58 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN 



so gained her affections that she married him. He was now- 

 regarded no longer as a slave, but as an honoured son- 

 in-law. 



Bom-bom was not as lucky as his companion. He was of a 

 different temperament, and submitted with a bad grace to his 

 captivity and slavery. Nor did he at all take kindly to being sent 

 to cultivate the fields in company with women. Nor did any 

 native lady fall in love with him and desire him for a husband. 

 In desperation he determined to escape, and his master appar- 

 ently helped him off ; but not knowing the way out of the 

 country, he nearly died of hunger, and, after wandering for 

 days, he was compelled to return to the village. Here he was 

 at once seized by the natives and tied hand and foot preparatory 

 to being butchered. His Swahili friend arrived opportunely on 

 the scene, and told the Wanandi that he knew an infallible 

 charm for preventing a recaptured slave from ever succeeding 

 in escaping. He professed to be willing to divulge the secret 

 on solemn promise that Bom-bom's life should be spared, in 

 order to test the efficacy of the charm. The natives are very 

 superstitious and equallv curious to hear about something 

 supernatural. The promise was therefore readily given. Bom- 

 bom was set free, and a cupful of water was poured over his 

 feet by the Swahili who declared this to be the magic charm. 

 Of course it was only a trick ; for if Bom-bom escaped again 

 and was recaptured, his capture would be attributed to the 

 efficacy of the charm. If, however. Bom-bom made a suc- 

 cessful escape, he would obviously be out of danger, charm or 

 no charm ; and the Swahili was meditating to effect his own 

 escape shortly. 



In his heart, the Sw-ahili yearned for freedom, and his wife 

 determined to help him and to accompany him, leaving her 

 children in the meantime in the care of the old grandfather. 

 Owing to her knowledge of the country, this devoted wife 

 got the Swahili safely out of it. Both lived afterwards for a 

 while in a Kavirondo village, and then the wife decided to 

 return to her father's village to fetch her children to the new 

 home and probably to bring her old father as well. 



Bom-bom, finding that the Swahili had managed to escape, 

 decided to make another eff'ort. He succeeded ; and this is how 

 he came to accompany me to the coast. 



Subsequently the Nandi country was reduced to submission 



