A FRESH START 221 



took the right direction (northwards to the 

 Msalu), Lewis recovered these two loads of his 

 some days later. (As the tin box contained a 

 precious bottle of Bovril and 5 lb. of sugar, this 

 recovery was of no small importance.) My 

 boy, a little Makua Shensi named " Moosa," whom 

 I had obtained in Pemba, and who could not speak 

 a single word of Swahili when he first came to me, 

 also did well, running to me and giving me my 

 rifle when the firing started and stopping with 

 me throughout ; whereas my askari orderly, with 

 my spare bandolier of cartridges, disappeared at 

 the start. 



Finally, with our thirteen askaris, we set off 

 northwards to the Msalu river, reaching there late 

 in the afternoon and in the rain. We counted on 

 finding most of the missing members of our 

 broken safari along the river, and counted rightly 

 as far as the askaris and eight porters, including 

 Hammond, were concerned. But the main body 

 of porters on bolting had gone to the left and 

 southwards, and, minus two (whom the local 

 natives tomahawked, killing one, and taking the 

 other to the Germans), eventually reached our 

 column, where, of course, in true negro fashion, 

 they gave a highly imaginative account of the 

 whole affair. All they had heard was some 

 shooting, and all they had seen was some 

 askaris running past them, but they were 

 able, nevertheless, to give to the column In- 

 telligence Officer the following account, and 



