334 Wanderings in Eastern Africa. 
gage in freebooting practices as much as they dare. 
They make raids upon the Waguena, the Wapare, 
and the Wasambara. Muachania described with ereat 
gusto some of their doings in this way. He gave the 
Wapare a high character for courage, but spoke very 
contemptuously of the Wasambara. The latter people 
use muskets, but Muachania says the Wataita are 
acquainted with a medicine " which makes guns 
burst the moment an attempt is made to fire them off. 
I offered him a handsome present if he could burst 
my gun with any medicine he had, but he archly 
repHed, Who would spoil the gun of his friend ? " 
It must not be supposed that the Wataita could cope 
with the whole of the Wasambara ; it seems that they 
attack only the borderers of that people, and this with 
the permission of Samboja, the Kisambara chief 
The case may be put thus: these borderers might give 
Samboja some trouble if they were strong and nu- 
merous ; the chief is therefore anxious to keep them 
down as much as possible ; so he connives at rather 
than resists the attacks of the Wataita upon them. 
By their freebooting the Wataita keep up the 
numbers of their flocks and herds. Another matter 
of great importance to them is that they procure in 
this way a good many women and children. The 
former they take to themselves as wives ; the latter 
they adopt as wana " (sons and daughters), that is, 
if they do not sell them. Gnombe (cows) and wasi-' 
jana (girls) are to the Wataita the iie phis ultra of 
desirable things. Muachania became very excited 
about them. In the afternoon of our stay at Rukanga 
a herd of very fine cattle were driven past us. 
There," said Muachania, that lot came from 
