RE POETS OF DANGER. 



275 



elephant-gun, and we entered with steady hearts the 

 formerly dreaded Uzaramo. The 27th January saw us 

 pass safely by the village where M. Maizan came 

 to an untimely end. On that day Ramazan and 

 Salman, children of Said bin Salim, returned from 

 Zanzibar Island, bringing letters, clothing, and pro- 

 visions for their master, who, by way of small re- 

 venge, had despatched them secretly from Zungomero. 

 On the 28th January we reached the Makutaniro or 

 anastomosis of the Kaole and Mbuamaji roads, where on 

 our ingress the Wazaramo had barred passage in force. 

 No one now ventured to dispute the way with well- 

 armed paupers. That evening, however, the Mtongi 

 indulged his men with " maneno," a harangue. Re- 

 ports about fatal skirmishes between the Wazaramo and 

 a caravan of Wanyamwezi that had preceded us had 

 flown about the camp ; consequently the Mtongi recom- 

 mended prudence. " There would be danger to-mor- 

 row — a place of ambuscade— the porters must not rise 

 and be olF too early nor too late — they must not hasten 

 on, nor lag behind — they had with them Wazungu, and 

 in case of accidents they would lose their name ! " The 

 last sentence was frequently repeated with ever in- 

 creasing emphasis, and each period of the discourse was 

 marked by a general murmur, denoting attention. 



As I have said, there was no danger. Yet on the 

 next day a report arose that we were to be attacked in. 

 a dense thicket — where no archer, be it observed, could 

 bend his bow — a little beyond the junction of the Mbu- 

 amaji road with that of Konduchi, our destination. 

 In the afternoon Said bin Salim, with important coun- 

 tenance, entered my tent and disclosed to me the doleful 

 tidings. The road was cut off. He knew it. A great 

 friend of his — a slave — had told him so. He remem- 



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