beasts keep his distance. On the next day, April 24, we crossed the Kikaso, and, bearing westwards, came to the flat landscape between Mounts Kilimanjaro and Meru. We were now in sight of the densely populated Masai district of Sigirari, and we could make out the herds of cattle, some of them numbering thousands, belonging to the natives. In addition to these, an unusual number of wild animals haunted the flat green steppe watered by the Engilata river, fringed with dark-green trees. Ostriches, zebras, antelopes, gazelles, and giraffes wandered about in regular herds so near the cattle of the Masai that they looked as if they belonged to them. There were plenty of rhinoceroses too, and Count Teleki brought one down with a lucky shot at about 300 paces from our track. Ourmen sprang upon the body with screams of delight, and began at once to cut off the flesh with their knives, each eager to secure a good portion of the fat of the abdomen, which they consider the best part. Very soon, like a speck in the sky, scarce visible to the VOL. I | K 130 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU — naked eye, appeared the first vulture. So keen is the vision of birds of prey that they can spy the very tiniest morsel anywhere in a vast range of space. Before long the vultures formed a cloud above us, circling ever nearer, till they settled on the ground close by us, to wait patiently till we left the remains of the feast for them. ‘They came so near that we could have thrown stones at them ; but they showed no shyness whatever, as no one ever drives them away. After the vultures came the so-called marabout storks. Directly we turned our backs on the prey the foul creatures were at work upon it, and the struggle for the best bits, especially the entrails, began again, whilst the storks marched round and round like sentries, ready, as they cannot get the flesh off the bones themselves with their long bills, to pounce on the portions secured by the vultures. We never saw the vultures make any fight for their spoil, although they were bigger and stronger than the storks. We had still a long way to go that day, so we left the vultures and storks to their banquet and passed on across the bare steppe on the west of the Kikaso. That portion between it and the Engilata river we found to be dotted with little hills from 16 to 30 feet high and covered with what looked like molehills. We had noted this peculiar formation from a distance, and had hoped to examine it closely; but all our attention was now con- centrated upon the natives, who, like the vultures, spied us from afar, and gathered about us in ever increasing numbers from every side. We watched their approach with the greatest interest, and, in accordance with the custom of the country, waited, to exchange news with them. The composed and un- embarrassed manner in which they greeted us and offered us their hands contrasted forcibly with the shyness of most wild negro tribes. The way they chatted and laughed was really charming. During the short halt some fifty or sixty natives gathered about us ; of course we whites were the chief objects IN THE HEART OF MASAILAND 13] of attention, and as many of them had never before seen a European, it was interesting to note the impression we made upon them. They generally gazed at us for a bit, at first with an expression partly of astonishment, partly of suspicion ; then they ventured on a ‘ Lezbon, sobaj!’ or ‘God bless you, medicine-man!” to which, of course, as in duty bound, we re- plied with an ‘ Lbaj, moran, or ‘ The same to you, warrior,’ and the spell was broken. Evidently relieved, they would burst out laughing, whilst all those standing round joined in. One moran amused us immensely. Not dreaming of what he was going to see, he pushed through the natives gathered about us, and, coming upon us suddenly, started back in the greatest terror. Whencuriosity was satisfied on both sides we resumed our march, escorted by the whole crowd of natives, passed two of their kraals, forded the Engilata river, and camped on the - farther side. We were now, with but a very small and weak caravan, in the very heart of the most densely populated portion of Masai- land, but we had no reason to complain of the behaviour of the natives. On the contrary, except for a few old and apparently influential men, they left us quite alone whilst we were getting our camp into order. Not until our tents were pitched and the bales piled up did they remind us of the hongo. In con- nection with this exchange of presents the moruwu, or married men, gathered round the outside of the camp, whilst the moran, or warriors, prepared to perform the usual dance. Divided into two portions, according to their kraals or villages, they approached with measured steps, singing the customary song of welcome to caravans ; then they squatted down on the grass behind their oval shields, and, like the elders, waited patiently for the present. Jumbe Kimemeta, although still suffering a - good deal, now approached them, accompanied by a few Askari, with a view to arranging about the amount of the hongo. K 2 132 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU In his ‘Through Masailand’ Joseph Thomson gives a very detailed description of the Masai, and those who are familiar with his book will not find very much that is new about them in this.1 With the scene we now witnessed we felt strangely familar, as if it were part of a play with the dramatis persone of which we were already acquainted, and this impression was intensified whilst the formal proceedings went on. Our envoy, Kimemeta, and his attendant approached the eroup of warriors with an air of solemn dignity, and were received by one Lygonani, the representative of the Masai, with corresponding ceremony. Talking and listening seem to be as great a delight to the Masai as is raiding cattle, and they are thorough adepts in both arts. They have a great command of dialectics, and though their views and wishes are pronounced and one-sided enough, they know how to wrap them up in an infinite variety of expres- sions. A Masai Demosthenes must be gifted with inexhaustible prolixity, and parliamentary etiquette requires that the warriors should listen quietly to his tirades without interrupting him, They must not show a sign of curiosity. or of emotion, whether the matter under discussion be a murder or a few strings of beads. The orator, who holds in his right hand an ornamented wooden club, with which to emphasise his meaning, must never be interrupted by a word or even an exclamation. Our hongo consisted of 66 lb. of iron wire, ten naiberes, and a certain quantity of beads, which was given to the moruu, who kept a certain portion for themselves, and handed over the rest to the morans. Remembering Thomson’s description in pages 94 and 95 of his ‘ Through Masailand,’ we expected a fight to ensue for the spoil, and we awaited the onslaught with bated breath; but 1 The Author does not do himself justice in this remark, as he brings very forcibly before his readers many qualities of the Masai not hinted at in the writings of his predecessors.