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Sultan to Sultan. 
 
 Adventures among the Masai and 
 other Tribes ot East Africa. 
 
 M. FRENCH-SHELDON, 
 " Bebe Bwana." 
 
 BOSTON, MASS.: 
 A.RENA PUBLISHING COMI^A^NY 
 
 Copley Sciuare. 
 1892. 
 
 London: SAXON & CO., 23 Bouverie St., Fleet St., E. C. 
 
Coi'VRuniTEii 1S92. 
 By M. French-Sheldon. 
 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 
 
 ^Rren^Pre^^^ 
 
(j/ic/'e <r,<c. M^/io ./o,< /'/i ,j /a.y/: .^/eeS 
 '~tnd j,'/c9c. f//<tt t/,r/ f//u'c/'.> are -a'er. 
 

 ^yjoi^^try a.^.^^ a(^1^ ^ y^ 
 
FOREWORD. 
 
 From the public I crave indulgence for all shortcomuigs, 
 with the assurance that under the crushing weight of a supreme 
 sorrow which has overtaken me whilst " Sultan to Sultan" has 
 been in press, it has been with an aching heart I have com- 
 pleted the work, endeavoring with fortitude to do my best to 
 make my readers better acquainted with the possibilities ot the 
 natural primitives whom I am proud to call my iriends an 
 be called friend by, and to demonstrate that if a woman coul 
 journey a thousand and more miles in East Africa, amon 
 some hostile tribes, unattended by other than Zanzibaris mer- 
 cenaries, without bloodshed, the extreme measures employed by 
 some would-be colonizers is unnecessary, atrocious, and with- 
 out the pale of humanity. To the indefatigable efforts of m)- 
 publishers, especially to Mr. 11. H. lioyce, who, with s)mpa- 
 thy and consideration, has personally spared me the countless 
 detail of the work ; to the artists who have entered into the 
 spirit of the illustrations, and actually reproduced the photo- 
 graphs and the curios, waiving artistic desire to make alter- 
 ations ; to the printers, and the Victorians of Manchester, 
 England, for the sketch map of m)- route ; and finally to 
 Iriends who have seen me bravely through, I owe un- 
 qualified thanks. 
 
 Author. 
 
 BosiON, Mass., U. S. A.; 
 August 20, 1S92. 
 
TABLE OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. opiosiTE 
 
 PACE 
 
 Bridge built by Native Engineers . . . . . . 22 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 The Treacherous Guide ........ 46 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Plodding through an .African Boulevard . . . . . 146 
 
 CHAPTER Vni. 
 Natives coming to see Bebe Bwana . . . . . . 184 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 On a Secret Mission ......... 200 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Map ............ 214 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A Pause for Breath . . . . . . . . . 238 
 
 Natives and Ostrich afjout my Kitchen . . . . . 254 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 AflO-AT on Lake Chala, May 9, 1S91 . . . . . . 270 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Tall Grass ........... 288 
 
 Natives near Kildi.anjaro ........ 298 
 
TARLE OF FULI.-PAGE ILLUSTRATIOXS. 
 
 chaptf:r XIV. 
 
 Entering thk Forest 
 
 Natives crowding around Car.-wan 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Part of an Encampment 
 Group of Ta\'eta Natin'es 
 
 OPPOSITE 
 PAGE 
 
 306 
 316 
 
 322 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Hamidi, Caravan and Natives ..... 
 
 Poor Bebe, no Rings ....... 
 
 Stream forded by Caravan ...... 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 KiLAME N.ATIVF.S BRINGING PeaCF, OFFERING 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Sultan Mireali's Subjects attend iiy Full-dress Reception 
 Sultan Mireali's Boma with some of his Wives and Surias 
 
 334 
 342 
 350 
 
 356 
 
 378 
 3S6 
 
 Contemplative Natives . 
 Cow sent by Mireali 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 African Stream swum by Carav.an . 
 Photographic Fiction ..... 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 M. French-Sheldon in Court Dress 
 
 392 
 402 
 
 40S 
 414 
 
 418 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Ho ! FOR East Africa 
 
 starting from London. — Adieu to Friends. — First Obstacle. — Palanquin 
 and All safely on Board Steamship "Madura." — .\t Naples. — 
 Heartbreaking Farewell. — Reviewing the Situation. — Life on Ship- 
 board. — Port Said. — Suez Canal. — Sights on Vnyage. — Aden. 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 Aden to Momi;asa 
 
 PAGE 
 13 
 
 34 
 
 Sights about Aden — Local Color. — Saffron Woman. — Palanquin on 
 View. — Captain's Brutality turns to my Disadvantage. — Lamu. — 
 My Great Obstacle. — Rumored Disturbances in German Occupancy. 
 
 — Nearing Mombasa. 
 
 CH.APTER in. 
 Mombasa to Zanzibar ......... 63 
 
 Approaching Moml^asa. — My Obstacle protests. — Silence a Virtue. — 
 Frere Town Mission. — Impractical Christianity, Industrial Mission. 
 
 — Native Drink. — .-V Desultory Glance. — The White Men in the 
 English <.)ccupancy. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Forming my Caravan ......... 83 
 
 My Undertaking scouted. — L)i!ticulty in recruiting Porters. — Gaining 
 the Auspices of the Sultan of Zanzibar. — Visits to the Harem. — 
 Behind Closed Doors. — Sultan's Letter. — Caravan sworn in. — 
 Malignant Fever. — Back to Mombasa. — My Obstacle converted. — 
 Mr. Mackenzie's Letter. — Everything in Train. — Native's Quaint Ex- 
 pression. — No Cripples. — Twins tabooed. — Stigmatized Bits of Metal. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PAOE 
 
 The First March io8 
 
 Rain. — A First Start. — My Host. — \ariety uf Supplies. — Routine of 
 Dailv Life. — Patience and Other Traits of my Contingents. — Tan- 
 genizing, the African .Synonyme of the American Fixing. — Natives' 
 Quaint Acts, Sign Language. — No Intirm, no Cripples. — Twins. — 
 Treachery punished. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 First Al.\r.m. Excitable Porters 130 
 
 Masai .Scare. — Products. — Flogging Porters to protect themselves and 
 the Natives. — Methods of Discipline. — Kara, the Samson of the 
 Caravan. — Ants. — Jiggers and C)ther Pests. — Pink Locusts. — Horal 
 Colors. — Turtles. — Helices. — Name King. 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 ^\'A-NvIKA AND Wa-Duruma 1 53 
 
 Thorny March. — Homage commanded from Natives. — Christened as 
 Bebe Bwana. — Directness of Language. — Buss concludes a Bargain. 
 
 — Wa-Duruma. — Wa-Shenzie. — Slaves own Slaves. — Foot-sore. — 
 Making Camp. — Comforts of my Itinerary. — Tooth-Sticks. — Capt. 
 .Stairs's Hints for Camps, etc. 
 
 CHAPTER Vni. 
 
 Re\ OI.T AND De.ath . . . . . . . . . • I 73 
 
 First and Last Revolt. — Severe Measures necessary. — Rock Reservoirs. 
 
 — Yellow Birds. — Medical Duties. — Nightly Horrors. — Marching 
 in the Storm. — .\ Sentimental if not Faithful Wife. — • Porter de- 
 voured by Lions. — An Invalid. — Deserted Villages. — Primitive 
 Methods of tilling the Ground. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 nEPRA\ED Wa-TeITA . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 7 
 
 Difficult March. — -Accident to my Eye. — Sagalia Mission deserted. — 
 Depravity of the Wa-Teita. — Decoration the Religion of Dress. — 
 .Vrrow Poison. — Polygamy climatic. — Kilimanjaro seen in Distance. 
 
 — Palanquin pursued by Native Gamins. — The Ceremonious Art of 
 spitting. — Whilst eating, viewed in Wonderment. — A Ducking. — 
 Noli Me Tiutgerf. — -Device appreciated. — Dying by the Wayside. 
 
 — "Buck Fever." — A Happy Shot. — Big Game. — Birds. — Plea 
 for Methods of Transportation. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Ox TO Taveta ........... 208 
 
 Lake Jipo. — Kilimanjaro. — Another Masai Scare. — A Test of \alor. — 
 Taveta Gates. — A Cloud-Burst. — ■ Bribery in Africa. — Welcomed by 
 Wa-Taveta. — Habits, Costumes, and Industries. — The Woman of 
 Taveta. — Funeral Rites. — Worship. — Secretiveness respecting the 
 Dead. — Pombe Cups. — Dubious Origin of Designs. — Medical Prac- 
 tices. — Dancing. — Decorations affected by the Men. — Trving to 
 amuse Natives. — Singular Armlets. — King Ja-Ja Ring. — Articles 
 craved by Natives. — Confidence in Author. 
 
