58 



THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



turbanwise round the head serves for the inscription 

 " this is a man." The Baloch took notice of such idola- 

 trous tendency by spitting and by pronouncing certain 

 national anathemas, which literally translated might 

 sound unpleasant in Europeans 5 ears. The abomination 

 of iconism is avoided in the graves of Moslem travellers : 

 they are usually cleared ovals, with outlines of rough 

 stone and a strew of smooth pebbles, according to the 

 custom of the Wasawahili. Several stumps of wood 

 planted in the earth show that the corpse faces Mecca, 

 and, as amongst the Jinga of Western Africa, the frag- 

 ments of a china bowl or cup lying upon the ground 

 are sacred to the memory of the departed. In Zanzibar 

 Island, also, saucers, plates, and similar articles are mor- 

 tared into the tombstones. 



The number of these graves made the blackness of my 

 companions pale. They were hurrying forward with 

 sundry " la haul !" and with boding shakes of the head, 

 when suddenly an uproar in the van made them all 

 prepare for action. They did it characteristically by 

 beginning with begging for ranjak — priming powder. 

 Said bin Salim, much excited, sent forward his mess- 

 mate Muinyi Wazira to ascertain the cause of the 

 excitement. One Mviraru, the petty lord of a neigh- 

 bouring village, had barred the road with about a dozen 

 men, demanding " dash," and insisting that Kizaya had 

 no right to lead on the party without halting to give 

 him the news. My companion, who was attended only 

 by " Bombay," his gun-carrier, and a few Baloch, re- 

 marked to the interferers that he had been franked 

 through the country by paying at Nzasa. To this they 

 obstinately objected. The Baloch began to light their 

 matches and to use hard words. A fight appeared 

 imminent. Presently, however, when the Wazaramo 



