56 



FROM THE COAST TO KILIMANJARO 



porters. As there was a chance here of buying some ox-hides 

 to make saddle-bags for the mules, the caravan halted yet 

 another day, and it was then that the misfortune occurred. 

 Count Teleki at once sent out his most trustworthy men to 

 scour the country after the thieves, himself going on to Kwa 

 Futo, the next village ; but, alas ! the scouts soon returned 

 without any news of the fugitives, in spite of their having 

 been spurred on to exertion by the promise of a very high 

 reward. On the 14th the caravan pushed on to Korogwe, 

 a station of the German East African Company, where Count 

 Teleki decided to await my arrival. Meanwhile the Count 

 missed thirteen other loads, and sent off my informer, with 

 twenty trusty men, to try and recover them. Ali Schaongwe 

 and his party had thoroughly searched the whole district on 

 either side of the line of march down to the coast ; but it was 

 in vain, and we had to give up all hope of ever seeing our 

 books, &c, again. Nevertheless, I brought all the influence I 

 could to bear on the search, and in a letter I wrote to the 

 missionaries stationed in Maguila I bested them to use their 

 influence on our behalf, and by promising a considerable bonus 

 to the finder of anything I roused up the whole population of 

 Bweni and Pangani. In another letter to Zanzibar I laid 

 special stress on the recovery, above everything else, of our 

 books and maps. But it was all labour lost ; and though my 

 newly hired porters could not be got to advance, I did not like 

 to keep Count Teleki waiting any longer, so I decided to start 

 again on February 24. One thing, however, must be done at 

 once, and that was, punish the fugitives as an example to the 

 rest ; so I went to Wali, and he carried out my instructions 

 by having them publicly flogged by the gaoler of the prison, the 

 red flag of the Sultan floating from a wall hard by. Then 

 they were chained together in groups of four and sent to 

 Mawia with Schaongwe and the rest of the men. I was very 



