THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 207 



six savage bearers from Myeru's village and line up 

 outside. Call an interpreter. 



"What do you want?" 



"We want to go home." 



This is the usual sporadic outbreak, and I give them 

 the usual reply: 



"All right; go home. But then you get no wages at 

 aU." 



As they have been with me some little time and 

 have done considerable work, this ought to settle it. 

 They hold a short shauri. 



"All right," they decide; "we want no wages; we 

 want to go home." 



This was a facer; for I need every man I can get 

 hold of. Nothing remains but to bluff. Of course I 

 know nothing whatever of poUtical conditions in this 

 (to me) new country; but I can make a shrewd guess. 

 I rise on my elbow and say sternly : 



"If you go home now without finishing your cazi I 

 will teU the bwana m'kubwa at Shirati, and he will send 

 askaris and wiU take away your cattle." 



The guess is a good one. They raise a wild shout, as 

 though in derision at themselves, and, quite cheer- 

 fully, retire. 



This happens every once in a while, and I think 

 they merely want to be assured that they cannot go. 



Then I treat a man for fever, another for too much 

 meat, a third for an infected small wound, and a fourth 



