246 
THE KILIMA NJARO EXPEDITION. 
who had a pleasant manner and knew a little Ki-caga, 
undertook this rather risky errand. Arrived in the 
vicinity of the king’s residence he was long kept wait¬ 
ing outside, because the timid young sovereign was 
afraid of being bewitched by the whiteman’s emissary. 
The people of Maranu, no less than their chief, still 
feared treachery on my part. They dreaded lest all 
these peaceful overtures might hot be a cunning means 
of penetrating the country and then attacking it un¬ 
awares, in league with the dreaded Mandara. So as 
they still hesitated between accepting or rejecting my 
proposals they resolved to ascertain the true character 
of my mission by a potent test. A goat was brought 
before the young chief, and made to swallow a poisonous 
drug. “ Now,” said the Sultan of Marahu to the 
smiling but secretly uneasy Kiongwe, C£ if the goat dies 
I shall know that your heart is black and your mission 
deceitful, and I will kill you, that your master may see 
how I hate a lie ; but if the goat lives, good; I shall then 
be convinced you have spoken the truth, and your 
master really wishes to be my friend.” After a short 
period of suspense the goat began to retch violently, 
and finally vomited the noxious dose, then it shivered 
a little, shook itself, bleated, and began to browse. A 
loud burst of delighted acclamation greeted this favour¬ 
able outcome of the ordeal, and Kiongwe was relatively 
safe. His moral sifting was not altogether finished, 
however; he must submit to a further trial. The 
queen-dowager, who was reputed a regular witch or 
wizard-finder, took him by both hands and gazed 
earnestly into his eyes. If his look should flinch or 
turn aside, then was his heart black and treacherous. 
So far from flinching, however, he glared at the queen- 
mother for his very life, and it was she who first 
