UJIJI AND TANGANIKA. 
345 
upon the Mutware, and the Wajiji swarmed by the 
hundreds to attack Abdullah bin Suliman. Fortunately 
Abdullah was prudent, and met them with only a few 
men. But though he mildly expostulated with them 
that it was a drunken slave who was the cause, he was 
condemned to lose his right hand, from which fate, 
however, he was saved by the governor relenting, and 
demanding instead the head of the murderous slave. 
It will be manifest, then, that the safety of a European 
at Ujiji would be but precarious. Any of his people, 
inspired by pombe or native wine, might, at any 
moment, in drunken fury, mortally wound an Arab or 
Mswahili of the coast, the result of which would be that 
the European would either have to forfeit all his goods 
or his life, or decamp with his people immediately to 
save himself. 
Life in Ujiji begins soon after dawn, and, except on 
moonlight nights, no one is abroad after sunset. With 
the Arabs — to whom years are as days to Europeans — 
it is a languid existence, mostly spent in gossip, the 
interchange of dignified visits, ceremonies of prayer, an 
hour or two of barter, and small household affairs. 
There were no letters for either Frank or myself after 
our seventeen months’ travels around and through the 
lake regions. From Kagehyi, on Lake Victoria, I had 
despatched messages to Sayid bin Salim, governor of 
Unyanyem.be', praying him to send all letters addressed 
to me to Muini Kheri, governor of Ujiji, promising him 
a noble reward. Not that I was sure that I should pass 
by Ujiji, but I knew that, if I arrived at Nyangwe', I 
should be able to send a force of twenty men to Muini 
Kheri for my letters. Though Sayid bin Salim had 
over tw r elve months’ time to comply with my moderate 
request, not a scrap or word of news or greeting re- 
freshed us after the long blank interval ! Both of us, 
having eagerly looked forward with certainty to re- 
ceiving a bagful of letters, were therefore much dis- 
appointed. 
As I was about to circumnavigate the Tanganika with 
my boat, and would probably be absent two or three 
