XI 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



487 



one might see a youth rendering rude music to a gath- 

 ering of his fellows. The very atmosphere seemed 

 impregnated with peace and friendship ; and even the 

 many drunkards to be found reeling about seemed 

 cheery, and anxious to exchange greetings with the 

 European. This peace-and-good-will attitude was not 

 the result of missionary effort, as they had not been 

 visited by the preacher of the Gospel, but of the 

 repeated thrashings given these people by the British, 

 who had a station not far away, called Iveti. There 

 is no doubt that with Africans severity must come first, 

 and then kindness. The place was a veritable Switzer- 

 land in miniature. One day's march from this we 

 again reached the rolling country. 



On the afternoon of January 22 we reached a village 

 ruled by a chief named Mwyru. There was a flag 

 flying, and we ascertained it to be a trading-post 

 owned by a Scotchman named Dick, who lived at 

 Mombasa. It formerly was under the management 

 of Mr. Dick's brother; but he had died a short time 

 before, and was then buried within the confines of 

 the station. In charge of the station at the time of 

 our visit was an English-speaking negro, named David, 

 who had been educated at the mission at Zanzibar. 

 I had last seen this man in the chain-gang at Witu, 

 on the coast, where he had been placed on account 

 of his continued thefts and general lawlessness. The 

 view from this village was beautiful — a wide plain 

 stretching on all sides, shut in far to the west by blue 

 mountains and the Kikuyu hills. At sunrise and just 

 before sunset both Kenya and Kilimanjiro were vis- 

 ible. 



