286 



KHAMISI WA TANI. 



30 baggage-asses, which added not a little to our 

 troubles and losses. 



Lieut. -Col. Hamerton listened with pleasure 

 to my suggestion that he might at once change 

 air, from the close, foul, fetid town, and super- 

 intend our departure from the coast. The 

 Sayyid's kindness was unwearied: he came to 

 bid us adieu, and manned for us, with a crew 

 of 20, his own corvette, the Artemise, Captain 

 Mohammed bin Khamis. The latter having been 

 educated in England, where he had learned to 

 observe and survey, and imbued by ' letters ' with 

 the restless impulse of European civilization, had 

 once proposed to the Uoyal Geographical Society 

 himself to explore the Lake llegions; and had 

 he been trustworthy, he might have done work 

 valuable as that of Capt. 'Montgomerie's Pandits.' 

 His father, Khamisi wa Tani, was the ' intelligent 

 Sawahili or Mohammedan native of the Eastern 

 coast of Africa,' who had so notably cajoled Mr 

 Cooley. This ' mild and unassuming man's ' 

 antecedents were of the worst description. Born 

 at Lamu, he l)ecame headman of the drummers 

 at Zanzil)ar, and afterwards a slaver, according 

 to M. Guillain, who terms him ' spirituel et rus6 

 coquin.' In this capacity he ' had travelled much 

 on the mainland, he had visited many distant 