 CH.\PTER XI. 
 
 Arcadian T.aveta . . . . . . . . . .238 
 
 Attributes of Character. — Farm Products. — Rotten Egg. — Fanning 
 Leather. — Clannish Selection of (.'rnament. — Sumptuous Display of 
 Native Jewelry. — Marriage Customs. — Mixed Family Relations. — 
 Native Medical Clinic. — Childhood's Limits. — Education by Observa- 
 tion. — Circumscribed Language. — Fire-Sticks. — Shooting Fish. — 
 Universal Kindness to Children. — Harmless Freedom in the Inter- 
 mingling of the Sexes. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 CIRCUMNAVIG.A.T10N OF LaKE ChaLA ....... 260 
 
 My Expedition to Lake Chala. — English Officer and Mission. — Doctor's 
 Ivindness. — .'Vdventurous Descent to and Circumnavigation of Lake 
 Chala. — My Friends, the Hostile Rombos, subsequently Dr. Peters's 
 X'ictims. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 VuLC.«JS OF Chaga .......... 284 
 
 Fundis Craftsmen or Blacksmiths of Chaga Land. — Experts, among 
 which are Sultans Mandara and Mireali. — Mandara's Disablement. — 
 Simplicity of Native Tools. — Forging Spears out of Iron Wire. — 
 Methods used. — Charcoal Making. — High Rank of a Fundi. — A 
 Fundi's Pride. — Jewellers who make Delicate Chains, Beads, Brace- 
 lets, Armlets, Necklaces, Ear-Rings, and Bells. — Variety of Orna- 
 ments. — Burnishing. — Religion of Ornamentation. — Men indulge 
 in \'anities. — Do the Fancy Beadwork, leaving the Women to till 
 the Ground and care for Cattle. — Following Fashion.' — , Various 
 Significance of Bells. — Masai Women's Ornaments. — Patterns used 
 for Spears. — Mark of the Maker. — Rombo Small Spears. — Using 
 all Bits of Metal for Ornaments. — Adaptation of Bottles. — Native 
 Unconscious Nudity. — Story of a Masai Spear. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Primitive Kimangelia 301 
 
 Forest Village never before visited by a White Person. — Debatable 
 Territorial Lines. — Native Guides. — Passing through Useri. — 
 Women's Decorations. — Uncivil Sultan receives a Rebuff. — Wild 
 Animals. — A Masai Woman's Corpse stripped of its Ornaments. — 
 .Sudden Change of Temperature. — All suffer from the nightly Cold. 
 — Trying Route. — -Sweet Odors of Veget.ition induce Asthma. — Phos- 
 phorescent Mists. — Revelations of the Night. — Nocturnal Attack of 
 a Python. — Snakes and Serpents. — Cutting Way through Forest. — 
 Habits and Customs. — Called Author God. — Stone Spear. — Dis- 
 covery of a Cave. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Masai 319 
 
 Blustering Masai. — Attacks upon Taveta make a Trade of War. — The 
 Wandurobo Dwarfish if not Dwarfs. — Forbidding Passage through 
 Country. — Women's Privileges. — Grass as an Emblem of Truce. — 
 Salt Stone Analysis, by the Royal College of Science, London. — 
 Women's Regulation Garb. — Men's Theatrical Get-up and Actions. — 
 Meat-Eaters. — One Thousand ready for Battle. — " Wow," a Threat 
 met by Threat. — Blind Zeal in Photography. — Spitting an Urbane 
 Civility. — Values of Women and Cattle. — Full-dress Reception. - — 
 Picturesque Phrases. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Heroic Hamidi and Others ........ 334 
 
 Hamidi, Author's Headman of Headmen. — Refusing to conduct .Author. — 
 Heroic .Action. — Final Consent. — His Devotion to his Leader. — ■ 
 Woman's Loin-Cloth. — Wa-Kahe Belief in Transmigration of the 
 Spirits of their .Ancestors. — Wa-Kahe Industries. — Native Thief 
 captured. — -Tempted by Desire to possess a Waterproof Cloth. — A 
 Little Maid of Kilema's Generosity. — Establishing a Code of Prestige. 
 
 — Latent Fun of the Natives. — ^To wish for was to possess. — Josefe 
 dubbed as the Trumpet of Bi'bc. — .-Vnswering me as Sir. — Members 
 of my Migrating Household. — Washing Days. — Women Porters. — 
 Porters secreting Articles in their Wool. — Daily Life among Porters. 
 
 — Cutting out Thorns. — Caravan .Anchor. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Sultan Mikeali .......... 356 
 
 Mireali, Sultan of Marungu, dressed as a Guy. — His Warm Welcome 
 and Generosity. — Resumption of Native Costume. — Coveted Music 
 Box. — His Wives, Surias, and Household. — Mireali's Talks. — His 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 5 
 
 Contentions uitli Mandara. — His Ambition to become enlightened. paok 
 
 — Sultan Mariama and the Saw. — Native Fabrics. — Native-made 
 Candles. — Stuff of Court Gown called Queens' Cloth. — Sunglass. — 
 Mireali dances the Moon Dance. — A Deputation of his Subjects en- 
 treating the Author to stay. — Happy Chance for a Photograph. — The 
 Perished Umbrella. — Messenger from .Sultan to .Sultan. — How to 
 check Interpreter. 
 
 CH.\PTER XVIII. 
 
 Characters . . . . . . . . . -377 
 
 Musical Instruments. — Sultan Fumbo. — Rame/an's Artitice. — Baraka, my 
 Steward. — Estabhshment of Discipline. — Porter Francez. — Roll 
 Call. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Sultan Mandara of Mo.schi . . . . . . . . 39* 
 
 His Crafty, L'nscrui)ulous Ways. — Visit to his Boma. — Caves at the Foot 
 of the Hill of the Site of his Village. — Fiction with Germans. — Story 
 of a Little Native Child. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Fleeting Sights .......... 406 
 
 Albinos. — Meeting Elephants. — Big Game. — Water Incident. — Women 
 classed by Garments. — Offering a Head of Hair for Sale. — Effect of 
 Climate on Photography. — A Photographic Fiction. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Homeward Bound . . . . . . . . . .416 
 
 Through the German Territory. — Palanijuin Accident. — Meeting Capt. 
 Stairs. — Care on Steamship '-Madura." — Familiar Scenes. — Arrival 
 at Naples. — Home again. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 Afterilath ........... 428 
 
 Medical and SurijIcal .\ppLLA.NCEi . . . . . . .431 
 
TABLE OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Initial Letter H, Two Native Water-Carriers joined by Rubber Plant. — H. 
 S. Wellcome. — E. L. Sheldon. — Surgeon T. H. Parke. — Naples. — Aden. — 
 Capt. Avern. — Steamship "Madura." — Dredge on Suez Canal. — Port Said 
 Jetty. — Entrance to Suez Canal. — Bedouin .\rab Chief. — .Arab Camel Caravan. 
 — Water Caravan. — Suez. — Native Dobe or Washerwoman. — Tailpiece, Cas- 
 solet used on Coaling Barges. 
 
 CH.APTER II. 
 
 Initial Letter A, Tiger. — Mosque at .\den. — Masai Head-Dress, Red 
 and White Painted Leather Face Piece, Ostrich Plumes. — Abyssinian 
 Warrior. — Water Tanks at .Aden. — Son of the Mahadi. — Delight of a Cordo- 
 fan, Negro on a Chicken Coop. — Fellah Water-Carrier. — Abyssinian Slave 
 Children. — Egyptian Scissors-Grinders. — Native Types of Porters. — Bushiri, 
 the Slave Raider. — Somali Family. — Queen of Somali. — The Queen's Slave 
 Woman. — Chaga Car\'ed Snuff-Box, Egyptian Design. — .Author's Sun Protect- 
 ors. — Slave Dhow, built without Metal Spikes or Cleats. — Varbon Lelli, one of 
 my Faithfuls. — George S. Mackenzie, my Great Obstacle. — Mombasa Fort, 
 built by \'asco da Gama in Si.\teenth Century. — Tailpiece, Ostrich Boa and 
 Feathers bought at Aden. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Initial Letter W, Lemur. — Cocoanut Plantation, Mombasa. — .Author's 
 Hand, showing Rings and Bracelets for Gifts. — .Arab Quarters, Mom- 
 basa. — Date Palm. — Soudanese Warriors. — Snuff-Box, studded Silver, 
 Metal Chain, Chaga make. — .Arab Woman selling Bananas to Porter. — Gourd 
 Snuff-Box, studded Silver and Carved Patterns, Chaga make. — .Arab Blind 
 Beggar. — Snuff-Box, studded Silver, Metal Chain, Chaga make. — Rescued 
 Slave Girls, Various Tribes. — .Abyssinian Slave Girl. — Native Warriors. — 
 
TABLE OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. 7 
 
 Somali Warriors. — Ear Stretcher worn by Missionary Girls, Mombasa. — Tail- 
 piece, Eland Bull. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Initial Letter F, African Monkey and Grass. — Mombasa from English 
 Point. — M. French-Sheldon, Bebe Bwana, in Travelling Costume. — Sultan of 
 Zanzibar, Autographed Photograph. — Ivory Market at Bagamoyo. • — Sultan's 
 Three Henchmen. — Woman of Sultan's Harem. — Woman of Sultan's Harem. 
 
