IX 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



419 



upon the well-beaten path which leads from the coast 

 to Uganda. They had been accustomed to regular 

 marches and rests over a well-known road; and 

 although the road from the coast to Daitcho could 

 not in any sense be considered a difficult one, yet 

 nevertheless, within a few hours of their arrival, they 

 were complaining of the hardships 

 of the march they had made, and 

 sajang that Daitcho was no place 

 for any self-respecting porter. 



They had brought a variety of 

 tales from the coast, principally 

 highly coloured accounts of the 

 victories achieved over the Euro- 

 peans by the Arabs and outlaws 

 in the neighbourhood of Lamoo. 

 They said the time had at last 

 come when the Arabs were about 

 to reestablish themselves in Zanzi- 

 bar on a firm footing, and that 

 messengers had come from Mecca 

 advocating the "Jehad" (holy war) the leader of the 

 against the infidel. After hearing dance 

 these stories, I called all my men together, and said 

 that not for a moment were lies of this sort to be 

 tolerated in my camp ; that any one of my men who 

 would take the trouble to think for a moment should 

 know the stories were absolutely untrue ; and that I, 

 being a European, would not permit such rumours to 

 circulate while I was there to stop them. 



I afterwards learned that there had been some 

 fighting on the coast, and in one case a European 



