390 Wanderings in Eastern Africa. 
away he rushed after the rest. Placing two or three 
men in charge of the tent, the rest were ordered to 
follow me to the front. My hope was that my 
presence might prevent any unnecessary effusion of 
blood, and that, perhaps, I might be able to prevent 
fighting altogether. I found the mange at the head of 
his men, scrutinizing, from an advantageous position, 
the plain below. Stepping up to his side I said, 
"Well, mange, what's the matter ^'Wait a bit," 
he replied. For five minutes he scanned the plain 
with his eagle eye, without uttering a word, and then 
said, " It's all right." Now we observed two parties 
below, one foes and the other friends, the one leaving 
the district, and the other coming towards us. The 
latter proved to be a company of Wasuahili traders ; 
the former were a band of Masai. The Wasuahili 
told us upon their arrival that the Masai were coming 
to attack Moche but for having met with them. " As 
it was," said they, " some of our men were seized, and 
would have been killed, only we ransomed them ; and 
then, as we were coming in here, we paid them to go 
another way." So this accidental rencontre prevented 
what might have been a dreadful fray. 
The danger over, Mandara and his people became 
more excited than ever. They rushed up hill, 
shouting, screaming, leaping, dancing, brandishing 
their weapons, and carrying on a mock fight among 
themselves, twanging their bows, poising their spears, 
running at each other with uplifted clubs, blowing off 
their muskets into the air, and all boasting loudly of 
what they should have done with the Masai, had they 
been attacked. 
This incident gave me some idea of Mandara's 
