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Encouraged by this success, we then and there resolved to undertake the 
chastisement of Makanjira, who had, as already related, committed various 
outrages on British subjects, and had recently robbed the Universities Mission 
of a boat and killed some of their boatmen. We hired the African Lakes 
Company’s steamer Domira, and mounted our 7-pounder gun in the bows 
Arriving suddenly off Makanjira’s in the early morning, we were saluted by 
volleys from his fighting men, who were drawn up on the beach, and who had 
evidently been expecting our arrival. A shell landed in the middle of this 
yelling crowd produced an impression on them which was absolutely novel, and 
there was soon not one of the enemy in sight. After setting fire to a portion 
of the town with other shells, I effected a landing with a small number of 
Sikhs, whilst Captain Maguire kept the enemy at bay by bombarding the town 
from the steamer. We managed to land with only one or two casualties, and 
the Sikhs carried off two of Makanjira’s cannon and set fire to one of his daus. 1 
The enemy, however, came on us in such strength that we had to retreat 
to our boat, and should probably have not escaped with our lives had not 
Captain Maguire arrived with reinforcements. He drove the enemy back into 
the town, and completed the destruction of the dau. 
The next morning Captain Maguire landed in force, and after hard fighting, 
in which several of our Sikhs were severely wounded, he captured all Makanjira’s 
defences. I joined him, and we then drove the enemy out of the huge town, 
which we completely destroyed. We also destroyed two or three of their daus. 
After waiting a day in vain to see if any person would come from Makanjira 
to treat for a peace, we steamed over to the opposite side of the lake, where it 
was necessary to come to an understanding with Kazembe, who lived opposite 
to Makanjira and was a near relation. Lake Nyasa is at its narrowest opposite 
Makanjira’s town. Its breadth here is probably not more than fifteen miles. 
The favourite ferry across Lake Nyasa, therefore, has generally been between 
these two points, the one on the eastern shore held by Makanjira, the other on 
the west by Kazembe. Kazembe was a great slave trader, but was not hostile 
to the British. He had concluded a treaty with me in 1890, but it was 
necessary to warn him that the slave trade could no longer continue. He took 
the warning in good part, and promised good behaviour in future. This promise 
was not faithfully adhered to, and the result was that Kazembe was exiled from 
the Protectorate for a few months, but was subsequently restored to power, and 
is now chief in Makanjira’s place. 
After leaving Kazembe’s, we revisited Makanjira’s coast in the Domira. 
Captain Maguire landed at a town belonging to Makanjira’s headman, Saidi 
Mwazungu, in the southern part of Makanjira’s country, for the purpose of 
acquiring information. The people had not evinced unfriendliness as we 
approached, and Captain Maguire landed under a flag of truce. He was 
received by an Arab (who was said to have been a native of Aden) with a 
show of courtesy, but no sooner had he reached the veranda of the Arab’s 
house than he was suddenly fired on by the Arab himself, who by some 
marvellous accident missed him, though only two or three yards distant. 
Captain Maguire had landed with only six men ; but, hearing the shot, I 
immediately dispatched reinforcements to his assistance, and the town was 
soon taken and destroyed. The two remaining daus of Makanjira, in search 
1 A “dau” is an Arab sailing vessel, sometimes of considerable size. Spelt phonetically it should 
be dau, but the British, with their extraordinary racial perversity in matters of spelling, prefer without 
rhyme or reason to spell it “dhow.” 