 — Sultan's Letter. — Arab Letter- Writer. — Arabian Musician. — Arab Sugar- 
 Cane Seller and Porters. — Dervish Musician. — Mombasa. — Harbor Zanzibar 
 and Sultan's Palace. — George S. Mackenzie's Letter. — Black Ivory, or Slaves 
 at Bagamoyo. — Tailpiece, Hunteri. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Initial Letter M, African Elephant's Head and Moss. — Josefe and Natives. 
 
 — Arabs Resting. — A Study of Pombe Cups, .Author's Collection. — Buffalo 
 Bull's Head. — Masai Flag of Truce, a Song 'of Peaceful Intentions, carried 
 by Author's Caravan. — Khartoum Negro before Barber's Day. — Vv'hirling and 
 Howling Dervishes seen at Zanzibar. — Type Native Soldier. — Type Native 
 Soldier. — Type Native Soldier. — Native Women Water-Carriers. — Small 
 Game ; a daily Scene on Safari. — Masai Spear. — Colored Trade Cloths. — 
 Second Study of Pombe Cups in Author's Collection. — Gourd Water Bottle or 
 Calabash, ornamented with Beads and Metal Chains. — Brass Chain Necklace, 
 Chaga make. — Ear Ornament made of Wart Hog Tusks united with Braided 
 Fibre, ornamented with Chains. — Tailpiece, Bush Buck. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Initial Letter S, Giraffe and Native Grasses. — Wait-a-Bit Tree. — Brass 
 Bead Necklace, Chaga make. — Luncheon in the Open. — Inlaid Wooden 
 Bowl stained Brown. — Wooden Pot, stained Brown, dug out of a solid Piece 
 with Knives or Flints. — Inlaid Wooden Bowl. — Egg-shaped and Venetian 
 Trade Beads. — Dawa, or Medicine Beads, made of Black Beans. — Jewelled 
 Swords given to Sultan Mandara. — Knob Kerry Sticks made variously of Ebony, 
 Rhinoceros Horn, and Ivory. — Author's Rifle and Gun Case first made by 
 Natives East Africa. — Portrait of Headman Hamidi. — Native Knives of all 
 kinds, and Sheaths. — Kara, Samson of the Caravan. — Native Banana Knife 
 taken from the Forge, unpolished. — Native Wooden Pot. — Third Study of 
 Pombe Cups, showing first Attempt of Figure Drawing, and a Wooden Pan Pipe. 
 
 — Twin Meal Pots. — Helices found from Coast to Highest Point travelled on 
 Kilimanjaro by Author. — French-Sheldon Name Rings. — Tailpiece, Hunteri. 
 
TAllLE OF TEXT II.I.USTKATK 'NS. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Initial Letter T, African Lion and Palm-Tree. — Study Pombe Cups. — 
 M'toto Bunduki, Author's Revolvers. — Egyptian Musician. — Women of tlie 
 Harem. — Egyptian Couriers. — Native Gossips. — Loads for Four Porters. — 
 Grass Mat for Porter's Bed. — Sandal, Bottom and Top. — Pombe Cup. — 
 Wooden Pipe. — Wooden Ear Stretcher. — Capt. Wm. E. Stairs, R. E. — 
 Native Wooden Basin. — The M. French-Sheldon Medicine Belt. — Chart of 
 Camp. — Tailpiece, Eland Cow. 
 
 CHAPTER VHI. 
 
 Initial Letter P, Masai Donkeys' Heads and Cacti. — Wait-a-Bit Thorn. 
 Raconta Beads. — Native Wooden Combs. — Native Medicine Box. — Trade 
 Beads. — Metal Necklaces for Gifts. — Masai Long Spear. — Kanzu worn by 
 Headman. — Copper Bead Kibosho Necklace. — Wooden Meal Dish. — Sweet 
 Grass Bead Necklace. — Bead-inlaid Bowl. — Native Four-legged Dish, made 
 of one Piece of Wood. — Spiral Metal Necklace, Native Work. — Native 
 Wooden Spoon. — Hide and Bead Cap worn by Sultans. — Tailpiece, Head 
 of Gazella Walleri. 
 
 . CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Initial Letter D, Native Goat with Black Face, and Fohage. — Wa-Teita 
 Hut and Banana-Tree. — Poisoned Arrows and Fire Arrows. — Native Metal 
 Rings and Goatskin Brotherhood Rings. — Snuff- Box made Gazelle's Horn, and 
 ornamented. — Brass and Iron Beads, Native make. — Goatskin Flap, orna- 
 mented with Beads and Chains, worn by many Tribes. — Wa-Teita Bead and 
 Metal Ear-Rings, Twenty-four worn at a Time. — Wa-Teita Ear-Rings, made of 
 Masai Beads. — Wa-Teita Bead Hoop Ear-Rings, Twenty-four and more worn 
 in One Ear. — Wa-Teita Sem-Sem, small Blue and Red Bead Necklace, pon- 
 derous. — Caravan Path. — Beaded African Fig Leaf, called by other Travellers 
 Tassels. — Two Beaded Girdles. — Pigeon-Egg shaped Beads, and Pinhead 
 Beads. — Bead-inlaid Dish. — Wooden Basin. — Rhinoceros Head. — Jewelled 
 Presents given Sultans. — Tailpiece, Gazella Walleri. 
 
 CHAPITER X. 
 
 Initial Letter W, Fat-tailed Sheep, with Giant Ferns. — Lake Jipo. — A 
 Test of Valor. — Living Tree Gates of Taveta. — Wild Cotton Pod, unnamed. 
 — Taveta White and Pink Girdle. — Study of Four Pombe Cups. — Taveta 
 Bead Collar and Necklace. — The Woman of Taveta. — Bead Belt presented to 
 Author by the Woman of Taveta. — Calf s Stomach Head-Dress, ornamented 
 with Beads and Chains. — Snuff-Box, ornamented with Beads and Chains. — 
 
TABLE OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. 9 
 
 Brass \Vire Spring Necklace, Native make. — Cotton Cap made by Porters on 
 Safari. — Cotton Cap made on Safari, from which Natives copy Designs for 
 Pombe Cups. — Silver-inlaid Wooden Bowl. — Dawa Necklace. — Taveta Bead 
 Belts, Pink and White, Red and Blue. — Taveta Four-legged Stool, made out 
 of One Piece of Wood, Top of Stool Designs burned in. — Child's Bead 
 Fringe Girdle. — Fine Chain Girdle, Bone Armlet. — Silver Ring of King 
 Ja-Ja, similar in Design to Bone Armlet. — Josefe, the Interpreter, Wag of the 
 Caravan. — Tailpiece, Male Water Buck. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Initial Letter G, Ostrich and African Papyrus. — Wa-Teita Sweet Grass 
 Necklace. — View of Kilimanjaro. — Author's Alpine Stock with Noli Mc 
 Tangere Pennant. — Taveta People. — B^be Bwana's Canvas Villa. — A ()uiet 
 Siesta in my Palanquin. — Bead and Chain Embroidered Loin-Cloth of Sultana. 
 
 — Snuff- Box. — Native Mail Carriers with Despatches from Home. — Porters 
 coaxing a Fire during a Cold Day. — Bearded Masai Warrior's Collar, won when 
 Twelve Foes have been killed. — Bead-inlaid Gourd. — Warrior's Spear. — 
 Catherine Wheel Double Brass Ear- Ring. — A Future Warrior. — Tailpiece, 
 Brindled Wildebeest Bull. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Initial Letter W, Vultures and Foliage. — Lake Chala, Southwestern View. 
 