— TRANS. ’ DR. FISCHER AND JOSEPH THOMSON faa nothing of the kind occurred, and it seemed as if the warriors knew that for us the dark cloud of terror enveloping them had rolled away. If I didnot explain further, these remarks might very easily be misunderstood, so I will add how it was that, even before we had seen any of them, we had decided that the Masai were an unusually brave, but at the same time a bloodthirsty and covetous, people. We had had no need to refer to old accounts and rumours, but had got our information from the reports of Dr. Fischer and Joseph Thomson, who were the first Europeans in a position to give their own im- pressions. Before they went to Masailand a good many native traders had visited it in quest of ivory; but as Dr. Fischer, who knew the Zanzibari so well, points out, these traders were anything but a high class of men themselves. Dr. Fischer’s account of his own journey is not very detailed, but it paints the Masai in rather less sanguinary colours; and specially noteworthy is one account he gives of a bloody fight amongst the natives, in which, however, his caravan was left unmolested, whilst the accidental manslaughter of one of his people was atoned for by a gift of wire, stuffs, and beads. Thomson describes the Masaiin very much the same style as the ivory traders, but does not give any instances of bad treat- ment at their hands, and further acquaintance with these much- dreaded warriors convinced us that travelling amongst them was not fraught with any special danger; and we still felt the same after my bold trip to Mount Meru and Count Teleki’s later march, without guide or interpreter, from Masailand to Pangani. When the tribute ceremonies were over the natives streamed into our camp, and showed by their happy demeanour how relieved they were that the reserve required by the customs of their country could now be thrown aside. The women and children brought firewood, the old men squatted down round the fires to chat with our men, whilst we found 134 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU ourselves besieged by the younger people, who did not quit us till nightfall, and were all eager to shake hands with us, to touch and examine everything. Kimemeta told us we might expect a visit the next day from some four or five hundred warriors, and advised us to be off as early as possible, to avoid having to give another big hongo. The Masai are deep sleepers, not fond of the early morning dew, and rarely leave their huts before sunrise; but unfortunately it was wet the next morning, so we could not hasten our departure as much as we wished. Our march now led us in a south-west- erly direction from the Engilata river, across a plain sparsely covered with grass, and here and there quite bare. We met “no natives either, and could only see their HORNS OF THE GNU-ANTELOPE. herds on the banks of the Dariama river, in the distance looking like bright spots amongst the dark- ereen foliage. To make up for this there were quantities of big game, chiefly gnu-antelopes and zebras, on the steppe. The former are greyish-black animals, more lke oxen than ante- lopes in general form, looking from a distance very like buffaloes, especially as their horns greatly resemble those of the latter; but the mistake is soon perceived when they dash off at one’s approach, with long leaps in the air like young foals. Equally beautiful are the zebras, especially when, alarmed, they stamp about here and there, yelping hke so many ON THE WAY TO MOUNT MERU | 135 little dogs. We also saw a good many ostriches and gazelles, and made our first acquaintance with the handsome antelope named after Thomson the Gazella Thomson. It was of course impossible to do much hunting on the bare steppe, where there was no shelter to be had; but Count Teleki managed to bring down, from a distance of three or four hundred paces, three enu-antelopes, one zebra, and one Gazella Thomsom. The ostriches seemed to know by instinct how to keep well out of range. At about eleven o'clock eight old moruu caught us up, and advised us respectfully to change the direction of our march, or we should meet the armed morans we had started early to avoid; and under their guidance we bore at once north-west- ward, across a barren plain strewn with blocks of lava, and with here and there ponds of clear gleaming rainwater, beside one of which we camped at mid-day, as it was pouring again. We were now already at the foot of Mount Meru, the height of which is estimated by Dr. O. Kersten, who triangulated it, as 14,638 feet ; but it was so completely enveloped in clouds, mist, and rain, that not a sign of it could we see. In spite of the wet weather, Count Teleki and I were in capital health ; but many of the men had various complaints of the bowels, partly, probably, owing to the damp, and partly to eating too much meat. Our Somal suffered much, for they were nearly all down at once with fever and dysentery, accompanied with eruptions. ‘This, with our very limited knowledge of medicine, of course made us very anxious. And though our Masai friends had poimted out to us the direction in which lay the settlement of the Wameru, or dwellers on Mount Meru, none of our people had the least idea of the way. Luckily, however, we hit upon the right path, and till we came to the beginning of the ascent we followed it without mistake ; but here we got confused amongst the many animal tracks, and stopped in a 136 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU meadow, undecided which way toturn. Everything was draped in a deceptive grey mist, fine rain was falling, and we were altogether very uncomfortable. We