206 
THE KILIMA NJARO EXPEDITION 
soldiers with me, he accorded his protection to my 
settlement during my absence. Here, though I only 
left one man in charge, I felt perfectly confident in 
Mandara’s rectitude. Strange combination of qualities, 
both good and bad, was the nature of Mosi’s sovereign ! 
While he could see no harm in bullying, frightening, 
worrying his guest into yielding up bis goods, yet he 
would never take anything by force, although he had 
merely to stretch out his hand to do so. 
I looked forward to my Taveita trip as the prisoner 
does to his quitting gaol, or as a pent-up toiler in 
towns must to his annual holiday in the country. 
Every effort I had recently made to wander beyond the 
borders of Mosi up the mountain had been resolutely 
prevented by the Wa-Kiboso; in fact, on the 11th of 
August we nearly lost our lives in an ambush. Every 
flower I gathered in the debatable ground was 
snatched with trepidation and a wary look all round, 
and I feared to fire my gun at any bird lest it should 
attract the attention of my hidden foes. Consequently 
the idea of leaving Mosi on the south and going for a 
holiday trip to Taveita was full of pleasant possibilities, 
and proved as interesting in reality as in anticipation. 
Leaving Kitimbiriu on the 18tli, my eight porters 
and 1 walked gaily down the path up which we had 
toiled, some nine or ten weeks before, on our entry 
into Mosi. By noon we had reached the pretty little 
Mkuyuni river, associated with several of our adven¬ 
tures. Here the lions had besieged us, and here 
Kiongwe had taken refuge from the savages. Now I 
found its banks peaceful and deserted, although we 
had just missed a large troop of elephants, who must 
have crossed in the morning. Many bristles from their 
tails still hung in the bushes, dragged out, I suppose, 