 — Lake Chala, Northeastern View. — Phalacrocorax .^fricanus, shot on Lake 
 Chala. — Phalacrocorax Carbo, shot on Lake Chala. — View Kilimanjaro. — 
 Rombo Spear. — Rombo Hippopotamus Hide Shield, embossed Designs, 
 Outside. — Rombo Shield, Inside. — Toy Bird Cause of a Panic. — Hostile 
 Rombos. — Rombo Mctims of German Guns. — Tailpiece, Bush Buck. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Initial Letter V, Turtle and Maize. — Brass and Iron Bell Ear-Rings. — 
 Native Calfskin Bellows. — Native Calfskin Bellows. — Masai Spear. — Group 
 Metal Chain Ear-Rings, Brass, Copper, and Iron, and Glass Beads. — Real 
 Size Smallest Chaga Brass Beads. — Metal Ear-Rings. — Native Seme and 
 Scabbard. — Iron Bell worn by Woman during First Pregnancy. — Bells 
 worn by Infants. — Medicine Man's Knife and Poison Tubes. — Set of Orna- 
 ments worn by Masai Woman. Iron Coils finished with Brass and Copper. 
 
 — Warrior's Bell with Beaded Leg- Band. — Dancing Bell. — Native Vulcan's 
 make of Bracelets and Goatskin Bracelet. — Tailpiece. Brindled Wildebeest 
 Bull. 
 
lO TAllLE OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Initial Letter K, Elephants and Hippopotamus and Palm-Tree. — Masai 
 Colobus-skin Leglet. — Ostrich Feather Masai Mask. — Useri Head Orna- 
 ment. — Masai El-Moran. — Masai El-Moran. — Buffalo Bull. — Palanquin 
 and Python. — Chaga Chain Filet. — Camping Ground, Kimangelia. — Chaga 
 Snuff- PJox, ornamented Copper Wire Chains and Beads. — Chain and Bead 
 Ciirdle. — Metal Bead Necklace. — Tailpiece, Male Water Buck, or Kobus 
 Sing-.Sing. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Initial Letter B, Striped Mouse, Balsams, and Heliotrope. — Masai 
 Woman's Neck .-^rmor of Metal Coils. — Masai Brass Picked-out Bracelet. — 
 Masai Women Callers. — Masai War Mask, Ostrich Feathers and Lion's Mane. 
 
 — Split Vulture Feather Ruff, Part of Masai War Uniform. — Masai Necklace, 
 Metal Chains and Spring. — Masai Nebara, White and Red Cotton sewn to- 
 gether in Strips. — Wow, Masai \\'arrior threatening. — Masai Women with 
 Neck .Armor and Catherine Wheel Ear- Rings and Hide Helmet. — Masai 
 Brass Picked-out Collar. — Tailpiece, Male M'pallah. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Initial Letter X, Zebra and Huge Maidenhair Fern. — Masai Ostrich 
 Mask. — Masai Spears and Shields, with .Archaic Designs. — Chaga Metal Chain 
 (iirdle. — Large Masai Nebara, Brilliant Red and White Cotton. — Leather 
 Beaded Loin-Cloth with a Histor)'. — Portraits of Four Headmen. — Head of 
 Oryx Beisa Bull. — Colobus Monkey-Skins. — .An old Masai warning .Author. — 
 Tailpiece. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Initial Letter A, with Humming-Bird and Convolvulus. — Delicate Chain 
 Necklace, with Spiral Brass Pendants. — Sultan Mireali in Native .Attire. — 
 Presentation Jewelled Belt, Dagger, and Ornaments. — Bead Girdles worn 
 solely as .Attire by Mireali Surias (\\'omen). — Beaded Fig Leaf, sometimes 
 called a Tassel. — Beaded Fig Leaf, Metal Fringed. — -Agary Beads and Dawa 
 Chains, rare. — Candle made by Sultan Mireali. — Sultan Mireali and Courtiers. 
 
 — Dancing Wig, Front View, made of Colobus Monkey Hair. — Dancing Wig, 
 Hack Mew, made of Colobus Monkey White Fur. — Delicate Chain Necklace. — 
 I'seri Bone ICar-Rings. — Long Chain Necklaces, reach to the Wearer's Waist. 
 
 — Moschi Carved Wooden Staff. — Masai Dancing Wand. — Staff covered 
 with Iron Rings, to conserve for Various Uses. — Tailjiiece, Head Male 
 M'pallah (Melampus pallah). 
 
TABLE OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS. I I 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Initial Letter L, Gazelles and Papyrus. — Ramezan. — Baraka. — Sultan 
 Fumba's Crown. — Sultan Fumba and Suite. — Tailpiece, Kudu. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Initial Letter I, Hippopotamus and Palm. — Sultan Mandara of Moschi. — 
 African Spear. — Held in Bondage. — Study of Native-made Spoons. — .Arab 
 Flags of Welcome. — Blue Cotton Bead and Chain Embroidered Woman's 
 Cloth. — Out of the Forest. — Tailpiece, Eland Bull. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Initial Letter M, Gazella Walleri Buck and Giant Ferns. — Tailpiece, 
 Eland Cow. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Initial Letter O, African Baboon, Serpent, and Vine. — Porters testing 
 the Bridge. — A Clandestine Meeting. — A Repast of Arab Family. — .Arab 
 Musicians. — Fellah Woman Water-Carrier. — " Does She Live ? " 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Initial Letter Q, Humming- Bird, Pepper Plant. — Tailpiece, Jacques 
 Sheldon. 
 
SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTPZR I. 
 
 HO! FOR EAST AFRICA. 
 
 /"^ For East Africa ! 
 possessed my brain 
 when all the prep- 
 arations possible to make 
 before reaching Aden 
 were completed, and a 
 myriad of boxes and 
 a bewilderment of non- 
 descript packages — 
 my tent, gun, table, 
 chairs, pistols, photo- 
 graphic apparatus, and 
 personal effects — had 
 been sent by steamer to 
 meet me at Naples, 
 _ •'-^^ and for the first 
 
 time I felt I was without doubt actually bound for East Africa. 
 A hundred or more s)mpathetic friends and acquaintances, 
 
14 
 
 SULTAN TO SUI.TAN. 
 
 HENRV S. WELLCOME. 
 
 throncring the Charing Cross Station, albeit London was be- 
 nighted in a pea-soup fog, thick, black, damp, and chilly, I 
 was thrilled with ineliable delight. Gruesome remarks were 
 
 intermingled with inspiring words of 
 faith in my success: " Well, }OU have 
 my prayers for safe return." " If 
 you return alive, what a story you'll 
 have to tell ! " " Do be reason- 
 able, and abandon this mad, useless 
 scheme." " Brave woman, you'll ac- 
 complish all 3'ou aim to ; we owe 
 you a vote of thanks tor )-our cour- 
 age and self-sacrifice." "Be cau- 
 tious, vigilant, ready for any surprise, careful of your health, 
 and you'll win," said .Surgeon T. H. Parke. And A. Bruce, 
 the sturd)- son-in-law of the great 
 Livingstone, thrust into my hands a 
 long-range field glass, as if to bid me 
 be far-sipfhted. "Remember, nothino- 
 is accomplished without giving )our- 
 self up to the work at whatever sac- 
 rifice, and that honest failure is not 
 defeat. We believe )oii will suc- 
 ceed." His true words were branded 
 on my brain indelibl)-, and echoed e- l. .sheldon. 
 
 through my thoughts time out of number. Around me pressed 
 lovely girl friends, sentimental hero-worshippers, who set the 
 
 RBC 
 
HO ! I'( iR EAST AFRICA. 
 
 15 
 
 seal of admiration upon my lips by their farewell kiss, and 
 whispered, " Hoiv I wish I could go ivith you!" Sedate man 
 friends looked compassionately at my husband, and involun- 
 taril)- calculated that the time would be brief ere he should 
 regret his consent, which I had flouted widel)', as evidence 
 that when he sanctioned my undertaking, it was not irra- 
 tional. We were off midst cheers, pelting of flowers, and 
 the usual half-hysterical, frantic commotion attending a de- 
 parture where a friend's life seemed at stake. At last the 
 cars were speeding away from Lon- 
 don town, and my husband and two 
 friends, H. S. Wellcome, Surgeon 
 T. H. Parke, and myself were the sole 
 occupants of the railway carriage, 
 destined for Dover. The conversation 
 was somewhat constrained; however, 
 the good doctor heaped upon me a 
 host ot practical advice, the outcome surgeon 1. h. parkk. 
 
 of his expansive experience respecting the preservation of 
 my own health, and the amelioration of probable sufferings 
 from the ine\itable African fever ; as well as how to ad- 
 minister the contents of my extensive medical kit in behalf 
 of my caravan. He had taken pains to write out minute 
 directions, and so plainly that a child could follow such in 
 fullest detail. At Dover w^e parted from our two friends. 
 Arriving at Calais, we hastil)' counted up the luggage and 
 met the first difficult)-. The railroad officials had not prop- 
 