climbed up about 660 feet, however, and at mid-day halted on the banks of a somewhat rapid stream. It cleared in the afternoon, and we were able to make out on the south the Sogonoy chain and many of the heights behind it; so I betook myself to a low hill hard by to complete our map, while Count Teleki started, rifle on shoulder, to try his luck at hunting ; but he soon came back, having nearly shot one of our own oxen. I had scarcely got my instruments into position and begun my work when I noticed a great herd of buffaloes coming out of a neighbouring thicket, and for a moment I could see along string of brown backs swaying to and fro. This made me careful, and I examined my surroundings more closely, becoming aware of three other buffaloes quietly erazing, but gradually coming nearer. At the foot of my hill they paused and sniffed the air, then, apparently reassured, they lay down, one or another getting up every now and then to toss his head and sniff again. They evidently could not make things out, and the wind not blowing from our camp, I was puzzled by their proceedings till Count Teleki suddenly appeared, approaching them without any suspicion of their presence. I made a sign to him, and he at once carefully stalked the animals from another direction. We watched them for a few minutes longer, and then the Count broke the spell, and I had the excitement of seeing a regular buffalo hunt, whilst quite out of danger myself. We had heard wonderful stories of these animals’ tenacity of life, so Count Teleki got quite close to them before he fired. One of them fell badly wounded, and the others dashed wildly away. We rushed towards our victim, but before we reached it we heard a sound like that made by a storm-wind, and as we gazed about us in bewilderment a herd of some hundred buffaloes, jostling each OUR MEN GO TO SEEK FOOD les wé other as they came, dashed by, with lowered horns, in dangerous proximity to us. Almost before we knew what they were they were gone, the trembling of the ground and the clouds of dust alone witnessing to their passage. We fired shot after shot into the seething brown mass as rapidly as possible, and though every bullet must have hit, not one animal fell. The rain poured down in torrents all night, moderating a little towards morning, but continuing in a steady stream, shrouding everything in mist, so that we could see nothing a hundred yards away. Between nine and ten o'clock in the morning it generally stopped raining, but the sky remained erey. Under such circumstances the loveliest scenery would have looked dreary, and our spirits were gloomy too, though not so gloomy as those of our men. We resumed our march in a north-westerly direction on April 27, chmbine slowly up a pathless slope, through long wet grass or swampy pools, now and then inthe beds of small streams, finding them, in fact, much easier walking. At mid-day we camped on the banks of a full and rapid stream. There was not a trace of natives to be seen anywhere, but we gave our men their ration in beads and stuffs in the afternoon, telling them to find the Wameru and buy their food from them. Some half of them went off at once, which seemed simpler than taking the whole caravan to hunt up the mountaineers. We awaited the return of the men with impa- tience, and tried to pass the time in hunting, but the weather soon put a stop to that. As the rain poured down, and hour after hour passed by without a sign of our men, we began to get anxious. Had we not only lately been warned by a strong caravan of the thievish propensities of the Wameru, who had come down in the darkness to carry off their goods? Night fell, and we were beginning to feel sure that something untoward had occurred, when we heard the muffled sound of a shot, and presently our men began to drop in singly and in pairs, 138 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU wet to the skin, hungry, worn out with fatigue, not one of them having brought anything. And the news they gave us was bad enough. After wandering about a long time they had come to a settlement of natives. At first they had been kindly received and the Wameru seemed willing to trade; but when their forces were strengthened by the arrival of others they fell upon our men and took everything from them, thrashed them, and drove them away. ‘Two of our Werndl carbines were also lost. Our people made no defence, and did not fire a shot, though they had all their weapons with them. Their accounts gave us plenty of food for thought. To have yielded in this way to an attack from the natives at the outset of the Expedi- tion boded ul for its future fate, for how could we hope to carry out our plans when. we had received such a check whilst still in sight of Kilimanjaro, and almost within reach of the coast? We must give our men confidence in themselves and in their leader. We knew well enough that reputation is everything in Africa, and we quickly determined to give the natives a lesson, unless our weapons were restored to us peaceably. The wet weather the next day was calculated to damp our ardour, but for all that the plan of our campaign of vengeance was quickly formed. Our men were told of our intentions, supplied with ammunition, and warned on no account to show the white feather. Keeping well together, we slowly and in silence climbed up the mountain, following the course of the stream. We crossed it at a shallow place, then waded through a smaller watercourse, and after a march of three hours found ourselves in a clearing sparsely dotted with bush and surrounded by a dense forest. There was no sign of the native settlement; but the men assured us we were not an hour’s march from it, and Count Teleki decided to halt here, although the water was some | four to five inches deep. His idea was to leave the loads behind WE PREPARE FOR WAR . 