86 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
country of his adoption, and Germany the land of his birth. I do not give 
this gentleman’s name in full, because, when the British Protectorate was finally 
.declared, he accepted it loyally. I only mention the incident here because 
it was one which rather precipitated our political action. 
A treaty of friendship was concluded by Mr. Buchanan at Katunga with 
all the Makololo chiefs except Mlauri. Subsequently, when Mlauri had 
received his first defeat at the hands of the Portuguese, he made a treaty 
also with Mr. Buchanan. 
Mr. Moir, the manager of the Lakes Company, had invited me to be his 
guest at Mandala, near Blantyre, and had brought down a horse for me to 
ride. In those days there were only two horses in British Central Africa; 
one of these was ill, and the other lent to me was rather an unmanageable 
beast. It had evidently been bored by the long delay in treaty-making at 
Katunga, and was desperately anxious to return to the pleasanter climate of 
Blantyre, so that when I mounted at Katunga station, it instantly bolted, 
nearly beheading me in the low gateway which formed the entrance to the 
station. Its frantic gallop was checked at the ascent to the hills, and I regained 
command over it ; but soon afterwards the rotten leather bridle came to pieces, 
and before I could clutch at the two ends they had fallen to the ground, the 
horse had put his foot on them, snapping them off, and there I was on his 
back, without any means of controlling him. He realised the situation, and 
once more raced along the narrow path. I did not fall off, but entered 
Blantyre more like Mazeppa than a well-conducted British official. In 
passing through the various archways and tunnels covered with very thorny 
roses, which diversified the garden approach to Mr. Moir’s house, I could 
only save myself from serious damage by lying as flat as possible on the 
horse’s back, with my arms round his neck. He made straight for his stable, 
and at the fortunately closed door came to a dead stop. I rolled off his back, 
bleeding and bruised, and have always regarded that first ride from Katunga to 
Blantyre as the greatest risk I ever ran in British Central Africa. 
At Blantyre treaties were concluded with the Yao chiefs; and I organised, 
with the help of Mr. John Moir, my expedition to the north end of Lake 
Nyasa. Before leaving for the lake, I made arrangements with Mr. John 
Buchanan as to the course which should be pursued if the Portuguese attempted 
to take forcible possession of the Shire Highlands. In such an event as this, 
if the Portuguese crossed the Ruo in force and gave any evidence of an inten¬ 
tion to occupy the country politically, Mr. Buchanan was to proclaim a British 
Protectorate over the Shire province, between Lake Chilwa and the Kirk 
Mountains of Angoniland, the River Ruo and Zomba Mountain. This step, 
however, was not to be taken and Her Majesty’s Government was not to be 
pledged to a Protectorate over the Shire Highlands, unless there was no 
option between such a proceeding and passively admitting the Portuguese 
conquest of the country. 1 
Subsequent to my departure the following events took place. Major Serpa 
Pinto advanced northwards, along the west bank of the Shire, and was attacked 
by the Makololo 2 under Mlauri. Mlauri excused himself for this action after¬ 
wards by complaining that the Portuguese on the east bank of the Shire had 
‘ The Protectorate was proclaimed September 21, 1889, after the news of the first conflict between 
the Portuguese and the Makololo (at Mpatsa, just below the Ruo) had reached Mr. Buchanan, who was 
then trying to pacify the Makololo. 
2 November 8, 1889. 
