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many claims that overlapped and required adjustment. The settlers knew that 
I was entrusted with the task of enquiring into and settling their claims, and 
many of them anticipated with some accuracy that their claims would not be 
sanctioned, either wholly or even at all. They were therefore disposed to 
weaken my position as much as they could by cavilling at all my acts, and 
making all the capital they could out of my misfortunes. In regard to a 
certain Missionary Society in the Shire Highlands, its hostile attitude was 
of more complex origin. It had acquired, and acquired by good means, a very 
strong influence over the natives. Its representatives were men of great 
natural ability who, whether conscious of it or not, enjoyed to the full the 
power of governing. Still they had not been appointed to administer this 
country by the Government, and it was impossible to allow them to take 
the law into their own hands as they were in the habit of doing, by holding 
informal courts and administering justice. Loth as I was to come into conflict 
with any Missionary Society—as I have always been a sincere admirer of the 
results of mission work—I found myself inevitably at issue with certain men 
at Blantyre and elsewhere. It is not worth while describing the ways in which 
through misrepresentation in the Press, letters to the Foreign Office, and strong- 
local opposition my life and the lives of my subordinates were made unbearable : 
for I suppose the same conflict has occurred with the commencement of all 
attempts to found an Administration among headstrong, sturdy pioneers. I 
merely refer to these foolish dead-and-forgotten quarrels because in a small way 
they enter into the woof of our history at this period, for I cannot too strongly 
assert, as a fact perhaps not sufficiently appreciated, that during my seventeen 
years’ acquaintance with Africa the difficulties raised up against my work by 
Europeans have infinitely exceeded the trouble given me by negroes or Arabs. 
Captain Charles Edward Johnson, of the 36th Sikhs, arrived in the month 
of June to take the place of the late Captain Maguire. He soon brought order 
into our disorganised forces, and there accompanied him a small detachment of 
Sikhs which proved a very useful reinforcement. Commander Keane was 
released by the arrival of Captain Johnson and received a C.M.G. in reward 
for his services. Before Captain Johnson could get an expedition ready I was 
obliged to dispatch a small force under Mr. Sharpe and Captain Sclater against 
the highway robbers of Mt. Chiradzulu. 1 
At the beginning of July, 1892, we received a visit from Admiral Nicholson, 
who was commanding on the Cape Station. Being absent at Fort Johnston, 
I dispatched Mr. Sharpe to meet the Admiral at Chiromo, whilst I journeyed 
to Blantyre. As regards bad news, I had one hour after I reached Blantyre 
which I shall always remember as a kind of Job’s experience. Within that 
one hour arrived the following pieces of information. First came a messenger 
to say that a raid had been made by the Yao on the Blantyre-Zomba road, a 
caravan attacked and a quantity of goods stolen. Then came another message 
from Katunga, on the Shire, with the news that Mr. Sharpe’s boat, on his way 
down to Chiromo, had been capsized by a hippopotamus, and that Mr. Sharpe 
and all his companions were drowned. 2 Lastly came the post with the news 
1 Chiradzulu is a very fine picturesque mountain about 5,500 ft. in height, midway between Zomba and 
Blantyre. The Yao settled on this mountain since the Yao raids of 1861-2 and -3 were very troublesome 
to the first missionaries and planters, and gave a great deal of annoyance in the early days of the Adminis¬ 
tration. They were thoroughgoing slave-raiders, and were not finally subdued until the winter of 1893. 
2 Two or three of Mr. Sharpe’s men were drowned, but he fortunately succeeded in swimming 
ashore where he was eventually picked up by a native canoe, lie lost, however, everything he had with 
him, including some valuable guns. 