139 with me and twenty men to guard them, whilst he advanced to the attack with the rest. The next thing we did was to fortify the camp. The gravity of the situation was recognised by all, and not an unnecessary sound was made. Nothing was heard but the blows of the axes as the trees were felled, whilst ten men with loaded repeating rifles were told off as watchmen. The work proceeded rapidly, but we had not nearly finished it when the first brown figures appeared, creeping stealthily amongst the trees. We took no notice of them, but worked the harder at our defences. The quiet determination of our attitude, which was at once noted by the observant natives, had the desired effect, They guessed what our intentions were, and presently a shot, followed by shouting, was heard from the forest. The natives wanted peace, and begged for an interview. Kimemeta, though suffering dreadfully, stepped forward at once, and, accompanied by two Askari only, went to the edge of the wood, hoping, by the smallness of his following, to reassure the natives. It was some time, however, before anyone dared approach, and not until Kimemeta had declared that a mere shauri was all we wanted did we see the dusky forms cautiously advancing, sheltering themselves as they did so behind tree after tree, and finally emerging trembling on the clearing, with bunches of leaves in their hands. In about an hour and a half Kimemeta came back to the camp, accompanied by two native representatives, who wished in the name of the community to express their regret for the melancholy occurrence. They explained that it had not been the Wameru who had treated our men so badly, but some Wakwafi warriors, who were drunk at the time, from Arusha- wa-ju, on the south of Mount Meru. They assured us that they did not know before that our men had lost their weapons, and promised to do their very utmost to get them back. Their 140 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU representations seemed satisfactory to Count Teleki; and he was the more glad to avoid an open rupture as there was no telling how things might have gone, and if we had been worsted all further exploration of Mount Meru would have had to be given up. The two envoys were dismissed with presents, and told to bring the weapons back as soon as possible; also to arrange for a good market for our men. They went off perceptibly relieved, and some fifty or sixty armed natives who had watched the whole interview from the forest, ready for any emergency, also withdrew. So all had ended amicably after all. In the afternoon a crowd of armed natives from Arusha- wa-ju suddenly appeared in camp, bringing with them as presents a lttle maize and pombe, with a few bananas. ‘They were full of protestations of their good intentions, but they were all tipsy, and behaved in such a shameless manner that we were glad enough when they took themselves off. It rained all night and the next morning, so that our small camping-place became a regular pool. Some natives, true Wameru this time, appeared in the afternoon, bringing for sale maize, two kinds of beans, ripe and unripe, fresh and dried bananas, eleusine meal, tobacco, and honey. The first comers approached very timidly and cautiously, looking back again and again to assure themselves that their comrades in the forest had not slipped off, leaving them in the lurch; but as their numbers increased they gained confidence, and before long we were nearly crowded out of our own quarters. As some forty or fifty warriors remained in the forest, evidently on their guard, we thought caution was necessary in dealing with our guests, so, seizing our owh weapons, we quietly gave the men orders to have theirs in readiness. When the natives saw us prepared to fire if need were, they unwillingly withdrew. The warriors, who had all the time remained quietly waiting, now asked to speak to PEACE IS RESTORED Tan Jumbe Kimemeta. They had brought the lost weapons with them, but it was an hour and a half at least before they were actually handed over. Speech after speech was made about them, first by the natives, then by Kimemeta, the former trying to prove themselves quite innocent and to throwall the blame on their neighbours from Arusha. After this they came into camp MOUNT MERU. to receive their present, which consisted of seven doti! meri- kani, four strings of murtinarok beads, twenty rings of brass wire, twenty chain rings (mikufu), twenty strings of mboro beads, and a few charges of powder. Our present was by no means a small one, but, as already explained, we wished to show we could be generous and to make a good impression, so as to be able to carry on our 11 dott=2 schuka; 1 schuka=4 mikono. 1 mikono=a length measured under the arm from the elbow to the tips of the fingers. 142 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU explorations. Our gifts gave great delight, and this was in- creased later when we showed off our skill in shooting, and produced some matches, which we struck on the lids of the boxes or on the blades of our visitors’ spears. The next day it poured as usual, but the natives came into camp early bringing food, and a little later came the Meru chief, Matunda, with a large following. He differed but little in appearance from the other Wameru, but he had a pleasing, thoughtful, and reserved expression of face. Matunda bore us company for several hours, but all the talk was about the amount of the present he was to receive. He himself did not seem to be covetous, but, as in the case of Sedenga, his people kept urging him to ask for more and more. At last all his requests were granted, and he was profuse in his promises of friendship. We might do just as we pleased on the mountain— hunt as many elephants as we liked, climb to the top of Meru, &c.—but we had better camp nearer him, so that he could more easily meet our wishes. Count Teleki promised to avail him- self of his kind invitation the following afternoon, and Matunda returned home, leaving two of his men behind to act as guides. We decided to take very little with us, and our preparations were very soon made. Thirty men were to accompany us, the Somal guard, who were still suffering from dysentery, and Jumbe Kimemeta, being left behind in charge of the rest of the caravan. We took nothing with us for bartering, as we only meant to be away two or three days, and our men were provided for for that time. We started at half-past one in the afternoon, crossed the brook near the camp, and skirted along the primeval forest, which the Wameru, like the Wataveta, leave untouched as a protection to their settlements. Through dense vegetation, in- cluding many fine ferns, we slowly climbed the slope for about an hour, when we were suddenly intercepted by some fifteen or A USEFUL TURBAN 143 twenty armed natives. What they wanted with us we could not very well make out, as our interpreter, Mhoke, understood but little Kijagea, as