332 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOUBNALS. [Chap. XI II. 



be met with alarm and refusal, but it served very well to 

 act the part taken by the wolf in the fable. A grievance 

 would immediately be made of it, and Chama " eaten up M 

 in due course for daring to gainsay the stronger man. Such 

 is too frequently the course of native oppression. At last 

 Kumbakumba's town came in sight. Already the large dis- 

 trict of Itawa has tacitly allowed itself to be put under 

 the harrow by this ruffianly Zanzibar Arab. Black-mail is 

 levied in all directions, and the petty chiefs, although really 

 under tribute to Nsama, are sagacious enough to keep in 

 with the powers that be. Kumbakumba showed the men a 

 storehouse full of elephants' tusks. A small detachment was 

 sent off to try and gain tidings of one of the Nassick boys, 

 John, who had mysteriously disappeared a day or two pre- 

 viously on the march. At the time no great apprehensions 

 were felt, but as he did not turn up the grass was set on fire 

 in order that he might see the smoke if he had wandered, 

 and guns were fired. Some think he purposely went off 

 rather than carry a load any further ; whilst others fear he 

 may have been killed. Certain it is that after a five days' 

 search in all directions no tidings could be gained either 

 here or at Chama's, and nothing more was heard of the poor 

 fellow. 



Numbers of slaves were collected here. On one occasion 

 they saw five gangs bound neck to neck by chains, and 

 working in the gardens outside the towns. 



The talk was still about the break up of Casembe's power, 

 for it will be recollected that Kumbakumba and Pemba 

 Motu had killed him a short time before ; but by far the 

 most interesting news that reached them was that a party of 

 Englishmen, headed by Dr. Livingstone's son, on their way 

 to relieve his father, had been seen at Bagamoio some months- 

 previously. 



The chief showed them every kindness during their five 



