94 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
His news was true, for eventually the Charles Janson , with Archdeacon Maples 
on board, came to fetch me and convey me to Karonga. 
I found on arrival here that Mr. Nicoll had concluded in my name a 
truce with the Arabs, and that the ground was prepared for negotiation. 
I may briefly relate that as the Arabs were very distrustful, I arranged to 
meet them in the bush midway between their nearest stockade and Karonga, 
stipulating that they should only be accompanied by a small escort, and that 
I would only bring with me the same number of men. I was accompanied 
by Mr. Nicoll, Mr. Monteith Fotheringham, and a few armed Atonga. Mlozi, 
Kopakopa, Bwana ’Omari, Msalemu, and other Arabs, duly met me at the 
point agreed upon. After a brief discussion I read out to them the terms of 
the treat) r which I proposed, and told them that if they refused it we should 
prosecute the war to the bitter end until not one of them was left in the 
country. They accepted these terms almost without deliberation and the 
treaty was forthwith signed, and peace was declared. 
A bull was killed as a sacrifice, and the flesh was distributed amongst our 
men and the men who had accompanied the Arabs. On the following day 
the British flag was run up at Karonga, and the native chiefs from the 
surrounding districts came in and signed treaties, accepting British protection. 
On the following day the Arabs paid us a return visit at Karonga, signed 
treaties of protection and accepted the British flag. Mr. Crawshay 1 then 
arrived from Deep Bay with a large number of Wahenga chiefs in canoes, 
who signed treaties of protection. Thus protection treaties had now been 
concluded between Jumbe’s territory on the south-west of Lake Nyasa, and 
the extreme north-east corner of the lake. 
I was at this time much exercised about the want of a secure harbour at the 
north end of Lake Nyasa. Karonga was an open roadstead, most dangerous 
for landing, for it must always be remembered that Lake Nyasa is as rough 
at times as the British Channel, with heavy breakers on unprotected shores. 
The existence of a secure harbour in Kambwe lagoon, 3|- miles to the north 
of Karonga, had not then been made known, or it may be that owing to 
various circumstances it did not then exist as a harbour which vessels of 
considerable draught could enter. After examining carefully the north coast 
of Lake Nyasa, I decided to secure the harbour of Parumbira, at the 
extreme northernmost corner of the lake, for the African Lakes Company. 
1 accordingly bought the land for them, and placed an agent there to build 
and occupy. Subsequently, however, by the Anglo-German Agreement of 
1890, the boundary between the two European Powers was drawn at the 
River Songwe, and Parumbira fell to Germany. It is now the headquarters 
of the German Government, on Lake Nyasa, and has been rechristened 
Langenburg. 
Only one week was occupied at Karonga in making peace with the Arabs ; 
securing North Nyasa by treaty ; choosing this harbour for the African Lakes 
Company ; and arranging my caravan for Lake Tanganyika. But the reason 
1 Mr. Crawshay, originally a lieutenant in the Inniskilling Dragoons, had come out to British Central 
Africa to shoot big game, and had joined the Lakes Company’s forces as a volunteer in the war against 
the Arabs. After Captain Lugard had captured Deep Bay, an important harbour on the north-west coast 
of Lake Nyasa, used by the Arabs as the end of a ferry to the east side of the Lake, Mr. Crawshay for 
some months garrisoned this place as a fort, and kept the Arabs out of Deep Bay. He acquired a 
considerable influence amongst the Wahenga, and was of much service to me in the early days of the 
.Protectorate. Until quite recently he was Vice-Consul for the north of Lake Nyasa, but retired from this 
appointment on account of ill-health. 
