On the Tana, • 2 2"] 
had been killed, but not many. A goodly number of 
slaves, who were found at work in their planta- 
tions, had been captured and carried off. No Masai 
were slain. 
When our men heard this account they said, ^^Then 
it is not we that have to lament the loss of our friends, 
but it is they who will lament us/' Hemmet bin Sayid 
had sent letters, Wuledi said, to Lamu, Mombasa, and 
Zanzibar, giving an account of the Masai attack, and 
of our death. Then said the men, Our friends will 
believe it of course. They consider us dead, and are 
now holding "matanga" (funeral ceremonies). Some 
smiled at this, but others looked sad. " Never mind, 
men," we said, when you reach Lamu it will be like a 
resurrection to your relatives, and you will be wel- 
comed the more heartily." " Yes," they returned, 
almost shuddering to think how near they had been 
to finding their graves in the wilderness ; " but it was 
a narrow escape. El Hamd el Allah ! " (Praised be 
God). 
About nine a.m. Hirebaya and Taki came, bring- 
ing the old apologies and shifts, but of course with 
a' promise of to-morrow. We had swallowed the 
dregs of our patience yesterday, and could no longer 
be tampered with. Our feelings of annoyance now 
began to verge on irritation. It was really too bad. 
We asked what we should do ; — pack up and return to 
the coast, or pack up and proceed to Ganda } They 
replied, " We wish you to go to Ganda, but what is to 
be done ? You cannot carry all these things through 
the water, nor can you take them by the river, the 
" obolo" (canoes) are small." We enquired if we could 
not proceed through Weichu, which we knew to be 