the language spoken on Mounts Kilimanjaro and Meru is called. One thing, however, their cries and gesticu- lations made clear enough—-they did not wish us to proceed. Count Teleki lost patience, shoved aside the boldest of them, and marched on. Soon after we were stopped again, and then the position suddenly became clear to us: we were nearing the settlement, and ought to give the leibon, or medicine-man, a pre- sent, lest our visit should bring ill luck. As we had brought no goods with us, one of our men had to sacrifice his turban, which consisted of a schuka of merikani. But even this did not con- tent the natives; the stuff ought to have been frayed out on both sides and decked with red trimming. In fact they wanted a naibere such as has been already described. They soon saw, however, that our patience was becoming exhausted, and no longer opposed our approach. A felled tree, through the branches of which we had to creep like snakes, and a strong door resembling that at Taveta, formed the entrance of the clear- ing. One by one we crept through, and stepped across the piece of merikani which was spread out on the path, finding our- selves in the presence of the leibon, who anointed us each on forehead and neck with honey before we were allowed to go farther. We now reached a clearing from which we had a fairly extensive view over a beautifully cultivated country. Planta- tions, chiefly of bananas, covered the slopes of the mountain in every direction, and the fresh green of every variety of shade was most refreshing to the eyes. Delighted, we hastened on through the smiling landscape, and were soon passing through groves of bananas, where it was almost dark, over soft sward and sweet-smelling clover, past fieldsof maize, or wading through the icy cold and crystal-clear water of gurgling brooks. 144 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU We were escorted by natives all the way, but whither they were leading us we neither knew nor asked. At five o'clock we camped for the night on a sloping meadow at the edge of a foaming torrent, and we were hardly under shelter before the rain poured down again; its one advantage being that it relieved us of the importunate natives. We were now 4,850 feet above the sea, and the continuous rain made it quite cold. When we woke the next morning it was still pouring, and the landscape was shrouded in a heavy, oppressive mist. Not until nearly nine o’clogk did it clear enough for us to go on. We first crossed the bed of the torrent, and then bore westward, without climbing, between banana- hedges and across meadows. This brought us to a second rushing stream, to which a steep, slippery path led up. There natives again tried to bar our passage. On the other side of the stream the path lay between rocks, and some forty or fifty warriors blocked the way, shouting out to us to come no farther. There was no doubt that they could not have chosen a better spot for stopping us. Their leader stood in the midst of them, holding forth and gesticulating wildly, often pointing at us with his finely decorated wooden club; and his men listened to him eagerly, casting threatening glances at us every now and then. The first speaker was succeeded by another and yet another. Then the three orators sprang like chamois from rock to rock across the stream to us, called for our interpreter, and to him unfolded their demand. ‘They must have five doti merikani and five strings of ukuta beads. Mhoke, who had taken service with us as a porter only, but had soon been promoted to be an Askar, was generally brave enough, but on this occasion he quite lost his nerve, and, as he kept biting a blade of grass in his embarrassment, he cried again and again in a tone of conviction, ‘Matta kitu, Matta kitu ’ (‘We have nothing’). ‘Then back!’ was the uncompromising reply of the leader. — == ——— ——_S ———— — —— j BROOK. SHAURI BY THE WAR WE SUSPECT A’ TRAP 147 Presently Mhoke found that one of our porters had a schuka of white stuff, and offered it to the warrior, who, however, scorn- fully declined it. We now thought it time to interfere. Count Teleki asked, in commanding tones, if the schuka was or was not enough, at the same time significantly tapping his loaded weapon. This sufficed ; way was made for us, and we passed on. Another three-quarters of an hour’s march brought us to a meadow where the natives said we could camp near an over- srown ravine some 100 to 130 feet deep, forming the bed of the mountain-torrent Magsuru, the rushing noise of which reached us. As far as we could tell, the district about us was almost entirely covered with banana-plantations, amongst which we could make out from twenty to thirty isolated huts, looking very picturesque nestling against the slopes. It was a charming spot, but it would not do to be too much delighted with it till we knew the meaning of what was going on not very far off. Our attention was soon called to the fact that armed men were collecting in numbers, and that there were no women or children to be seen. Soon an eager shauri of warriors was being held quite close to us. What could they be plotting now? Caution was evidently advisable, so we only pretended to go on with our camping. Our tent was put up, but the bales were not unloaded, the whispered order went round to have the weapons ready, and we waited further events in watchful suspense. Fresh warriors kept arriving in haste from every side, till there were some 250, each with shield and spear and club, few, however, with guns, assembled close tous. We began to think, especially when we saw the Meru chief addressing the men again and again, that we had fallen into a trap. Our position was serious enough. On one side a deep ravine, on the other 250 armed men, their spears and shields, painted white, red, and black in Masai fashion, gleaming in the light of the sun, LZ 148 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU which just then broke through the clouds. Every now and then, too, one of their guns went off, as if by accident. We had little doubt that they would all presently spring upon us, and we anxiously awaited their onslaught, with revolvers and euns in readiness to fire. After a long pause Matunda, accom- panied by several old men, slowly approached, and informed us that the warriors demanded fifteen doti merikani and fifteen bundles of mikufu as hongo. Count Teleki