THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 211 



Memba Sasa returned reporting two practicable fords, 

 but no hippo. 



At one o'clock, as no more men had come in, I re- 

 solved on a change of policy. Armed the gunbearers 

 and donkey men, and sent them up to the village with 

 a peremptor}^ statement that I wanted to see Missambi. 

 He came, with his prime ministers. To him I spoke 

 in substance as follows: 



"You promised me ten men at daylight; it is now 

 afternoon and only four have come. Either you are 

 not acting right, or else you have no authority over 

 your people. When I get to Alusoma I shall tell this 

 to the bwana m'kubwa there. If he thinks you have 

 done wrong, he will send askaris and take from you 

 many cattle and two of your wives. If, on the other 

 hand, he thinks you have no authority, he will appoint 

 another sultan who can make the people obey." 



I delivered this, at greater length, of course, in a very 

 stern and lofty tone. He listened, looking very' miser- 

 able, much like a small boy on the verge of tears. I 

 think, left to himself, he would have been quite amena- 

 ble. His chief advisers, however, looked as black as 

 thunder clouds, though they dared not say anything. 



Having delivered the ultimatum — which was sheer 

 bluff and quite unauthorized — I would listen to no 

 reply, but dismissed them at once; and made a great 

 parade of my armed forces! 



In ten minutes four more men came; I took down 



