1871.] BOY KILLED AND EATEN. 99 



by this time what has detained me, and the end to which I 

 strain. 



Only one letter reached, and forty are missing ! James 

 was killed to-day by an arrow : the assassin was hid in the 

 forest till my men going to buy food came up.* I propose 

 to leave on the 12th. I have sent Dr. Kirk a cheque for 

 Es. 4000 : great havoc was made by cholera, and in the 

 midst of it my friend exerted himself greatly to get men 

 off to me with goods ; the first gang of porters all died. 



Sth February. — The ten men refusing to go north are 

 influenced probably by Shereef, and my two ringleaders, 

 who try this means to compel me to take them. 



9th February. — The man who contrived the murder 

 of James came here, drawn by the pretence that he was 

 needed to lead a party against the villages, which he led 

 to commit the outrage. His thirst for blood is awful : he 

 was bound, and word sent to bring the actual murderers 

 within three days, or he suffers death. He brought five 

 goats, thinking that would smooth the matter over. 



11th February. — Men struck work for higher wages: I 

 consented to give them six dollars a month if they behaved 

 well ; if ill I diminish it, so we hope to start to-morrow. 

 Another hunting quelled by Mohamad and me. 



The ten men sent are all slaves of the Banians, who are 

 English subjects, and they come with a lie in their mouth : 

 they will not help me, and swear that the Consul told 

 them not to go forward, but to force me back, and they 

 spread the tale all over the country that a certain letter 

 has been sent to me with orders to return forthwith. They 

 swore so positively that I actually looked again at Dr. Kirk's 

 letter to see if his orders had been rightly understood by me. 

 But for Mohamad Bogharib and fear of pistol-shot they 



* The men give indisputable proof that his body was eaten by the 

 Manyuema who lay in ambush. — Ed. 



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