452 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



to one of the Somali, who in turn notified George, 

 from whom finally I learned the state of affairs. From 

 the time they left the zeriba until I was notified, at 

 least four or five minutes had elapsed. Here was a 

 case of an entire caravan, splendidly treated in every 

 manner, throwing up sixteen months' pay and going 

 off without food. Hamidi had not seemed to like the 

 Somali and Soudanese ; but, as I had been careful not 

 to allow them to have anything to do with him and 

 his men, he must have had some other reason for his 

 action. At all events, I knew that Hamidi was a man 

 of some property at Zanzibar, and even if he were 

 behind the whole affair, that he would not dare to go 

 to the coast, without endeavouring to explain his action 

 either by coming in person or by sending a letter. 



On the afternoon of the day the men deserted, my 

 friend Gwaharam, the Beloochi, arrived from the river. 

 He seemed in a state of great nervous excitement, and 

 I felt for a moment as if he might have had something 

 to do with the desertion. He had told me that he 

 proposed, upon arriving at the coast, to fit out a large 

 expedition to trade at Reschatt and throughout the 

 north. These traders did not like Europeans to precede 

 them, because the trading goods carried by the Euro- 

 peans are better than those they make use of ; and so 

 the natives are loath to accept their goods in exchange 

 for ivory or anything else ; hence it seemed to me 

 quite possible that Gwaharam had assisted in some 

 way the breaking up of my caravan. From his manner 

 and appearance I gathered that he at least knew some- 

 thing about the state of affairs at the river; but he 

 repeatedly swore that he knew nothing. He said that 