explained that we had not brought any articles of barter with us, that we had already paid our tribute, and this was the first time natives had asked for hongo a second time. Moreover, he added, he was astonished, after the pressing invitation he had received, at meeting with such a hostile reception; as Matunda could see, however, we were prepared for all emergencies, and he could tell the warriors so. Matunda assured us that he had no influence over them, and we could easily see how repugnant the whole thing was to him. He said he was pretty sure the men would stick to their demands, but he would see what he could do. I will not weary the reader with a detailed account of the further negotiations, which lasted from half-past ten till one o'clock ; suffice it to say that the natives reduced their demands to five doti of stuff and five bundles of mikufu. Of course we had not them with us either, but Count Teleki promised to send for them, and peace was restored. Directly afterwards Matunda presented us with a goat, and we became good friends with the Wameru, especially after we had shown off our shoot- ing powers, for all natives delight in watching firmg. The first loan we had negotiated in Africa had, after all, been so successful that we tried to carry through another the next day, and actually got an ox for our men on credit. But the cere- monies connected with the affair took such a time that it was our last attempt of the kind. Though the ox belonged to one person only, the whole population must share in the proceed- NATIVE MODE OF RECKONING 149 ings, so that there were plenty of witnesses. It was interesting to note the way in which the natives reckoned up the amount to be paid. For this purpose empty ears of maize were used. One kind represented stuffs, such as cloth or merikani, another so much wire, and so on. The ears were carefully sorted, and the various piles stood for the number of dotis of stuff, senenjes, mikufus, and strings of beads. At least a hundred times did the natives name the price, that there might be absolutely no mistake about it, and then at last the happy seller packed up the ears of maize and walked off with them. The next day, when payment was made, he demanded double, but we stuck to the original amount. The weather continued so bad that we had to give up all idea of getting to the top of Mount Meru, but we determined to go as far as possible after all the difficulties we had sur- mounted by the way. But for this it was absolutely necessary to have articles of barter, so we should have to get them from the camp. It will be remembered that our chief aim in this journey to Mount Meru was to buy pack-animals at Arusha- wa-ju. We were now but one day’s journey from the Wakwafi settlement, on the south of the mountain, so that it really seemed best to get the whole caravan together again here. But there were difficulties in the way. Jumbe Kimemeta had somehow got wrong in his reckoning, and we had not brought nearly enough articles for barter and presents with us from Taveta, so that, bearing in mind the covetousness of the natives with whom we should have to deal, we ran a risk of failing in our object. We talked the matter over in the evening, when the natives had left us, with the result that it was decided for me to return to the camp below and consult Kimemeta. If he thought we could manage with what we had at the camp, I was to bring the whole caravan back with me, but if not, only what was necessary to pay our debts. 150 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU At half-past ten the next morning—the rain prevented my starting earlier—lI was off down the mountain, accompanied by fourteen men. I soon out-distanced my comrades, and reached the camp in two hours and a half, where my sudden appearance alone and covered with mud roused the greatest apprehension, till my joyful ‘ Yambo!’ relieved all anxiety. I soon enough found that we could not possibly go to Arusha-wa-ju—where a very large hongo would have to be paid—with what we had with us, so there was nothing for it but for me to collect what was actually needed on the mountain and return at once. I could not, however, get off before half-past three. We had no further trouble with Meru ceremonies, but the people of the settlement had to make an opening to let in the cattle I brought with me. At the door I met Mhoke, with a letter for me from Count Teleki, telling me to be sure and bring some rockets with me. Of course the Count could not know whether I should or should not be bringing the whole caravan with me. This letter, which rather took me. aback, also begged me to return as quickly as possible, as there was danger ahead. Of course I urged all possible speed on the men now, but the pouring rain made the loamy path so slippery that the heavily laden porters could only get on slowly, and, moreover, it soon became so dark that each man could barely see the one in front of him. So it was eight o’clock before we reached the camp, where, however, I was thankful to find all well. The natives really had tried to turn my absence to account by exacting a large tribute from Count Teleki, but this after- thought was merely the result of Mhoke’s nervousness. Soon after Lleft, Matunda had come, with his wife, to pay the Count a visit. This wife really was a beautiful creature, with regular features and sparkling eyes; she was a very decided coquette, which, by the way, is a rare thing with native women. Teleki FRESH DEMANDS FOR HONGO 15% gave his visitors a hearty welcome and amused them consider- ably. Just as they were leaving came the request for some of the mighty dana, or medicine, of which they had heard from our people. This medicine meant rockets,’ and the Count promised to send Mhoke to fetch some. The pouring rain had thus far kept the natives away from the camp, but in the after- noon they came in crowds, warriors being in the majority. Some 200 armed men had also taken up their position close to us, whilst another hundred or so were divided from them by a banana-hedge. Their bearing showed that there was something unpleasant in the wind, so Count Teleki ordered his handful of men—he had now only fourteen with him—to have their weapons ready. After a long, excited shauri, the leader of the larger body of warriors came to the Count and demanded a considerable hongo. Of course, as Teleki had nothing with him he could only refuse this request. Another noisy shauri ensued, and then back came the ultimatum: ‘ We are tired of promises ; either give us our tribute or be off.’ There was no doubt they were in earnest this time, so, to gain time, Teleki temporised, saying he must first speak to the chief. It now turned out that these warriors did not belong to Mount Meru, but came from Arusha-wa-ju, for they replied, ‘Sultan Matunda has nothing to do with the matter; we are masters here.’ As it seemed hopeless either to satisfy or drive off the warriors, and it would be easier to fight in the broken ground through which we had passed than in the open, Count Teleki now replied that it was impossible for him to give a hongo, so he would leave at once. He then ordered his men to pack up, but to keep their weapons handy. This very unexpected answer brought about an immediate change of front in the 1 The rockets so often referred to are found most useful by travellers in Africa, as the natives associate them with magic. The letting-off of a few rockets at night is a greater protection to a camp than anything else.—TRaNs. 152 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU native camp. The warriors had never dreamt of being taken at their word in such a manner, and now entreated the Count to remain, as they did not know what would happen at Arusha- wa-ju when it was found that they had driven the visitors away. The Count relented, and of his own free will promised them a present when his goods arrived. So peace was once more restored. As already stated, we had to give up our visit to Arusha on account of running short of goods. We regretted this the less as we were able to buy pack-animals on Mount Meru, the Wa- meru selling us some, whilst the people of Arusha brought us others. This led to our remaining longer than we had intended on Mount Meru, and we spent the whole of the first week in May there. We were, of course, much stronger now we were all together, but still we regretted the delay, as the natives were always trying to pick a quarrel with us, the Wakwafi putting the Wameru up to fresh aggressions and extortions. We had, however, only to show our teeth to bring them to reason, but it was a disagreeable state of things. We had often been told by traders that there are but two evil-disposed tribes in east equatorial Africa: the Wakikuyu and the Wa- kwafi of Arusha-wa-ju, or Great Arusha; and we had every reason to endorse their opinion with regard to the latter. The character of the Wameru themselves is, however, any- thing but perfect. They are Wajagga, and, like all mountain- eers, active, brave, and independent. Hitherto they had had to deal with ivory-traders or slave-dealers only, and they tried to overawe us, as they did them, with threats. We now had experiences very similar to those of Baron von der Decken on Kilimanjaro twenty-five years previously. The Wameru, or dwellers on Mount Meru, number some 1,000, and are an inde- pendent community, having, however, certain relations with the Wakwafi of Arusha-wa-ju. Their settlements are at a height ACCOUNT OF THE WAMERU 143 of from about 3,500 to 5,500 feet, on the southern slopes of the mountain. The beds of the streams on Mount Meru are much deeper than those on Kilimanjaro, and the surrounding scenery is perhaps, therefore, not quite so picturesque; but the soil is evidently more fertile, for nowhere else did we see such luxuriant and fruitful banana-plantations. The banana is the chief food here, but maize, beans, eleusine, with a few pota- toes, are cultivated, and a variety of tobacco with pink flowers is grown. The Wameru also breed cattle, sheep, and goats, and thelr numerous bees yield better honey than we tasted anywhere else in Kast Africa. The Wameru live in scattered huts, mostly made of straw and of the shape of a hayrick; but some few are exactly like those of the Masai, except that they are bigger, and instead of being covered in with earth and cow-dung, are finished off with banana-leaves, which have a whitish sheen. Of course the Wameru have. affinities with the Masai, their constant inter- course with the people of Arusha-wa-ju would ensure that ; and many of their manners and customs resemble those of their neighbours. Moreover, a good many Masai idioms have become incorporated with Kijagea. Matunda, chief of the Wameru, enjoys very little real power. He has to consult the wishes of the soldiery, especially of the Arusha warriors, at every turn. We saw little of him, and could never get access to him when quarrels were in the wind. We often invited him, but he always made the excuse that he was tipsy, a fact he confessed without the slightest shame. There were, however, always plenty of men, women, and children in our camp, although the rain scarcely ever ceased. From early morning to sunset we were almost crowded out by natives, and the immediate neighbourhood of. our settlement was never free from them. Our people had to barter for their 154 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU food, and we wanted donkeys. We were also anxious to buy some ethnographical curiosities; and the natives had not the slightest idea of the value of time. Nothing in Africa tried our patience and mettle more than this bartering with the natives; and it was worse here than anywhere else. It was not as if we were dealing with absolutely savage tribes; and it was really surprising what cunning quite young children could display. A few examples will suffice. Jumbe Kime- meta, experienced old trader though he was, could only get one donkey. Four times the price was fixed; four times the owner of the beast wanted to back out of his bargain. You may be pretty sure that in nine cases out of ten the natives will bring back the beads, or whatever the purchase-money is, at least five times, the hours spent in negotiations being thus absolutely wasted. And every transaction is watched by a crowd of spectators, drawn together by curiosity or a desire to show off their cleverness, so that, even if the buyer or seller is satisfied, his friends are not. One does not like the colour of the stuff, another thinks the price too low, and so on, ad infinitum. Amongst the natives there are generally some few who make it their special business to look after bartering, and traders try to bribe them with a small present to vote on their side. The usual result