THE DANGERS OF THE AFRICAN POST-OFFICE. 
5l>7 
the debtors, and when watched by Governor’s slaves and 
Custom House officers, it is scarcely possible for even this 
cunning, deceitful race to escape being fleeced. To avoid 
this, many surrender all their ivory to their Banian credi- 
tors, and are allowed to keep or sell the slaves as their 
share of the profits. It will readily be perceived that the 
prospect of in any way coming under the power of Banian 
British subjects at Zanzibar is very far from reassuring. 
The packet above referred to was never more heard of, 
but a man called Musa Kamaah had been employed to 
drive some buffaloes for me from the coast, and on leaving 
Ujiji the same day the packet was delivered for transmis- 
sion, I gave him a short letter, dated May, 1869, which he 
concealed on his person, knowing that on its production 
his wages depended. He had been a spectator of the plun- 
dering of my goods by the Governor’s slave, Saloom, and 
received a share to hold his peace. He was detained for 
months at Unyanyembe by the Governor, and even sent 
back to Ujiji on his private business, he being ignorant all 
the while that Kamaah possessed the secreted letter. It 
was the only document of more than forty that reached 
Zanzibar. It made known in some measure my wants, hut 
my checks on Bombay for money were in the lost packet, 
and Ludha, the rich Banian, was employed to furnish on 
credit all the goods and advances of pay required in the 
expedition. Ludha is, perhaps, the best of all the Banians 
of Zanzibar, but he applied to Ali bin Salem, the brother 
of his agent, the Governor, to furnish two head men to 
conduct the goods and men to Ujiji, and beyond it, 
wherever I might be there reported to be. He recom- 
mended Shercef Bosher and Awatlie as first and second 
conductors of the caravan. Shereef, the Governor, and 
the Governor’s brother, being “birds of one feather,” the 
consequences might have been foretold. .No sooner did 
Shereef obtain command than he went to one Muhamed 
Nassur, a Zanzibar-born Banian, or Hindoo, and he ad- 
vanced twenty-five boxes of soap and eight cases of brandy 
