Through Ruanda to Lake Kiwu 53 
Others, and more shrewd, threw themselves down in the grass 
and remained motionless, and they alone were spared. Greatly 
disconcerted, stung all over, and decidedly “ taken down ” at this 
shameful defeat, we met together again on the lower hillslope, 
where the enemy was still disputing the field. Wiese had the 
excellent idea of getting the Askari along and shielding their 
faces and hands with woollen blankets, so that they might get 
the loads away. What a sight our camp presented! The loads 
scattered about, individuals lying about here and there stretched 
out in the grass, the dogs howling and limping about on three 
legs, the fowls dead! The air was still filled with myriads 
of bees that flung themselves angrily in dense droves upon the 
disturbers of their peace. The thick woollen armour, however, 
was almost sting-proof, and it was possible in a little while to 
bring the loads into a place of security. Yet it meant five 
hours’ laborious work before a new camp was set up at a 
respectable distance from the first one. This little adventure 
gave us a lesson for the future. We never pitched our camp 
again under a mti ya nyuki^ or bee-tree. The evening finished 
up with a violent thunderstorm, the first we had encountered in 
our wanderings. 
Next morning the exhausted and suffering caravan met with 
a very strange surprise. 
A procession was descending the slope with such solemn 
gravity and in so calm and imposing a manner that the chatter¬ 
ing of our carriers ceased as if by magic, and we all gazed 
upwards mute and spellbound. 
Surrounded by a large staff of young men, two ambassadors 
from Sultan Msinga were slowly approaching our camp. They 
strode along with an indescribable self-possession and dignity, 
like apparitions from another world, clothed in the exceedingly 
picturesque gala costume of the Watussi. Bussissi and Nanturu 
were fine upstanding men of great height, over two metres. They 
brought the Sultan’s greetings and presents of numerous oxen, 
calves, sheep, goats, pigs, etc., and were comm^anded to escort 
us to their sovereign’s residence. 
