TEOUBLES. 



377 



and stocks of two old matchlocks. They then sold a 

 keg of gunpowder committed to their charge. They 

 had experienced every kindness from Snay bin Amir, 

 from Sallum bin Hamid, in fact, from all the Arab mer- 

 chants of Eazeh. They lodged comfortably in Musa 

 Mzuri's house, and their allowance, one Shukkah of 

 domestics per diem, enabled them to buy goats, sheep, 

 and fowls — luxuries unknown in their starving huts at 

 Zanzibar. Yet they did not fail, with their foul tongues, 

 ever ready, as the Persians say, for " spitting at Heaven," 

 to charge their kind hosts with the worst crime that 

 the Arab knows — niggardness. 



On the 8th November, I had arranged with Kidogo, as 

 well as with the Kirangozi, to resume the march at the 

 end of a fortnight. Ten days afterwards I again sent 

 for him to conclude the plans concerning the journey : 

 evidently something lay deep within his breast, but the 

 difficulty was to extract it. He began by requiring a 

 present for his excellent behaviour — he received, to his 

 astonishment, four cloths. He next demanded leave to 

 visit his Unyamwezi home for a week, and was unplea- 

 santly surprised when it was granted. He then " hit the 

 right nail on the head." The sons of Kamji, declaring that 

 I had promised them a bullock on arrival at Kazeh, 

 had seized, hamstrung, and cut up a fine fat animal sent 

 to me by Sallum bin Hamid ; yet Kidogo averred that 

 the alleged promise must be fulfilled to them. When I 

 refused, he bluntly informed me that I was quite equal 

 to the task of collecting porters for myself ; I replied 

 that this was his work and not mine. He left the house 

 abruptly, swearing that he would not trouble himself 

 any longer, and, moreover, for the future that his men 

 should not carry the lightest load, nor assist us even in 

 threading beads. At last, on the 2 7th November, I sent 



