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for another march would have brought us to the base of Zarafi’s hill, where we 
should probably have met with as serious a disaster as subsequently happened 
to another expedition. 
During all this crisis we were much helped by the Angoni, under Chifisi, 
who dwelt at the back of Mponda’s country. These men came down in 
hundreds to assist us in fighting Zarafi. Unfortunately the Angoni are not 
as brave as they look, and we subsequently found they were very broken reeds 
to depend on in hard fighting. Zarafi had, nevertheless, suffered so much at 
our hands by the loss of all his villages in the plains that he ceased his raids, 
and commenced negotiations for peace. No doubt these negotiations were only 
intended to gain time, but I welcomed them as a valuable respite, and did not 
intend to take any further steps against Zarafi until I could receive reinforce¬ 
ments of officers and men. By the capture of Zarafi’s low-lying towns I had 
prevented for some time to come any attempts on his part to obstruct the 
navigation of the Shire ; this end was still further attained by the imprisonment 
of the chief Msamara who subsequently committed suicide at Fort Johnston. 
I again returned to Zomba, determined to apply myself now to the con¬ 
sideration of our financial position, for since my arrival in British Central Africa 
in July, 1891, I had not had a spare day in which to turn to accounts. Up till 
this time it must be remembered that I had to be my own secretary and 
accountant, and the pressure of office work was almost more than I could 
stand. Captain Sclater was busily employed in making roads, and this work 
was so necessary I did not like to call him off it for other purposes ; Mr. Sharpe 
was not yet back from leave of absence in England. 
1 had just begun to settle down once more to office work at Zomba when 
another message arrived with disastrous news. On the 24th February, 1892, 
I received a note from Dr. Watson informing me that after my departure a 
large force of Angoni had come down and placed their services at the disposal 
of Mr. J. G. King, whom I had left in charge of Fort Johnston as chief of that 
station ; and Mr. King had resolved, then and there, to attack Zarafi, who had 
once more become troublesome; that the expedition had resulted in a very 
serious repulse at the foot of Zarafi’s hill, in which but for the dogged bravery 
of a Naval Petty Officer, Mr. Henry Inge, lent by the river gunboats, nearly the 
whole of the expedition must have been annihilated. He went on to relate 
that at the beginning of the engagement Mr. King had been shot through the 
lungs, and that he himself (Dr. Watson) had been wounded in the fight; that 
some six Indian soldiers had been killed and several Swahilis ; that another 
fourteen Indian soldiers were missing; 1 and that the 7-pounder gun which 
Mr. Inge used till the ammunition was exhausted, to distract the enemy from 
following the defeated expedition, had had to be abandoned in the bush. 
Fortunately at this juncture Commander Keane, R.N., was staying with me, 
having only quitted Fort Johnston a short time before. On my invitation he 
returned there and restored the situation as well as possible. 
I am glad to say that both Mr. King and Dr. Watson recovered from their 
wounds. The recovery of the former was quite extraordinary as he was 
practically shot through the lungs. 2 Our ultimate losses were found to have 
consisted of the 7-pounder gun, a few rifles and cases of ammunition ; and six 
1 These subsequently reached Fort Johnston by devious routes, one after more than thirteen days in 
the bush with nothing but grass, leaves, and roots to eat. 
- For years afterwards he was Vice-Consul at Chinde ; but to my deep regret died at that place 
on November 30, 1896. 
