CHAPTER XI 



The next day we left the Tana, and after a short 

 march reached Mitio's village. Mitio was a great 

 man in this part of Ukambani. At the time I arrived 

 at this village he had gone with 600 warriors to fight 

 the Rendile, in revenge for their slaughter of twenty 

 of his men during the previous autumn. There I 

 found my faithful Somali, Abdee Achmet, who had 

 been left by George in charge of the donkeys. He 

 had been deserted by his companions, and he had 

 with him then twenty-five donkeys and forty-three 

 goats. His account of the appearance and behaviour 

 of the runaways was as follows. 



He said that at first there came some sixty porters 

 led by Mwalim Hamis, who was their leader on the 

 day they deserted from Daitcho. These men fired 

 repeated volleys, and then took all the food he had 

 bought for me, — about 500 pounds. Two days later 

 came the Beloochi and their party, who had been 

 ferried across the Tana in our canoe, upon payment 

 of all their trading-goods. Gwaharam said he had 

 wished to return and help me ; but Hamidi said he 

 would shoot him if he attempted to cross the river. 

 Hamidi stayed at the river until the Soudanese came, 

 and then, four days after the porters arrived at Mitio's 

 village, Hamidi and the Soudanese put in an appear- 



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