1 6 SULTAN TO SILTAX. 
 
 erly notified the manager of rolling stock of the dimen- 
 sions of my Palanquin, which proved too large to get into 
 the luggage vans. Cables were flashed back to London. 
 We implored the officials, at our risk of damage, to place 
 the bo.x containing it upon a coal truck, or even to rip 
 off the casing, all to no purpose : red tape prevailed to 
 such a degree not one official on the spot had authority 
 to make the slightest innovation. The station master waved 
 the detested green signal flag, then came the demon screech 
 of the unthrottled engine, and away we whisked out of the 
 station, yelling out of the window, until beyond hearing, 
 messages to the officials, finally to relapse in silence, and 
 deliberate as to what should be our next move. Considering 
 we had paid over ninety-five dollars (eighteen guineas) to 
 register the Palanquin as personal luggage, we felt duped. 
 Personally, I secretly thought it was rather absurd to think 
 of trying to take the luxurious article with me, when it 
 was next to impossible to have it transported from England 
 to the coast of Italy after every care, forethought, and 
 prearrangement had been devoted to make it absolutely sure 
 that it would go on the same train with us. At every 
 station we raided the telegraph offices, made supervisory 
 arrangements with station masters, saw various American 
 consuls, in the hope of more effectually engaging the atten- 
 tion of railroad officials. Everything was being done at 
 both ends. Unluckily, the luggage we had with us was 
 left in charge of a dazed servant, who sat calmly by and 
 
HO! 
 
 FOR EAST AFRICA. 
 
 17 
 
 allowed part of it to be carried away from our train. This 
 then had to be sent back for. Then on reaching the Italian 
 frontier the cases containing my medicines were suspected, but 
 fortunately I was provided with a certified inventory furnished 
 by the Italian consul at London, so this was soon adjusted. 
 On reaching Naples, the steamship "Madura" had not been 
 sighted, but was expected hourly, and would not remain in 
 
 port but a few hours. News also came that the Palanquin 
 had reached Rome, and would arrive next morning ; alas! in 
 the usual course of things this would be too late for the ship, 
 and hence, as a last resort, it would have to be taken to 
 Brindisi, and shipped on the French Line to meet my ship 
 at Aden. However, through the courtesy of the directors of 
 the British East India Steamship Company, the agent was au- 
 thorized to detain the steamer one day for the Palanquin. 
 
i8 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAX. 
 
 I\ly "white elephant" arrived, and was held in durance at the 
 bonded warehouse. The entire day we passed going from 
 office to office showing my passports, testifying as to who I 
 was, and what I proposed to do, and having the cased mys- 
 tery in all of its grandeur unboxed, examined, commented 
 upon, explained; finally the next day — the ship had been 
 
 swinging at anchor for my benefit for twenty-four hours — 
 the Palanquin was sent in charge of custom-house officials 
 to be delivered personally by them upon the ship, so that 
 it could not be tampered with ; one might have supposed it 
 was a portable article I could pocket and surreptitiously 
 sell to defraud the government. 
 
HO ! FOR EAST AFRICA. 
 
 19 
 
 The heat was torrid. Worry and our unflagging efforts 
 had occupied our minds to the exchision of the diresome 
 thoughts of parting which would otherwise have made those 
 last hours painful and melancholy. My husband accompanied 
 me to the steamship and placed me in charge of Capt. 
 James Avern. Striving to keep my courage up, I took snap- 
 shots of the harbor and finally of the one whose devoted 
 heart was aching with apprehension. 
 The time to haul up the anchor came. 
 Then the signal "all ashore," we 
 parted, and the boatmen, awaiting 
 the last passenger, pulled the oars 
 with sone, the last ineffable look 
 was interchansred, the handkerchief 
 that had defiantly fluttered farewell 
 was soon saturated in tears. A res- 
 olution to acquit myself bravely 
 occupied my thoughts as I watched the one dear to me fade 
 from the horizon, and pondered, half oblivious to my immediate 
 surroundings, when suddenly I became conscious that I was 
 the cynosure of strange eyes. A firm step sounded on the 
 deck behind me, and a voice gently said, — 
 "So you are ho! for East Africa, madam?" 
 " If the steamer does not go to the bottom, yes," I snapped 
 out with acrimony, to the amusement of the inopportune, cu- 
 rious interloper. Poor fellow, he had an objectionable, obtru- 
 sive nose for news, and was my constant tormentor throughout 
 
 CAPT. JAMES AVERN. 
 
20 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 the voyage. Alas ! he died after a brief fortnight's residence 
 at Zanzibar, a victim to the indiscretion so many strangers 
 are guilty of upon going to the tropics, which is too often 
 fatal. Reckless exposure to the sun and violent exercise, 
 which produces excessive heat, so intolerable to the impatient 
 novice that the dripping clothing is inconsequently stripped 
 off, a cold bath indulged in, which results in a sudden chill, 
 and mischief sets in usually with gravity. 
 
 Capt. Avern, an expert seaman and an unfailing com- 
 mander, as well as a man of varied experience, I found rich 
 in expedients, and an invaluable counsellor and instructor for 
 me upon almost all matters. My East African project was a 
 theme of unremitting conversation. Everything was done for 
 
 
 
 
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 STEAMSHIP "MADURA. 
 
 my personal comfort, amusement, and contentment, from the 
 commander down to the lowest menial of the steamer's crew. 
 There were beside myselt only two first-class passengers, — 
 men, — and soon the steamship " Madura" assumed the aspect 
 
HO 
 
 FOR EAST AFRICA. 
 
 21 
 
 of a private steam yacht. The captain, a most agreeable host, 
 took apparently great delight in contributing to our individual 
 tastes and entertainment. The " Madura " has its own his- 
 tory, is most famous, every timber athrill with the recollec- 
 tion of the tread of celebrated travellers and explorers, 
 animated by every imaginable motive, who have trod her decks 
 going to, or returning triumphant, or left as prey of death 
 
 THE DREDGE, SUEZ CANAL. 
 
 in Africa. The reminiscences ot this vessel would comprise 
 not only a graphic story, but give a history of startling events 
 and tell of leaders who have acted as great discoverers and 
 civllizers ; of brave people, who knew how to be faithful to 
 their leaders or the reverse, — a story of misguided infatu- 
 ates, of honest workers, of benefactors, of selfish worldlings, 
 of ambition's votaries, of despair's victims ; yet with all, she 
 floats on serenely, unruffled, steadfast to her course, making 
 
2 2 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 no visible sign of her invested greatness or reflected honors, 
 unstained, excepting possibly the ink splashes with which I 
 carelessly defaced her spotless decks, and for which I was 
 more than once gently but severely reprimanded by the 
 deck master. 
 
 Lovely mornings, bright, sparkling, clear as a crystal, with 
 the unabashed moon hanging resplendent in the blue sky 
 as if loitering to feel the full embrace of the uprising sun. 
 As we passed through the Straits of Messina, in full view 
 of the Apennine Mountains, then came Sicily and Mount Etna, 
 the last sight of land until we reached the Egyptian coast, — 
 a most felicitous contrast to the London foof, and conducive 
 to mental exhilaration and physical exuberance. just the 
 thing to sweep the cobwebs out of one's brain and allow the 
 mind to adjust itself to a proper focus, as well as to rest 
 the body, and impart that order of courage belonging to 
 physical well-being. 
 
 Then came fickle weather, the Ides of March were hav- 
 ing a jubilee, — sunbursts, rain, even hail, — an ideal time to 
 read, ponder, rearrange boxes, study photographic apparatus, 
 etc. 
 
 A ship's rat established my reputation as a " brave lady." 
 The impudent rodent explored my legs and testeel my 
 nerves! For some unknown reason, I was not in the least 
 excited, only surprised and anxious to know how to rout the 
 enemy. A sneeze did it ! Throughout the voyage this rat 
 was a constant visitor to me, and I became attached to the 
 
Q 
 
 5 
 
HO 
 
 FOR EAST AFRICA. 
 
 little four-footed friend, nightly placing in a convenient spot 
 a tidbit for his refreshment. He never molested me only to 
 manifest his presence by passing his rough, coarse, hairy 
 paw over my lace. I would not consent to have a trap set 
 to capture him. 
 
