576 VICTORIA-CROSS FELLOWS." 



He himself did not go near the fighting, but remained in 

 his house. Among the strangest features of the scene was the 

 part taken by the women. " They could be seen," continues 

 the doctor, " everywhere moving up and down the village with 

 sieves as if winnowing ; and singing songs, and lullilooing to 

 encourage their husbands and friends who were fighting. Each 

 had in her hand a branch of Ficus indica, which they waved 

 constantly as a charm. Though the Imbozhwa continued this 

 assault from early morning until 1 P. m. they only killed two 

 men with their arrows, and themselves lost ten." 



But the witness could not withhold his praises for their bravery, 

 and mentions with special admiration the care with which they 

 looked after their fallen comrades. When one fell, two or three 

 would immediately seize him and carry him away from the field, 

 though pursued by great crowds of the Wanyamwezi with spears 

 and fired at by the Suaheli. "Victoria-cross fellows, truly, 

 many of them were ! " exclaims the enthusiastic Englishman. 

 The most gallant of them wore bunches of the tails of animals 

 and medicine charms tied to their waists. They would come 

 sidling and ambling up near the unfinished stockade and shoot 

 their arrows high up in the air to fall among the Wanyamwezi, 

 then picking up such arrows as they saw on the field run off 

 and return with the same prancing gait. They seemed to think 

 that this peculiar gait saved them from the balls, and the air of 

 confidence with which they lowered their heads when they heard 

 the whizzing to allow the balls to pass was a picture for an 

 artist. 



It was quite evident to Livingstone that the Suaheli Arabs 

 were quite taken aback by the attitude of the natives; they ex- 

 pected them to flee as soon as they heard a gun fired in anger, 

 but instead of this they were very nearly being cut off, and 

 should have been but for our Wanyamwezi allies. It was ad- 

 mitted to be very fortunate that the attacking party had no 

 success in trying to get Mpweto and Karembwe to join them, or 

 it would have been more serious still. 



Early on the 24th the assailants approached again, and called 

 on Mohamad to come out of his stockade if he were a man who 

 could fight, but the fence was finished, and no one seemed willing 

 to obey the taunting call. The doctor was glad that he had 



