72 



THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



a little village, called from its headman Bana Dirunga. 

 This was premature. I had ordered Muinyi Wazira 

 to advance on that morning to Dege la Mhora, the " large 

 jungle-bird," the hamlet where M. Maizan's blood was 

 shed. Said and Wazira had proposed that we should 

 pass it ere the dawn of the next day broke ; the advice 

 was rejected, it was too dangerous a place to show fear. 

 The two diplomatists then bethought themselves of 

 another manoeuvre, and led me to Bana Dirungd, call- 

 ing it Dege la Mhora. 



We halted for a day at the little hamlet, embosomed 

 in dense grass and thicket. On our appearance the 

 villagers fled into the bush, their country's strength ; 

 but before nightfall they took heart of grace and 

 returned. The headman appeared to regard us with 

 fear, he could not comprehend why we carried so much 

 powder and ball. When reassured he offered to pre- 

 cede us, and to inform the chief of the "large jungle- 

 bird" that our intentions had been misrepresented, — a 

 proposal which seemed to do much moral good to Said, 

 the Jemadar, and Wazira. 



On the eleventh day after leaving Kaole I was obliged 

 to mount by a weakness which scarcely allowed me 

 to stand. After about half an hour, through a com- 

 paratively open country, we passed on the left a well- 

 palisaded village, belonging formerly to P'hazi Ma- 

 zungera, and now occupied by his son Hembe, or the 

 " wild buffalo's horn." Reports of our warlike intentions 

 had caused Hembe to " clear decks for action ; " the 

 women had been sent from the village, and some score 

 of tall youths, archers and spearmen, admirably ap- 

 pointed, lined the hedges, prepared, at the levelling of 

 the first matchlock, to let loose a flight of poisoned 

 arrows, which would certainly have dispersed the whole 



