8 4 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
we passed the junction of the Ruo and the Shire, and the steamer stopped 
at Chiromo, on the north bank of the river Ruo. Here we found a large 
native village, under two young chiefs, Mbengwa and Makwira, sons of 
the Chipatula who had been killed by Fenwick. There was an English 
trading station at Chiromo, belonging to two young English elephant 
hunters, named Pettitt. Whilst the steamer stopped at Chiromo, I saw 
the two chiefs, and explained to them that they were not to take any 
aggressive action against the Portuguese, even if the. latter crossed the 
Ruo in force. In such a case as this they were to inform the Acting 
Consul at Blantyre. Erom Chiromo we passed on up the River Shire, 
through the Elephant Marsh, but as we approached nearer to the Makololo 
settlements beyond the Elephant Marsh, the captain of the James Stevenson 
became greatly perturbed as to the attitude which might be observed by the 
powerful Makololo chief, Mlauri. Mlauri was no more friendly at that time 
to the English than to the Portuguese. Towards the English he had been 
very aggressive on account of his not having been recognised as supreme 
chief of the Makololo. He had several times tried to get hold of the two 
young chiefs of Chiromo, in order that he might kill them, and was furious 
with the Pettitts and with a Mr. Simpson, an engineer in the service of the 
Lakes Company, for having intervened to protect them. Mlauri in those 
days occupied a strong position at Mbewe, a place some little distance 
below Katunga, the termination of river navigation on the Lower Shire. 
The set of the current compelled all steamers to pass close under the cliff 
of Mbewe, and they were therefore completely at the mercy of Mlauri’s guns, 
and Mlauri was frequently in the habit of firing at the steamers to compel 
them to stop, and either give him a present or await his good pleasure in 
other respects. He had been the leading spirit in the sinking of the Lady 
Nyasa at the time of the disturbance following the death of Chipatula, and 
not having been punished for this his tyrannical obstructions to river navigation 
were becoming unbearable. 
As we neared Mbewe, we saw the banks lined with armed men. The 
captain of the James Stevenson at first determined to steam by at full 
speed, but the natives shouted from the banks that if we did not stop and 
come to an anchor they would fire on us. I therefore advised the captain 
to anchor his vessel at Mbewe, and determined to go on shore and interview 
Mlauri, with the double object of protesting against his behaviour towards 
the British steamers, and cautioning him about falling out with the Portuguese. 
The Rev. Alexander Hetherwick, of the Church of Scotland Mission, was a 
fellow traveller with me on board the James Stevenson , and when he heard 
of my intention to see Mlauri, he kindly volunteered his services as interpreter. 
In those days I could speak nothing but Swahili, and although this language 
might be partially understood by Mlauri, it was preferable to talk straight 
to him in his own language—Chi-nyanja. 
We landed amongst a jeering crowd of warriors, armed with guns, who 
were rather inclined to hustle us, but eventually we found our way without 
misadventure to the presence of Mlauri, who was seated in an open space on 
a chair, with a gaudy blanket wrapped round his loins, and a tall white 
chimney-pot hat on his head. He was surrounded by a semi-circle of warriors 
and headmen, and directed us to be seated on some ricketty-looking camp 
chairs placed opposite to him, evidently in readiness for our visit. On our 
attempting to sit on the chairs they collapsed, and we fell to the ground amid 
