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TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



457 



he had no complaints to make, and that he would 

 bring back the deserters. I called witnesses into 

 my tent, and producing a copy of the Koran, made 

 him swear an oath, which is supposed to be the most 

 binding upon the natives of Zanzibar. It consisted 

 in repeating the words, "Yamin Bilalhi," which roughly 

 translated mean, "As I have faith in Allah." There 

 is a superstition current among these people that any 

 man breaking this oath will be struck dead shortly 

 after; but I am quite sure many natives of Zanzibar 

 are living in a state of perfect health after having 

 broken this oath as many times as convenience dic- 

 tated. He then repeated again and again that he 

 was innocent of complicity in the desertion, and prom- 

 ised to send me word as to the result of his pleadings 

 with the men the first thing on the following day. 

 Finally he bade farewell and departed. 



The following day two of the traders encamped at 

 Daitcho came to me, and complained that the natives 

 had changed their behaviour after the desertion of 

 my men, and were then committing petty thefts, and 

 in every way showing their contempt for the traders. 

 I at once sent word to Bykender that I should hold 

 him responsible for any further thefts committed in 

 the camp of the traders, and that unless the behaviour 

 of the Daitcho should be as good as it had previously 

 been, I should visit him with severe punishment. 



At nine o'clock on the morning of December 21, 

 I heard four shots fired behind my zeriba, and sent 

 at once to find the cause. Immediately Ramazan, 

 the chief of the Soudanese, came and said, " All my 

 people have gone away." He said that upon hear- 



