FOUNDING THE PROTECTORATE 
119 
British South Africa Company into administrative divisions were completed. 
The Protectorate was divided into twelve districts, the names of which will 
be found in the accompanying map, and that portion of the South Africa 
Company’s territory which we were able to administer was 
divided into the districts of Tanganyika, Chambezi, Mweru 
and Luapula. 1 
During my absence in South Africa Mr. Sharpe had 
taken an important step towards controlling the Mlanje 
district, and guarding our south-eastern border from the 
raids of a very troublesome chief, known as Matipwiri. 
To check these raids he had founded Fort Lister in the 
pass between Mounts Mlanje and Michesi. The idea of 
building a fort at this spot was no new one. It had first 
occurred to Consul Hawes in 1886, and I had taken up 
the idea again after my first visit to Mlanje in 1892. After 
that journey I decided that as soon as we could obtain 
reinforcements from India, we should build forts to guard 
the north and south ends of Mlanje Mountain. These 
forts I subsequently named Fort Lister and Fort Anderson 
to commemorate the sympathy and assistance I had re¬ 
ceived at the hands of Sir Villiers Lister and Sir Percy 
Anderson of the Foreign Office, in carrying out my 
projects for the suppression of the slave trade. Captain 
C. E. Johnson commenced the construction of Fort Lister, 
but although his advent in this country was warmly 
welcomed by the indigenous A-nyanja 
chiefs, it was anything but welcome to 
the Yao slave traders, prominent among whom was the 
chieftain named Nyaserera. 2 Nyaserera seems to have disliked 
the idea of making an attack in force on the fort as long as 
it was defended by a white man, but the idea apparently 
occurred to him to attempt the assassination of Captain 
Johnson. That, at least, was the belief of most of the native 
witnesses whom we subsequently examined. What took place 
was this : One night as Captain Johnson was sitting down 
to dinner in his temporary bungalow he heard a slight noise 
in his adjoining sleeping apartment, and on looking up saw 
a man with a spear concealed behind a portiere. He at once 
attempted to seize the intruder. The latter grappled with 
him in the bath-room, to which he had retreated, and stabbed 
the Captain till he swooned. He then made off before 
assistance came. This news was conveyed to me by the 
Indian hospital assistant at Fort Lister. 
I hurried over there with Mr. Whyte, and such was the 
panic created amongst the natives by Nyaserera’s sudden 
evidence of hostility towards us that we had the greatest 
difficulty in getting any porters to carry our loads Part of 
A SIKH SOLDIER IN THE 
R.C.A. UNIFORM 
(black, white, yellow, red) 
A SIKH SOLDIER IN' 
FIGHTING KIT 
1 I believe to these districts the South Africa Company have now added the Mpezeni district and the 
Luangwa districts. The capital of the latter is Fort Jameson. 
2 Nyaserera though he ruled Yao and identified himself much with the Yao cause, was in reality 
a Mlolo from the countries west of Lake Chilwa. The A-lolo are closely related to the Makua and 
speak nearly the same language. 
