TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



197 



promise of profitable attack upon your caravan, have 

 brought with them but few supphes ; and in order 

 to satisfy their hunger they are robbing the planta- 

 tions in the neighbourhood. The cries are made by 

 the owners of the plantations, shouting from one to 

 the other to keep watch against the thieves." 



I asked Motio if he wished to remain with his peo- 

 ple. He said, no ; he liked it much better with us. 

 With us he had no work, and with the exception 

 of the time spent on the desert he was well fed. 

 And then he said that I was a great medicine-man 

 and could, if I willed it, cure him of his disease. 

 He said he was not afraid to return to his people ; 

 he was perfectly confident that, if I left him there, 

 I would give him medicine to thwart all their evil 

 designs against him. 



We had really become fond of this man. His con- 

 fidence in us was so great, and his willingness to per- 

 form any service we might require of him was so 

 remarkable, that we came to look upon him almost 

 as a friend, and lost sight of the fact that the poor 

 creature was sufferinsr from some disaOTeeable com- 

 plaint. We decided that, should we not be attacked 

 during the night (in which case our plans would very 

 much depend upon the outcome of the struggle), we 

 should set out at early dawn, and endeavour to escape 

 from the neighbourhood of a people bent upon our 

 destruction. 



At 4.30 the camp was aroused, and all preparations 

 made for departure. Shortly after five a thick mist, 

 like a pall, settled down upon the valley, and effect- 

 ually screened us from prying eyes ; so that our prep- 



