a :V ANXIOUS PERIOD. 
193 
mountain to collect, and here I was, settled on Kilima¬ 
njaro, and yet unable to touch a plant or an insect of 
those interesting regions around me—at least unable 
in theory, and much thwarted in the practice, although 
1 still went stealthily to collect. 
One day soon after this fresh aggravation, Mandara 
(in whose utmost naughtiness there was always a 
spice of fun) sent me a dirty old basket full of vege¬ 
table refuse, with a message to the effect that I might 
add this to my collections on the payment of a few 
ells of cloth. I kicked the basket from one end of 
the settlement to the other, and said, “ that was the 
only answer,” at which rash act my men were appalled, 
but when Mandara heard of it, he gave a hearty laugh. 
However, matters did not improve. Failing to extort 
anything from me by force, Mandara tried starvation 
and ordered all his people to abstain from selling me 
any article of food. One or two men who were 
detected smuggling food into my settlement at night 
were sold as slaves. Another man who was heard to 
call me “ Mange Muzungu,” “ White Chief,” was 
severely beaten as conferring on me a title equal to 
Mandara’s. Nevertheless, I offered no sign of yield¬ 
ing, for I knew that would be fatal—it would mean 
that little by little everything would be taken from 
me, and I should be left to return as New did, 
under similar circumstances, broken-hearted with the 
thought of failure. Accordingly, though my milk¬ 
man politely intimated he would be unable to continue 
sending his daily supply, and though children left off 
coming to me with blackberries, and the women 
ceased to bring me ripe bananas, I cheerfully dis¬ 
pensed with butter, cream, fruit puddings, and 
banana fritters, and when Mandara, curious as to my 
