VILLAGES IN FLAMES. 
565 
struck multitude that rushed into these vessels. All threw 
away their goods, the men lbrgot their paddles, the canoes 
were jammed in the creek and could not be got out fast 
enough ; so, many men and women sprang into the water. 
The women of the left bank are expert divers for oysters, 
and a long line of heads showed a crowd striking out for 
an island a mile off; to gain it they had to turn the left 
shoulder against a current of between a mile and a half to 
two miles an hour. Had they gone diagonally with the 
current, though that would have been three miles, many 
would have gained the shore. It was horrible to see one 
head after another disappear, some calmly, others throwing 
their arms high up towards the Great Father of all, and 
going down. Some of the men, who got canoes out of the 
crowd, paddled quick, with hands and arms, to help their 
friends ; three took people in till they all sank together. 
One man had clearly lost his head, for ho paddled a canoe, 
which would have held fifty people, straight up stream, no- 
where. The A rabs estimated the loss at between four and 
five hundred souls. Dugumbe sent out some of his men in 
cue of thirty canoes which the owners in their fright could 
not extricate, to save the sinking. One lady refused to be 
taken on board, because she thought she was to be made a 
slave ; but he rescued twenty-one, and of his own accord 
sent them home next day. Many escaped and came to me, 
and were restored to their friends. When the firing began 
on the terror-stricken crowd at the canoes, Tagamolo s 
band began their assault on the people on the west of the 
river, and continued the fire all day. I counted seventeen 
villages in flames, and next day six. Dugumbe’s powet 
over the underlings is limited, but he ordered them to ceaso 
shooting. Those in the market were so reckless, they shot 
two of their own number. Tagamolo’s crew came back 
next day, in canoes, shouting and firing off their guns, as 
if believing that they were worthy of renown. 
Next day about twenty head men fled from the west 
bank and came to my house. There was no occasion now 
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