THE NATIVES ARE AGGRAVATING 



247 



a sliauii witli us. We liad expected this, and took the 

 breaking off of business calmly enough, expecting it to 

 be resumed directly the interview was over. We always 

 delegated the weary shauri business to Jumbe Kimemeta 

 or others of lesser rank, according to the importance of the 

 occasion, and in this case Lemagori, Qualla, and Sokoni 

 represented us, whilst I, lazily swinging in my hammock 

 slung beneath two shady palms, peeped happily through the 

 stems at what was going on. But presently Qualla came 

 towards me looking very much put out, and muttering some- 

 thing that sounded very like a curse on the stupid Washenzi, 

 who ought to be only too glad to have a caravan in their land 

 at all. I now discovered that the natives had been very 

 aggravating, asking amongst other things whether we were 

 not downright fools, not to know that good manners required 

 us to exchange assurances of friendship with them before we 

 began trading ? And how dared we take water from their 

 river without permission ? In a word, who had asked us to 

 come at all? I soothed Qualla by telling him we must conform 

 to the usages of the country, and we left things to take their 

 course. Another hour passed, however, in spite of all 

 Lemagori's eiforts on our behalf, before he could obtain an 

 amicable settlement. Our people began to get uneasy about 

 the length of the shauri, especially as fresh parties of natives 

 kept arriving, but at last things took a turn for the better, 

 and just as I strolled down to see what was going on, Sokoni 

 was taking the leather sheath olf his spear ready to use that 

 weapon to give force to his harangue. He had said but a few 

 words when a Turkana squatting in the front row suddenly 

 jumped up and interrupted him, his rough and excited language 

 contrasting forcibly with Sokoni's dulcet insinuating tones. 

 Whatever might be the cause of his angry looks and tones, I 

 thought T had better see what I could do, so I cried in good 



