194 AMONGST THE EESHIAT AND TO LAKE STEFANIE 



about in case any of his people should be with us. But the 

 threatened approach of a heavy storm compelled him to leave 

 again before we had done more than hastily exchange the 

 most important news. Two of the eleven sick men we had left 

 here had died during our absence. 



The friendly way in which the Oromaj had hastened to 

 welcome us, and the hearty pleasure all the natives showed in 

 our safe return, led us to hope that we should carry through 

 our plans for the further journey without any more difficulty. 

 But we were disappointed ; for though, when the matter was 

 mooted, the Oromaj did not get into a temper about it, he was 

 just as firm in his refusal to entertain the idea of our going- 

 north, telling us that if we insisted on doing so, the Kerre and 

 Murdu would alike oppose our passage. The advice he had 

 to give us as a true friend was that we should buy the food we 

 needed, and return by the way we had come. 



It really seemed for some time as if things were coming to 

 a crisis. The Oromaj and the natives alike avoided us almost 

 entirely for two days, and a few Burkeneji women who visited 

 us secretly warned us to be careful, as a shauri had been going 

 on day and night about us. And as a matter of fact for two 

 nights there was just such a diabolical noise in the village as 

 there had been after our first arrival ; and during the day the 

 cattle were not driven past our camp as usual. All these 

 significant signs and warnings did not alarm us ; for we had 

 long been fully prepared, and knew that the natives had no 

 chance against our 200 guns ; but our love of peace and our 

 gratitude for the very friendly way in which we had been re- 

 ceived here, would have made us immensely regret being obliged 

 to shed blood. It would have indeed been a bad return for 

 all the sympathy shown to us by the natives. 



On the morning of May 1 we were at last relieved from 

 our anxiety as to whether we were to be allowed to go in peace 



