KIDNAPPING AT DUT'HUMI. 



89 



peculiar dialects, which, according to the guides, are 

 closely connected with Kik'hutu. 



Despite the bad name of Dut'humi as regards climate, 

 Arabs sometimes reside there for some months for the 

 purpose of purchasing slaves cheaply and to repair their 

 broken fortunes for a fresh trip to the interior. This 

 keeps up a perpetual feud amongst the chiefs of the 

 country, and scarcely a month passes without fields 

 being laid waste, villages burnt down, and the un- 

 happy cultivators being carried off to be sold. 



At Dut'humi a little expedition was sent against 

 Manda, a petty chief, who, despite the presence of the 

 Sayyid's troops, had plundered a village and had kid- 

 napped five of the subjects of Mgota, his weaker neigh- 

 bour. I had the satisfaction of restoring the stolen 

 wretches to their hearths and homes, and two decrepid 

 old women that had been rescued from slavery thanked 

 me with tears of joy. 



This easy good deed done, I was able, though with 

 swimming head and trembling hands, to prepare accounts 

 and a brief report of proceedings for the Royal Geogra- 

 phical Society. These, together with other papers, 

 especially an urgent request for medical comforts and 

 drugs, especially quinine and narcotics, addressed to 

 Lieut. -Colonel Hamerton, or, in case of accidents, to 

 M. Gochet, Consul de France, were entrusted to Jemadar 

 Yaruk, whom, moreover, I took the liberty of recom- 

 mending to the prince for the then vacant command 

 of the Bagamoyo garrison. The escort from Kaole, 

 reduced in number by three desertions, was dismissed. 

 All the volunteers had been clamouring to return, and 

 I could no longer afibrd to keep them. Besides the 

 two supplies of cloth, wire, and beads, which preceded, 

 and which were left to follow us, I had been provided 