 I'uKi SAID jF/rrv. 
 The atmosphere was particularly clear ; and although the 
 stars were peerlessly brilliant, they seemed but few. Orion 
 shone marvellously, and one began to mark the course of the 
 vessel by the starry atlas. Sighting Dainietta Light, in a 
 little over an hour we dropped anchor at Port Said, a coal- 
 ing station, before entering the Suez Canal. Filled with an.xiety 
 to hear news, we all hung over the side of the vessel watching 
 
24 
 
 SUI.TAX TO SULTAN. 
 
 the boats pull up from shore, when a messenger brought 
 me a cable from the gallant Capt. Nelson bidding me God- 
 speed, and other lightning flashes from beloved friends that 
 were like heart-throbs. 
 
 Port Said Jetty, so picturesque, seemed all too beautiful 
 as the first impression of the strange Arabic town. 
 
 The tendency of invariably overcharging for an\- little 
 article one desires to purchase impressed me with the idea 
 that there prevails a strong Semitic strain, and unless a 
 voyager holds out for fairness, he is sure to be the victim 
 of extortion. During the progress of some purchases the 
 proprietor of the quaint shop ordered a pot of Arabic coffee, 
 served piping hot in dainty cups, thick as pea soup, but 
 most aromatic and delicious. The Arabic quarters have a 
 most villanous aspect ; not a place one would select to 
 promenade alone during hours the shops might be closed. 
 
 To all appearances the old gambling dens, wherein so 
 many outrages were committed in former times, have been 
 shut, but there is always some underhand round-the-corner 
 avenue to gain access thereto. Nights when the mail steamers 
 are expected, even though they arrive at two a. >r., the entire 
 town is ablaze, and every shop or, strictly speaking, bazaar 
 is open wide to display within and without the attractive 
 goods. Accompanied by some one who is well up in the 
 little commercial arts and tricks, the cost of local specialties 
 is far below English and French charges for the same 
 articles. 
 
no! FOR EAST AFRICA. 
 
 Lack of confidence prevails to such an extent that even 
 the sheiks in charge of boats, unless paid in ailvance by 
 the passengers, accompany them to see that the boatmen do 
 not filch the fees or pocket gratuities. The coaling barges 
 stations are brilliantly lighted bv cassolets, blazing with their 
 oil or resinous beacons. Each steamship company's agent 
 
 ._ jiiii. 
 
 ENTRANCE TO SUEZ CANAL. 
 
 arranges before the arrival oi anj' steamer belonging to his 
 particular line for the required supply of coal, and on its 
 arrival a coal barge is moored alongside, and Egyptian coal 
 heavers and carriers, wearing only a meagre loin-cloth and 
 head-pad, carry the coal in baskets up a slanting plank, with 
 such systematic regularit)- and rapidity they reminded me of 
 a well-chain. 
 
26 
 
 SUI.TAN TO SUl.TAN. 
 
 There is a total absence of women everywhere. The long, 
 sjDOtless, flowing white and sombre black robes of the men, 
 their picturesque turbans and elaborate sandals, and their 
 infinite grace while walking, make them noticeably effeminate; 
 but there is an air of repression or secretiveness in their 
 mien, a seeming lack of honest frankness, which forced 
 upon me the conviction that I should much prefer to face 
 these Arabs rather than to have them follow behind me. 
 Egyptian and native laborers make the line of distinction 
 between master and servants unmistakable. 
 
 If a steamer is not fitted with electric lights before being 
 permitted to enter the .Suez Canal, the requisite apparatus 
 must be hired at a fixed sum, with an e.xpert engineer in 
 
 attendance. The canal 
 is a marvel, especially 
 when one considers 
 that it was projected 
 under the reign of 
 Pharaoh Necho, 600 
 r>. C, whereas De Les- 
 s e p s made himself 
 famous by renewing 
 the original plan in 
 an extensive wa)-, and 
 by this water-way be- 
 tween the Mediterra- 
 nean and Red Seas he 
 
 BEnOUIX CHTEF. 
 
HO I FOR EAST AFRICA. 2"] 
 
 has given a boon to the commercial world almost without 
 parallel ; reducing the distance from London to India from 
 11,397 miles to 7,628, thereby shortening the voyage by the 
 Cape thirty-six days. The extreme narrowness of the canal, 
 most of its length of ninety-nine miles, makes the traffic 
 somewhat congested, and the nearness to the white sand 
 banks at times painfully glaring, and the far-away mountains 
 cut across the sky in ragged peaks, limiting the lateral 
 horizon. The electric lights, displayed on the ilotilla of 
 steamers, lends to a night transit a weird splendor. The 
 rule of navigation, which is strictly enforced the length of 
 the canal, obliges steamers in sioht and all following farthest 
 away from the station, when two or more approach in oppo- 
 site directions, to tie up until the other passes. This is a 
 great trial to pilots, as it exhausts time and greatly retards 
 progress. However, it is an absolute law, violation of which 
 inflicts a heavy penalty upon the culprit, and is impartially 
 applied to all. A signal from the station approached deter- 
 mines the right of way for all vessels. 
 
 At Ismailia we saw how the dredging macliines excavated 
 the bottom sand from the channel, carried it in a long 
 trench and heaped it upon the banks, strengthening and 
 increasing the levees. At this point, scarcely visible in the 
 distance, is the chalet, built for the Empress Eugenie's re- 
 ception when the inaugural Junctions attending the opening 
 of the canal were celebrated. The sight provokes the thought 
 of the downfall of an Empire, and later the downfall of a 
 
28 
 
 SULTAX TO SULTAN. 
 
 man who, at one time, was on the pinnacle of fame as an 
 engineer. It again suggests scenes far away beyond the 
 BibHcal days, until the mind loses itself in contemplating the 
 wondrous changfes that time has wrought. 
 
 We pass an Arab camel caravan, and for the first time 
 saw women unveiled. One woman, whom I was scanning^ 
 
 ARAB CAMF.I. CARAVAN. 
 
 through my field glasses, prior to taking a snap-shot, glared 
 at me, and with precipitation jerked up from the banks in her 
 arms a quaint-looking little dog, cast a defiant glance towards 
 me, as she discovered that she was the object of m)- obser- 
 vation, and tossed the little pet upon a camel's back into 
 a saddle made like a nest with rugs and blankets, and 
 
no I FOR EAST AFRICA. 
 
 covered it from my evil eye. This act accomplished, she 
 rushed to the water's edge and followed the course of the 
 slowly moving steamer, imprecated and railed at me in the 
 most vehement manner — about what? — ah! ask the Arabs 
 who heard. This cara\-an was bound for the Holy Land, and 
 a set of more villanous-appcaring land sharks I never be- 
 held. Unclean, utterly miserable, degraded beings, knowing 
 only a migratory life, in common with their camels and their 
 vermin, devoid of principle, eking out a questionable exist- 
 ence by cunning, extortion, and mendicancy. Successions of 
 caravans of similar character occupied the foreground of the 
 panoramic scenes ; some were laden with two great, square 
 
 WATER CARAVAN. 
 
30 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 boxes, balancinsf each other on either side, containing- or 
 beine filled with soft, fresh water, for which the Arabs would 
 demand from pilgrims or travellers a fabulous sum during 
 transit across the sandy deserts en route to or from the Holy 
 Land. 
 
 .Suez presents an architectural appearance of a substantial 
 shipping and commerical city. The background of mountain 
 ranges breaks the monotony of its riatness, and lends a pleas- 
 ing perspective. 
 
 From this point the days were glorious, and the choppy 
 sea, with white crests, truly grand. A hot sun, but sprightly 
 fanning breezes, a steady double-awning ship, were winsome 
 enough to make the Red Sea delightful. A greater portion 
 of the time was employed in overhauling boxes and cases, 
 separating and distributing in different boxes my goods for 
 barter and personal chattel to provide in case of loss or acci- 
 dent. All this required an arduous amount of labor, and 
 
HO ! FOR EAST AFRICA. 3 1 
 
 cost an expenditure of thought and foresight in arranging 
 and inventorying; however, it was by far tlie safest plan, and 
 I was well pleased in the end to have had the opportunity to 
 act upon the piteous experiences of many of my predecessors 
 in the African fields. To be stripped of all articles of barter, 
 of food, medicine, wearing apparel, and photographic appa- 
 ratus, might leave me stranded at a moment of real peril, 
 necessity, or importance, most significant to the accomplish- 
 ment of my prime object. Somehow the more I dispassion- 
 ately contemplated my venture, reviewing the pros and cons, 
 the more I was convinced that I should accomplish something 
 worth the greatest hardships and indefatigable output of 
 force and endeavor requisite. The vo)-age yielded an oppor- 
 tunity to acquaint myself with weak points, which had pre- 
 viously escaped me. I could composedly formulate vague 
 ideas into distinct shape, and prepare for possible emergencies, 
 and fortify my health and strength. It was like gathering 
 one's self up to enter an arena as a combatant. In making 
 classifications for my future work, writing out leading ques- 
 tions, jotting down points for anthropological and ethnological 
 observation in order to lose no opportunity, when once in the 
 field, of probing every topic to the heart and thrashing out 
 the subjects thoroughly, gradually I discovered in myself a 
 latent eift for organization. Self- amazement awaited each 
 effort in this direction, for every diverse avenue of thought 
 revealed fresh tributaries, until the responsibilities of my 
 project aggrandized beyond all the limits of original conception. 
 
