JUMBE KIMEMETA STRUCK DUMB 



171 



and the Burkeneji ; but it was the fault of the latter. Like 

 ourselves, they had one fine day suddenly appeared on the 

 borders of Eeshiat, and let their cattle graze there, disappear- 

 ing again after a short stay. They came back the next year. 

 The Eeshiat had taken counsel together, and decided to invite 

 the Burkeneji to remain. " If you like our pastures," they 

 had said to them, " stop with us and be our friends — our 

 brothers." The Burkeneji had accepted the invitation, and 

 built a kraal, on the site of which, as you see, their bones now lie 

 bleaching. The Burkeneji had shown their gratitude by steal- 

 ing and slaying an ox belonging to the Eeshiat ; and when that 

 was left unpunished, they did the same with another. Then 

 the Eeshiat asked themselves whether their sjDears were not as 

 good as those of the Burkeneji, and had taken vengeance upon 

 them.' 



Two days ago, the Oromaj continued, we had appeared, 

 and had asked in a friendly manner to be allowed to settle 

 down and trade with the Eeshiat ; but they had never before 

 seen anyone like us, and had naturally consulted together as to 

 how to receive us. 



Some of them had been against us, and had warned the 

 rest to have nothing to do with the Lojomba ; but others, the 

 majority, had said, ' Let the Lojomba stop if they do not 

 steal or rob, and only want to trade.' And now, he, the 

 Lygonani of the Eeshiat, representing the Leibon, who was 

 very old and infirm, had come to make friendship with us. 



The quiet, self-possessed manner in which the Oromaj had 

 spoken, and the very transparent moral of his discourse at first 

 struck Jumbe Kimemeta dumb, and it was some little time 

 before he recovered himself sufiiciently to reply. When he 

 did so, however, he made out that the chief aim of our long 

 journey from the far distant coast had been to bring the Eeshiat 

 all manner of beautiful things ; and he wound up by saying 



