A MOVE TO MABANTT. 
245 
reside in the upper regions in peace and quiet—and 
then nroceed at once to the borders of the snow, and 
make up for lost time by collecting as busily as possible. 
Had the mission of pacifying and regenerating the 
states of Kilima-njaro been confided to me I would 
have thrown my whole heart into it, and might perhaps 
have done some real good, but it was not for that end 
that I had received my grants from the Royal Society 
and the British Association. They wanted plants and 
birds and beetles, not assurances that certain obscure 
communities of savages in Central Africa had been 
induced to abstain for a few months from killing and 
enslaving one another. What would they say, when 
my six months’ residence on Kilima-njaro was over, 
and I presented myself to their committee, and said, 
a Oh, I am sorry to inform you I found the state of 
V 
affairs in the Caga commonwealth so disorganized, that 
I set myself to work to restore peace and prosperity, 
and this took up so much time that I wasn’t able to 
collect ” ? 
No, so anxious was I to effect the purpose for which 
I had come to Eastern Africa, that I often, when 
worried by all these intrigues, could find nothing more 
fitting to exclaim than “ Bother your quarrels and your 
wrongs, let me get to the snow.” Sometimes I longed 
for giant bombs containing carbonic acid gas, that I 
might explode them on the mountain, and painlessly 
asphyxiate its troublesome inhabitants. But as this 
was out of the question, the only plan I could think of 
was to 'make friends with Mandara’s enemies, whether 
Mandara liked it or not. Accordingly, after the little 
conference referred to, I despatched a mission to 
Maranu with handsome presents for its chief, and a 
warm acceptance of his peaceful overtures. Kiongwe, 
