VI 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



229 



After a short period five of the most influential of 

 the Embe leaders came to ransom their friends, whom 

 we had detained. As a ransom they brought with them 

 three donkeys. We greeted them kindly, and bought 

 the donkeys at reasonable prices, saying that we were 

 unwilling to receive presents from our friends. We 

 then brought forward the four hostages held by us, 

 and after loading them with gifts, told them they were 

 free to return to their people, and explain how good 

 and kind we were. They were delighted with their 

 presents, but seemed eager to depart. Their delight 

 was somewhat lessened when they found that the new- 

 comers (who, by the way, we learned were the chief men 

 of the Embe) were to be retained in their stead. We 

 explained that we were desirous of entering into close 

 relationship with the Embe, and could imagine no 

 means so well adapted to that end as prolonged inter- 

 course with their wisest and most influential chiefs : 

 we therefore considered it advisable to extend our 

 hospitality to the elders who had just come. 



Both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I excessively dis- 

 liked going through with such affairs ; but we knew it 

 was necessary, for George would have been absolutely 

 unsafe in the territory of the Embe, had we not held 

 these influential men as hostages in our camp. During 

 the days immediately ensuing several messages were 

 received from George, telling us that his experiences 

 with the Embe were of the most ple'asant character, that 

 trade in donkeys had been going on as well as could be 

 wished, and that he had managed during the first two 

 weeks of his stay to purchase thirty-seven of these 

 animals ; but that at the time of writing, because either 