32 
 
 SUL1-A\ TO SLT.TAX. 
 
 After all, g-ood work is 
 an accretion of ideas 
 put into effect. It is 
 the experience of every 
 thoughtful, earnest 
 person in quest of 
 knowledge in new fields 
 where there is no pre- 
 cedent to follow. 
 
 The sea gradually 
 assumed the color of 
 a lovely t u r cj u o i s e 
 ith thousands 
 
 green, w 
 
 of gleaming, glitter- 
 NATivE DOBE WOMAN. ing whitccaps, and the 
 
 far-reaching horizon at the rim ot the peerless, spotless 
 blue-giay dome. Porpoises seemed scarce, although certain 
 darting, phosphorescent streaks at night betokened their rol- 
 licking presence. Increased heat made a diminution of, and 
 thinner clothing necessar)' lor comlort. Mountain ranges 
 loom up on the African and Aral)ian coasts; Babel-Mambed 
 is sighted, and the Straits of Aden, called by the sailors 
 Hell's Gate. 
 
 Aden is calletl Hell's Ilarl)or; one can scarcely tell 
 why, unless it is because of the biuTiing sands and the 
 treacherous coast. It was night when we dropped anchor 
 in the Gulf of Aden. .Sjjectacular wrecks of vessels loom 
 
HO ! FOR EAST AFRICA. 
 
 33 
 
 up out of the water, suggestive of a fierce struggle with 
 the elements, and as a phantom warning to those who 
 course that way, against the high winds and insetting sea 
 which prevail. 
 
 ^'iB.m 
 
 ^r^^mm^ 
 
34 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 tDEN'S racrored stone cliffs and starinof, burn- 
 
 ing white sands, unrelieved by vegetation, 
 
 and the low-built tropical stuccoed 
 
 houses, the mosque, the Parsee temple, 
 
 the English church, the hospitals, 
 
 *'■" combine to make a singular but not 
 
 ^'JK'»K— ■^*'- attractive picture. 
 
 Somali boys are naked, except an 
 excuse for a loin-cloth, and sometimes a long piece of white 
 sheeting, which they utilize for all manner of things, — a 
 head-wrap, a general covering when they lie down on shore 
 or curl up in their boats, or wind about their black shiny 
 bodies as they pull their oars, or even fasten to a pole in 
 lieu of a sail to catch the fitful breezes. Somali men are 
 frequently fine, hardy fellows, and move about with a native 
 dignity which is most impressive; the few women to be seen 
 are not as a rule fine, excepting the young queen of Somali, 
 who rules by her beauty and overbearing tyranny one of the 
 most desperate tribes of Africa ; she is certainh* fair to gaze 
 upon. A marked difference in the shades of color of their 
 
ADEX TO MOMBASA. 
 
 33 
 
 skins provokes the query as to the cause. Well-to-do .Somali 
 men ^vear a leathern band passed through the centre of two 
 valuable, large, knob -shaped pieces of amber around their 
 necks. One purchased by me from the neck of the wearer 
 cost ten dollars (two pounds). The same price is demanded for 
 a new one at the shops. Others wear leather armlets, through 
 
 MOSQUE .AT ADEN. 
 
 which their knives are thrust, and plain leather collars, and 
 even long strands of beads interspersed with a few red and 
 yellow ones to brighten up the others. Native boy divers 
 swim out from shore and float about the anchored vessels, 
 soliciting a coin to dive for, and utter in a comical shrill way 
 a few pigeon English words: " Laidee, swimmee bottom 
 
SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 littee monee." They dive and gambol in the water like 
 porpoises. When Somali boatmen pull their oars, it is to 
 the time of a strange, measured plaint in a falsetto tone, 
 whereas, when they rest on their oars, drifting or tied up, 
 they laugh and chatter incessantly in a loud voice, repeating 
 over and over the same words, and clapping their hands on 
 their bare thighs. As the captain's gig, with its Indian crew„ 
 
 pulled us to shore, the amphibious 
 Somali boys surrounded the boat and 
 bore us company all the way, entreating 
 us for coin. A few whites, Arabs, Parsees, 
 Egyptians, and Africans from every 
 quarter of the coast and islands, Berber, 
 Nubia, Dinkili, Galla, Karthoum, Soudan, 
 Congo, and Somali men move about in 
 these seaports, a motley throng, adding 
 a quaint interest to all strangers. Once 
 settled in a rickety two-seated cariole, 
 drawn by a well-cared-for, fat, tiny little 
 horse, we were driven by an old Arab 
 who disported an abundant pale-green muslin turban sur- 
 mounted by a plaited straw crown cap, a long striped kansor 
 trailing to his feet and a bright yellow cloth sleeveless jacket 
 braided with gold, his hands covered with rings of strange 
 devices ; he was fat, sleek, odoriferous with a blend of spices 
 and uncleanliness, utterly indifferent to the comfort of his 
 passengers, his sandals occupying the front seat beside him. 
 
 MASAI HEAD-DRESS. 
 
ADEN' TO MO^nUSA. 
 
 Z7 
 
 The heat and flies and merciless glare of sun on barren 
 landscape, to say nothing ot the swirls ot dust and furnace- 
 like air, which brought whiffs of unknown odors, and the 
 stench of camels, of donkeys, ot sheep, ot people, and of 
 towns, made the outing certain!)- unpleasant, if a novelty. 
 
 The principal street was 
 very tiny creatures, laden 
 panniers and enormous 
 at a very quick pace, 
 here little 
 buffaloes, 
 b u r den, 
 Said ; the 
 most re- 
 transport, and with their 
 gallop at an admirable 
 with bkick faces ; sheep 
 tails clumped upon their / 
 plume, — the 
 duced b\' cut- 
 fleshy part ot 
 
 
 crowded with donkeys, 
 
 with tremendous double 
 
 packs travelling 
 
 j4 There were 
 
 tawn -colored 
 
 used as beasts of 
 
 as well as at Port 
 
 camel seems the 
 
 liable means of 
 
 hea\-y loads awkwardly 
 
 rate of speed; goats 
 
 with heavy fat 
 
 backs like a 
 
 result pro- 
 
 ■.' ' ting the 
 
 the tail and 
 
 t r a i n i n 1/ the 
 
 ABYSSINIAN WARRIOR. 
 
 clumsy ap- 
 pendage up at the crup, to 
 keep it from trailing on the ground ; the fleece is short and 
 not abundant. 
 
 A most extraordinary apparition of a human creature 
 loomed upon my vision, and proved to be a woman, the 
 
38 SULTA>f TO Sri^TAX. 
 
 first of my own sex I had beheld in the town. She presented 
 one complete, unvaried mass of saffron color. Every tone 
 about her was saffron ; her body was tinged saffron, even to 
 her feet in her saffron-colored sandals ; her gown was 
 saffron ; her hair saffron ; she wore quantities of amber beads, 
 and promenaded the streets unveiled. This fact and her oddity 
 incited my curiosity. I did not rest until I gleaned the 
 reason for her pronounced jaundiced appearance. Briefly, the 
 government regulations provide quarters for a certain debased 
 class of women, as a sanitary protection to the soldiers there 
 stationed, and this saffron color is enforced upon the women 
 habitants of these quarters as an insignia of her nefarious 
 but authorized calling. 
 
 As we were driving away from the commercial town centre 
 towards the steep hills upon which the marvellous tanks and 
 gardens are situated, built by the English, we passed the fort 
 built on the steep side of the hill, which was approached by 
 almost perpendicular stone stairways, most difficult of ascent. 
 
 The architectural formation of the tanks, or water reservoirs, 
 is most eccentric and picturesque, quarried out of the hard gran- 
 ite-like stone structure of the hills, and walled up by similar cut 
 slabs, cemented so as to make the tanks water-tight, ranged at 
 different degrees up and about the hills in the most irregular 
 manner. The bald rock surfaces, denuded ot soil, ol the 
 declivities make the downpouring ot water comparatively free 
 from earthy particles or other debris; nevertheless every stray 
 atom accumulated from time to time is carefully collected and 
 
ADEX TO MOMBASA. 
 
