24 
EAST AFRICA AND ITS BIG GAME. 
mite to see it stamped out root and branch, but we 
must begin at the root , and until some movement to 
this end is set on foot, harrying the slave dhows with a 
few gunboats only aggravates the misery of the poor 
wretches we are all endeavouring to serve. 
The Saturday after our arrival was quite a gala day, 
as we had to take the names and hand over the two 
months’ advance pay to the one hundred and fifty-five 
men we had already engaged, a matter of nearly four 
hours’ hard work amidst indescribable din and con¬ 
fusion. General Mathews kindly helped us with the 
names, which were often very curious. We had one 
porter called Open Grave, another KiboJco or Hippo¬ 
potamus, a third Elephant’s Tooth, and others equally 
uncommon. Many of these big fellows were led up by 
tiny Arab boys who claimed them as slaves, and who 
promptly annexed the half of their wages as soon as 
they were paid. The pay of the men was five dollars, 
or nearly eleven rupees a month, though some of the 
head men had more than twice that amount, and of 
course the moment the money was paid all rushed off 
to spend as much of it as they could in a tremendous 
drink. 
The following day we drove out in one of the 
Sultan’s carriages to Mbweni, where Sir John Kirk has 
his country villa, to which Mr. Iiolmwood had invited 
us. It is a charming little house, built on a small pro¬ 
montory well shaded by large palm trees and mangoes, 
and surrounded by an exquisite garden, in fact, the exact 
antithesis of the Sultan’s country palace of Chugnani. 
