PREPARATIONS. 



285 



Grimm sagely observes, ' there is nothing in 

 this life ' — especially in African travel — ' but 

 luck, good or bad.' The Kafilah-bashi was still 

 Said bin SaKm, who, upon receiving from Lieut. - 

 Col. Hamerton an advance of 8300, and the 

 promise of a gold watch after return, in case of 

 good conduct, at once pleaded a mortgage upon 

 his plantations to the extent of §500. We were 

 compelled to compound the matter for 8250, 

 before he could precede us to the coast, with his 

 four slave musketeers, one lad, and two girls. 

 The Balocli escort was, according to popular 

 rumour, picked up in the Bazar : it began with 

 a dozen, and it ended with seven muskets, not 

 includins^ the monocular Jemadar Mallok. 

 They wanted everything imaginable, — debts to 

 be paid, rice, lead, gunpowder, light matchlocks, 

 $8 for an ass, and slaves to serve them. The 

 Banyan Bamji supplied us with nine ruiBans, 

 whose only object was to lay out their, or his, 

 money as profitably as possible in slaves ; indeed, 

 this seemed to be the end and aim of our whole 

 native party. Upon the coast we engaged as 

 porters 36 TJnyamwezi negroes, men who usually 

 behave well, but who are uncommonlv readv to 

 follow bad example. As the number was de- 

 ficient, we supplied the place of more with some 



