A USEFUL T URBAN 



143 



twenty armed natives. What they wanted with us we could not 

 very well make out, as our interpreter, Mhoke, understood but 

 little Kijagga, as the language spoken on Mounts Kilimanjaro 

 and Meru is called. One thing, however, their cries and gesticu- 

 lations made clear enough — they did not wish us to proceed. 

 Count Teleki lost patience, shoved aside the boldest of them, and 

 marched on. Soon after we were stopped again, and then the 

 position suddenly became clear to us : we were nearing the 

 settlement, and ought to give the leibon, or medicine-man, a pre- 

 sent, lest our visit should bring ill luck. As we had brought no 

 goods with us, one of our men had to sacrifice his turban, which 

 consisted of a schuka of merikani. But even this did not con- 

 tent the natives ; the stuff ought to have been frayed out on both 

 sides and decked with red trimming. In fact they wanted a 

 naibere such as has been already described. They soon saw, 

 however, that our patience was becoming exhausted, and no 

 longer opposed our approach. A felled tree, through the 

 branches of which we had to creep like snakes, and a strong 

 door resembling that at Taveta, formed the entrance of the clear- 

 ing. One by one we crept through, and stepped across the piece 

 of merikani which was spread out on the path, finding our- 

 selves in the presence of the leibon, who anointed us each 

 on forehead and neck with honey before we were allowed to 

 go farther. 



We now reached a clearing from which we had a fairly 

 extensive view over a beautifully cultivated country. Planta- 

 tions, chiefly of bananas, covered the slopes of the mountain in 

 every direction, and the fresh green of every variety of shade 

 was most refreshing to the eyes. Delighted, we hastened on 

 through the smiling landscape, and were soon passing through 

 groves of bananas, where it was almost dark, over soft sward 

 and sweet-smelling clover, past fields of maize, or wading through 

 the icy cold and crystal-clear water of gurgling brooks. 