is, however, that bargains are at first apparently concluded, only for the natives to begin their backing-out again soon after, and the agent who took the bribe is nowhere to be found. We wasted no end of stuffs, gunpowder, wire, &c., in this way, not to speak of time and patience, gaining in the end absolutely nothing by all our perseverance. The bad weather prevented our going far from camp, and it was not until the last day of our stay with the Wameru that the heavy clouds hiding the mountain cleared off and we were able, though still only with the aid of glasses, to make out the upper slopes and peak. We recognised the pyramidal form AMONG THE WAMERU. LAKE BALBAL 157 of the extinct volcano, the west-north-west and east-south-west sides of which had been torn asunder in some terrible out- break, destroying the circular form of the cone, one side, the south-west being 14,640 feet high, whilst the northern is but 12,100 feet. As with Kilimanjaro, it 1s only from the south side of Mount Meru that any streams flow, so that the northern side is uninhabited. There are a good many elephants on Mount Meru, and as their appearance always created great excitement in the native settlements, we were sure to be told of it ; but we only saw one, and that was amongst grass as high asa man. We could hear the animal moving about close to us well enough, but we could only see him by climbing trees, and after a long, fruitless chase we had to give him up. The natives with us displayed great skill in following the game, but they spoilt it all by the cowardice with which they rushed to trees on the slightest danger. On this hunting expedition we came upon a pretty little triangular crater lake, called by the natives Balbal, two sides being about 2,600 feet long and the third about 1,600 feet only. The short side of the triangle has a low-lying sandy shore, whilst the perpendicular banks of the other portions are from 30 to 100 feet high, and are clothed with luxuriant green vegetation. There is no apparent outlet or inlet to this lake; the water is clear, transparent, of a deep blue colour, and, even near the level portion of the shore, of great depth. The surface was covered with countless water-lilies, and numerous water-birds haunted its shores, chiefly of the duck family. The sides of the cone- shaped hill overlooking Lake Balbal, which has a general but gentle inclination southwards, are clothed with short steppe orTass. During our stay on the mountain the people of Arusha-wa- ju often honoured us with a visit, and their leibon himself came several times. He remembered the German traveller, 158 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU Dr. Gustav Fischer, very well, told us a lot about him, and declared he had been his best friend. Although this medicine- man claimed to be asultan, and a very great sultan too, we were anything but enamoured of his gallows face, and placed very little confidence in him. An ox he gave us was such a mere skeleton that a leopard, which paid us a visit the next night, despised it as a meal, and only bit off its tail! On the morning of May 7 we left Mount Meru to return to Taveta by way of Little Arusha and Kahe. We had added ten erey asses to our caravan, but we had left behind our Muscat donkey, Msungu, so-called on account of its silver-grey hair. The poor creature had been bitten some twenty hours previously by a kind of fly; its mouth became swollen, it breathed with creat difficulty, and was evidently in considerable pain. We were very sorry to lose it, and knew we should greatly miss it later. We meant to start quite early, to avoid the natives, but we were delayed a little by the unfortunate illness of one of our men, who was struck down by fever. We left him under the care of a native whose appearance inspired respect and confidence, of course paying in advance for his keep, and arranging for him to follow us later. Our course was for a time along the Magsuru river; then we crossed it, and, passing close to the east of Lake Balbal, pressed on for the Akati river, rising on Mount Meru, which later, in receiving the Magsuru, absorbs all the mountain streams, and flows into the Dariama. The sky was clear, and after being in the cool mountain regions so long we felt the unwonted heat of the sun on the barren treeless steppes terribly. We camped on the Akati, and later in the afternoon we enjoyed a beautiful sight. Close by, on our left, the dark, almost black pyramid of Meru rose up from the golden steppe, whilst beyond, in majestic dignity, towered Kilimanjaro, its MASAI SPIES 159 many-hued slopes, contrasting with its snow-clad peak, gleam- ing in the beams of the setting sun. Fresh snow covered the whole saddle, and extended apparently to the upper portion of the primeval forest. We now for the first time made out the third peak of Kilimanjaro, which, being considerably lower than the other two, rarely emerges from the masses of clouds in which the summits are generally hidden. LAKE BALBAL. On the 8th we marched farther along the Akati, nearly as far as its junction with the Magsuru, on the left bank of which, beneath a few venerable sycamores, we camped for the night. On these two marches we only met a few Masai sent out as spies to patrol the border districts between Masailand and Arusha-wa-ju. We should not come upon these dreaded people in numbers till we reached the Dariama, and considering that we had exhausted our goods for barter, &c., we were 160 TAVETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU - anything but anxious for a meeting. To avoid them we de- termined to make a double march the next day, which would enable us to pass beyond the territory occupied by them. We started earler than usual, and plodded on as rapidly as possible in the direction of the distant fringe of vegetation marking the course of the Dariama, which probably rises, under the name of the Shamburay, on the south-west side of Mount Meru, becoming the Dariama in its middle easterly course, whilst farther on it is known as the Ronga. The Shamburay- Ronga receives all the streams flowing south from Mount Meru, and takes them to the Ruvu, or Pangani, which thus drains the whole of the Meru and Kilimanjaro basins. After a march of four hours we reached the Dariama. The river here was more than 19 yards across, and 5 or 6 feet deep, with a considerable volume of thick, muddy-looking water.