PREPARA TIONS 



59 



he did. This doctrine was regarded in Mombasa as altogether 

 unsound. It was impressed on me that the first requisite in 

 a headman is knowledge of the country through which the 

 caravan is going to pass, and of the people dwelling there. I 

 was very reluctant to act in contravention of local advice, but 

 after pondering the matter carefully I resolved to take Omari, 

 and well indeed did he justify the choice. 



I went through the list of the men of our abortive expedi- 

 tion with Omari. I had watched them carefully, and so could 

 tell him the names of those I wanted and of those whom I did 

 not want. I said that I would not take a Somali at any price, 

 though all of those of our former expedition then in Mombasa 

 begged to be allowed to come. I was sick and tired of the very 

 sight of the people. I gave Omari also a list of the languages 

 for which I wanted interpreters, and told him that, if possible, 

 he was to engage two or three of the men who had been with 

 Count Teleki. If none could be found in Mombasa, they must 

 be obtained from Bagamoyo or Zanzibar. As I wished to leave 

 in a week, there was no time to lose. We set to work at once 

 — he to hunt up recruits and I to collect stores. Mr. Piggott 

 kindly lent me thirty-five Snider carbines, and I also took five 

 of our old long Sniders for the headman and the four Askaris. 



After a week spent in purchasing and packing, everything 

 was ready. I was grieved to have to start with so incomplete 

 a geographical equipment, but the necessary instruments could 

 not be obtained. At first the porters came in very slowly. 

 This was partly because they did not like Omari's manner 

 — prompt and business-like, but unsympathetic — and partly 

 because the great Mohammedan festival of Ramathan was at 

 hand, and the men did not like to lose the fun. It was not till 

 the 22nd of March that the last man was enlisted and the last 

 load packed. I originally intended to start on that date, but 

 as the mail from Zanzibar was a day later than was expected, 

 I had to postpone our departure until the 23rd. 



After a revision of my list of trade goods, my " ways and 

 means," by Mr. Martin, who had returned with the mail, we 

 read out the roll-call. Three men were missing, and we had 

 to send out some of the Company's police to bring them in. 

 Another porter, whom I knew and did not want, had given 

 himself a new name, and signed under it. I refused to have 



