256 
THE KILIMA NJARO EXPEDITION. 
followed on my footsteps, and appeared in the camp 
just as I was sitting down to a quiet breakfast. I 
began to hate him, especially as he entered my tidy 
tent and sat down in his greasy paint and dirt on my 
clean bed. Now commenced my difficulties. I wanted, 
in reality, merely to pass through this man’s country 
and obtain guides for the higher regions, and wished 
his people to accompany me for the further reason 
that they would be able to explain to the warlike Wa- 
kiboso, with whom they were allied, the change in my 
position, and how I had made friends with their chief 
of Maranu, who was one of the principal leaders in the 
coalition against Mandara. 
The chief, however, looked on my arrival in his 
country as an excellent opportunity for extortion; 
and, moreover, wanted me to live permanently at his 
court, so that my stream of wealth might flow into his 
coffers rather than his neighbours’. So it was I had 
to intrigue a little with the Sultan of Maranu as to my 
ultimate intention of returning to Taveita, and promise 
anything so that he should remain in good-humour, 
and give me guides, and let me go to the snow-peaks. 
Therefore I was obliged to control my repugnance at 
his filthy presence, and smile sweetly at his inquisitive 
pryings into my private boxes. At one time he sud¬ 
denly seized my loaded revolver, hanging up from the 
tent-post, and, before I could stop him, fired off every 
cartridge in it at random, fortunately hitting nobody, 
but only missing my own person by a fluke. Then he 
would take my greatcoat and try it on, and indeed 
endeavoured to walk off with it, until forcibly detained. 
At length he calmed down, and proceeded to formulate 
his demands, which he desired me to forward by 
special messenger to Sir John Kirk, at Zanzibar, 
