s like monster bassoons, blowing with
all their might, contorting their faces and bodies, and going through
the most obscene and ridiculous motions to captivate their simple
admirers. This, however, was only the feast; the ball then began, for
the pots were no sooner emptied than five drums at once, of different
sizes and tones, suspended in a line from a long horizontal bar, were
beaten with fury, and all the men, women, and children, singing and
clapping their hands in time, danced for hours together.

A report reached me, by some of Sirboko's men, whom he had sent to
convey to us a small present of rice, that an Arab, who was crossing
Msalala to our northward, had been treacherously robbed of all his
arms and guns by a small district chief, whose only excuse was that the
Wanyamuezi had always traded very well by themselves until the Arabs
came into the country; but now, as they were robbed of their property,
on account of the disturbances caused by these Arabs, they intended for
the future to take all they could get, and challenged the Arabs to do
the same.

My patience was beginning to suffer again, for I could not help thinking
that the chiefs of the place were preventing their village men going
with me in order that my presence here might ward of the Watuta; so I
called up the kirangozi, who had thirteen "Watoto," as they are called,
or children of his own, wishing to go, and asked him if he knew why no
other men could be got. As he could not tell me, saying some excused
themselves on the plea they were cutting their corn, and others that
they feared the Watuta, I resolved at once to move over to Nunda; and if
that place also failed to furnish men, I would go on to Usui or Karague
with what men I had, and send back for the rest of my property; for
though I could bear the idea of separating from Grant, still the
interests of old England were at stake, and demanded it.

This resolve being strengthened by the kirangozi's assurance that the
row in Msalala had shaken the few men who had half dreaded to go with
me, I marched over to Hunda, and put up with Grant in Ukulima's boma,
when Grant informed me that the chief had required four yards of
cloth from him for having walked round a dead lioness, as he had thus
destroyed a charm that protected his people against any more of these
animals coming, although, fortunately, the charm could be restored again
by paying four yards of cloth. Ukulima, however, was a very kind a