202 TAYETA AND MOUNTS KILIMANJARO AND MERU 



the ground. Maktubu, not a little surprised at this sudden 

 result of his bold venture, which showed him who was really 

 master in the caravan, got up boiling over with rage and shame, 

 for all the men had hurried up to witness the affray. Then off 

 he went gnashing his teeth in impotent fury, and for weeks 

 after this neither he nor Manwa Sera, these two being the 

 chief of the guides, were seen at all, for the} 7 remained day and 

 night in their huts nursing their wrath, doing no work, and not 

 even coming to fetch their rations. It was now that the letter 

 to the Sultan was sent off, and not until his reply was received 

 did the men come to their senses and show themselves again. 



The presence of the two German travellers in Taveta made 

 a very pleasant break in our life, and we enjoyed many a 

 happy evening with them, missing them sorely when they left 

 on July 2. Dr. Meyer had been persuaded to change his plans 

 a little, and to visit Mandara at Marangu, which he had no 

 cause to regret. 



At the beginning of July the long-expected caravan of ivory 

 traders arrived in Taveta from Ngaboto, bringing some 35 lb. 

 of ivory, chiefly in large tusks. Their presence added to the 

 scarcity of food, but we were glad to see them, as we were now 

 able to add to our stock of pack animals. We bought eight 

 good strong donkeys from them for 240 dollars, paying for them 

 with drafts on the house of Wm. Oswald and Co., in Zanzibar. 

 Soon after several other small parties of men came in, some 

 belonging to Jumbe Kimemeta's party, others to different 

 traders, who were anxious to join us, so that there were now 

 some 600 strangers in Taveta. On July 5 we received the 

 stores of cowries, small axes, strong rice bags required for 

 packing our loads of stuffs, and other odds and ends, which we 

 had ordered in Mombasa of the Hindu trader, Ademji, before 

 we left for Kilimanjaro. We now had all our stores and goods 

 together at last, and the next day we began, with feverish 



