VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 309 • 



and said they could understand sufficient of what the 

 Rendile were saying, to gather that they were preparing 

 to fall upon us. 



Both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had been so much 

 irritated by the unreasonable behaviour of these people, 

 that we would have almost welcomed a struggle, as a 

 relief to our feelings. It flashed across my mind that 

 we should never be in a better position to attack them 

 than at that time. We were in a strong zeriba, water 

 near at hand, and plentiful food and ammunition sup- 

 plies. Seated in front of us were, as far as we could 

 learn, the three greatest chiefs of the Rendile, entirely 

 at our mercy. We did not wish to begin a struggle ; 

 but if one arrow had flown, or a spear been cast through 

 the zeriba, we should at once have entered into the 

 spirit which prompted the action. Three well-directed 

 volleys fired through the thorns of our zeriba would 

 have laid many of the warriors low, and dispersed the 

 remainder ; then we could have retained the three chiefs 

 as hostages, and forced the Rendile to trade on satis- 

 factory terms. 



The shouting continued. The three chiefs sat quiet, 

 and eyed us narrowly, doubtless seeking for some in- 

 dication of fear. At length I told them that we had 

 made blood-brothers with the Rendile, and in conse- 

 quence we were loath to treat them in any but the 

 most friendly manner ; but that in our country we were 

 not accustomed to such shouts and cries as then filled 

 the air, and we were compelled to construe them as 

 signs of hostility ; also, that unless quiet was at once 

 restored, the Rendile would discover in short order 

 what manner of men we were. 



