1867.] WATER-WAGTAILS. AN ARAB WEDDING. 217 



will take in the Nsama affair. Hamees, it seems, is highly 

 thought of by that chief, who says, " Let him come, and all 

 will be right." Hamees proposes to go with but a few 

 people. These Zanzibar men are very different from the 

 slavers of the Waiyau country. 



25#i June. — The people, though called, did not assemble, 

 but they will come to-morrow. 



Young wagtails nearly full-fledged took wing, leaving one 

 in the nest ; from not being molested by the people they 

 took no precautions, and ran out of the nest on the ap- 

 proach of the old ones, making a loud chirping. The old 

 ones tried to induce the last one to come out too, by flying 

 to the nest, and then making a sally forth, turning round 

 immediately to see if he followed : he took a few days 

 longer. 



It was decided at the meeting that Hamees, with a few 

 people only, should go to Nsama on the first day after the 

 appearance of the new moon (they are very particular on 

 this point) ; the present month having been an unhappy 

 one they will try the next. 



, 28th June. — A wedding took place among the Arabs to- 

 day. About a hundred blank cartridges were fired off, and 

 a procession of males, dressed in their best, marched through 

 the village. They sang with all their might, though with 

 but little music in the strain. Women sprinkled grain on 

 their heads as wishes for plenty.* 



Nsama is said to be waiting for the Arabs in his new 

 stockade. It is impossible to ascertain exactly who is to 

 blame in this matter, for I hear one side only ; but the fact 

 of the chiefs in this part of the country turning out so 

 readily to punish his breach of public law, and no remon- 

 strance coming from him, makes me suspect that Nsama 



* This comes near to the custom of throwing rice after the bride and 

 bridegroom in England. — Ed. 



