WAHIMA, WAKONDJA, AND SUAHILIS. 107 



if true. The news of these Wanyuema having been 

 reported to the Queen Mother and her warriors, 

 probably in a revised Suahili version, these and 

 Maosolia at once fled precipitately to a safe island. 

 While this was going on I had frequent and 

 agonised messages from both sides, asking for 

 advice and assistance ; and this was the juncture 

 at which I appeared upon the scene. 



Now there were certain very suspicious charges 

 of stealing women against Mukwia ; but I con- 

 sidered he had shown, for a Suahili, such extra- 

 ordinary qualities either of pluck or of ingenuity 

 that I did not care to send him to the capital, as 

 Colonel Colville in a way authorised me to do if 

 necessary. I half suspected the Wanyuema were 

 a Suahili invention ; but if this was so, Mukwia 

 was far too good a man to send away, so I had a 

 long, weary talk, and arranged that Kasuiri and 

 his two friends were to send their ivory and cattle 

 only to the Government at the Salt lake and 

 not to Kasagama. They were, however, to call 

 Kasagama their father. As to the charges against 

 Kasagama, they appeared to me to show that he 

 did not put down slavery, but actually made slaves 

 himself ; and yet in the circumstances, without a 

 resident European with proper authority, there was 

 no use in doing anything for the Suahilis, if too 

 much encouraged, would probably have behaved in 

 a far worse manner. I therefore contended myself 

 with asking Colonel Colville to send an officer to 



