men of the caravan, which left with Saim, must have taken them off as
slaves. He sent for the chief of the caravan, and had him brought back
to account for this business. Of course the man swore he knew nothing
about the matter, whilst Lumeresi swore he should stop there a prisoner
until the women were freed, as it was not the first time his women had
been stolen in this manner. About the same time a man of this place, who
had been to Sorombo to purchase cows, came in with a herd, and was at
once seized by Lumeresi; for, during his absence, one of Lumeresi's
daughters had been discovered to be with child, and she, on being asked
who was the cause of it, pointed out that man. To compensate for damage
done to himself, as his daughter by this means had become reduced to
half her market-value, Lumeresi seized all the cattle this man had
brought with him.

3d to 10th.--When two days had elapsed, one of the three missing
Wahuma women was discovered in a village close by. As she said she had
absconded because her husband had ill-treated her, she was flogged,
to teach her better conduct. It was reported they had been seen in
M'yonga's establishment; and I was at the same time informed that the
husbands who were out in search of them would return, as M'yonga was
likely to demand a price for them if they were claimed, in virtue of
their being his rightful property under the acknowledged law of buni, or
findings-keepings.

For the next four days nothing but wars and rumours of wars could be
heard. The Watuta were out in all directions plundering cattle and
burning villages, and the Wahuma of this place had taken such fright,
they made a stealthy march with all their herds to a neighbouring chief,
to whom it happened that one of Lumeresi's grey-beards was on a visit.
They thus caught a Tartar; for the grey-beard no sooner saw them than he
went and flogged them all back again, rebuking them on the way for their
ingratitude to their chief, who had taken them in when they sought his
shelter, and was now deserted by them on the first alarm of war.

10th.--Wishing now to gain further intelligence of Grant, I ordered
some of my men to carry a letter to him; but they all feared the Watuta
meeting them on the way, and would not. Just then a report came in that
one of Lumeresi's sons, who had gone near the capital of Ukhanga to
purchase cows, was seized by Rohinda in consequence of the Isamiro chief
telling him that Lumeresi had taken un