MOMBASAH PEOPLE. 



79 



had befallen Dr Krapf because he refused to 

 take their advice. As I determined to disregard 

 both, so they combined to regard us as rivals and 

 enemies. They devoted all their energies to the 

 task of spoiling us ; and failing in that matter, they 

 tried bullying : on one occasion I was obliged to 

 administer, sword in hand, the descent down-stairs. 

 The Jemadar Tangai, a gaunt Mekrani some 60 

 years old, and measuring 6 ft 2 in., insisted cour- 

 teously upon supplying an escort, with the view 

 of exchanging his worthless swords for our guns 

 and revolvers : he could neither read nor write, but 

 he was renowned for ' ' Akl,' intellect, here synony- 

 mous with rascality. His son Mustafa brought 

 a present of goats and fruit, for which he received 

 the normal return-gift ; he expected a little cloth, 

 gunpowder, and a gold chronometer. We were 

 visited by a certain Shafei Shaykh ; by a Momba- 

 sah merchant, Jabir bin Abdullah el Rijebi, who 

 seemed to think that men should speak in his 

 presence with bated breath : he almost merited 

 and he narrowly escaped being led out of the 

 room by his ears. The very Hindus required a 

 lesson of civility. We were on the best of terms 

 with the Wall or Governor, Khalfan bin Ali el 

 Bu Saldi, a fine specimen of the Arab gentlemen : 

 he was on board when the Sayyid died, and he 