 39 
 
 removed from the basins of the tanks, and used to improve the 
 made gardens. It was interesting to watch corps of small boys, 
 under the direction of an Arab headman, supplied with small 
 baskets which they carry on their heads, filled with the scant 
 debris that they industriously collect out of the empty tanks, and 
 
 WATER TANKS, ADEN. 
 
 transported b)' them up ladders and stairways, to deposit upon 
 the artificially made flower beds. Although the work certainly 
 is not arduous, yet it showed that the children are not idle ; 
 and the)- were as happy as possible while at their work, full 
 of childish nonsense, giving vent to volleys of gleeful laughter. 
 
40 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 -^^ssmm: 
 
 The water is all sold, and doled out with great economy to 
 the purchasers ; there are some private tanks, and some 
 leased by the government to indi\iduals or companies. Eleven 
 
 months had transpired, at the 
 time of my visit, since the last 
 rainfall had filled the tanks, yet 
 there was abundant water to 
 last until the rainy season, and 
 longer in case of drought. It 
 
 7 
 
 ^. 
 
 35^ 
 
 ■i4 
 
 '^ 
 
 'SMMH-^ 
 
 SON OF THE MAHADI. 
 
 is a current story that Aden 
 has been frequently as long as 
 five years without rain. I was 
 surprised to see that the water 
 showed no signs of stagna- 
 tion; possibly the clever man- 
 ner of cementing every crevice, and keeping the tanks free 
 from vegetation, combined with the daily evaporation and the 
 nightly heavy dewfall, may account for this. The almost per- 
 pendicular steps leading to the various serpentine galleries 
 bordering the tanks were difficult to ascend and descend, for 
 the bluff walls of the aerial narrow passages, with a narrow foot 
 tread, and the; tiny bridges with unrailed platforms, make 
 one's head swim. I found mysell involuntaril)' stretching out 
 my hands into space, eager to grasp something tangible to keep 
 me from losing my balance and being dashed below. Seeing 
 my predicament, my clear-headed escort bade me close my 
 eyes and rest my hands upon his shoulders whilst we slowly 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 4I 
 
 descended ; this I did witli ease and safety, pausing to reassure 
 myself whenever we attained a more spacious platform. Dotted 
 here and there, in sequestered nooks, had been planted a few 
 acacia and other trees, vines and flowers, giving a welcome 
 shade. Here were usual))- situated water wells, with quaint 
 sweeps to u[jlift the water, or an old-fashioned bucket and rope. 
 One felt inclined to peer in the deep shadows for a Rebecca. 
 Cooing pigeons, affrighted by our presence from their resting- 
 places, with swelled throats and ruffled feathers, uttered a 
 strange noise and flew wildly across the open space ; strange 
 bulbous flowering plants grew out from little crevices almost 
 devoid of soil. They appeared like wooden vv'ater-jugs, or 
 water-skins at the base, then abruptly branched out, and with- 
 out supplementary foliage blossomed into one or two waxy 
 flowers, pink or white, which emitted a subtle, almost sickening 
 perfume. 
 
 The prevailing drought naturally reduces the soil to a 
 parched state of barrenness; not a fruit, nor a vegetable, nor 
 flower grows throughout the town in the open. In the suburbs 
 there are many very lovely villas facing the Gulf of Aden, occu- 
 pied by the prosperous merchants and professional residents, 
 where they seek respite from the heat and moil of the town, and 
 where fishing, yachting, and sea bathing are the principal 
 attractions and divertisements. 
 
 Driving back to town, I noticed children on the roadside 
 making mud cakes and mud houses, whilst others engaged in 
 a game with stones, something like draughts. Somali and 
 
42 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 pedlers of other nations circulate about tlie streets, offering 
 for sale shiekls, seme, or swords, ostrich feathers single or 
 in lonor tin cases, and longr feather boas and little baskets; 
 
 however, they always ask 
 strangers double price, and 
 dog- the steps of those who 
 refuse to be imposed upon, 
 lessening the price, until they 
 voluntarily accept what they 
 can get from the customer. 
 
 Aden's market place was 
 diseustine- Arabs and Somali 
 venders squatting on their 
 filthy mats, with their vegetables 
 DELIGHT OF A coRDOFAN. aud Iruits all about them, their 
 
 bare, dirty feet indiscriminatel)- thrust among their wares ; some 
 crouched in front of iron pans placed over a few smouldering 
 twigs, or over smudgy oil lamps in which they cooked poor, 
 meagre, dry ears of corn and bananas. The quality of the 
 fruit offered for sale was wretched ; bananas and apples ab- 
 solutely rotten, yet they found purchasers. Wood, camel, 
 sheep, ami goat markets presented a thoroughly Oriental 
 aspect. The wood on sale consisted of great scraggy loads 
 of branchiuij faTOts borne on camels or mules, which would 
 seem to be on the verge of toppling over. When the loads 
 were sold, the camels were driven into the camel market, 
 there to lie down or feed, whilst their drivers sprawled about. 
 
 *■» .rr-» T ■ i« » ■■ *?i 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 43 
 
 smoking, eating, or sleeping, awaiting some chance to reload 
 and return to the country, or an opportunity to sell the 
 animals. The live stock seemed well fed and well condi- 
 tioned, as in fact do the people. I only observed a few 
 miserable, crippled, or blind mendicants, sitting in full view at 
 the entrance of the markets or tunnels, displaying to the very 
 best advantage their hideous diseased bodies, covered with tlies 
 and vermin, to which they seemed insensible, emitting liorrible 
 odors, which fill with discrust the nostrils of those who mieht 
 be charitably in- 
 clined. 
 
 Fellah woman 
 wa t er-carriers, 
 and Arab women 
 sellinof suijar-cane 
 and corn, gave a 
 decided local 
 color here and 
 there. 
 
 The tunnels. 
 
 cut through the 
 hills, connect the 
 east and west side 
 of the peninsula, 
 saving considera- 
 ble distance in 
 the travel across fellah water-carrier. 
 
44 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 or around the steep hills, and are fine pieces of engineering- ; 
 however, so low studded, they are scarcely better than passage- 
 ways. Strong, sickening odor ot camels and goats passing 
 through Hnger a long time after their exit. The neck of land 
 
 which makes Aden a peninsula 
 
 Lit r. / L J^tiaaw"' 
 
 AUVSjIXIAX M,A\E CHILlJl: 
 
 is remarkably slender, and 
 almost obliterated when the tide 
 is flush. 
 
 Many of the Arab houses 
 
 are strikingly quaint, covered 
 
 Wk. ' ;T T with a latticework of split 
 
 bamboo; occasionally there is 
 a rude attempt at exterior dec- 
 oration, arabesques daubed on 
 in the crudest red, yellow, 
 blue, black, and green, without 
 any attempt to blend the colors, and it produces a start- 
 ling effect. The l^arsee temple, the Hindoo mosque, the 
 Christian churches, are picturescjue edifices. An obscure 
 path leading to the Parsee Tower ot .Silence, which is erected 
 on the top of a steep pinnacleil hill, filled me with gruesome 
 awe. Xo one but a Parsee is ever permitted to visit this 
 spot. Debarred as 1 was, I could not help thinking, and 
 depicting to myself the spectacle; there on the top, an open 
 tower serried with stoni? stretchers, upon which were laid the 
 dead, exposed to the ravages of the elements, and ulti- 
 mately to be devoured by filthy carnixorous birds, it seemed 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 45 
 
 repulsively uncanny. Hindoo burial places were indicated by 
 heaps of stones hardly worthy the dignity of the name 
 Tumuli. I^aubed with round red spots at the corner of the 
 heaps of stones, fagots were planted in the ground, from 
 which floated small red cotton flags, imparting a weird and 
 barbaric impression on lirst sight. I naively queried, when 
 seeing the flags from afar, "Are they holding an auction?" 
 My escort bluntly responded, " Yes, a devil's auction." 
 The Mohammed burial ground is made noticeable by the 
 low, arched tombstones upon which are inscribed a quotation 
 from the Koran, whereas the English " God's acre," a very 
 unpretentious and meagrely occupied spot, had wooden and 
 stone head and foot monuments. 
 
 Along the roads appear enclosed stone and wooden 
 laniriiii, lor the accommodation of the people as they journey 
 to and fro, for they have a decided delicacy, or superstition, 
 or something else which makes them reluctant to befoul the 
 earth on a thoroughfare. 
 
 We saw enormous fish, a species of ray, being packed on 
 donkeys, fairly sizzling beneath the direct rays of the sun. 
 Arabs carry with them on a journey a cliarpoy, or a portable 
 folding bamboo latticed straight cot, as well as large square 
 chairs, upon which they curl up to sleep, and use for stands 
 to display their goods. Arabs, .Somalis, and Indians when 
 weary will roll themselves up in their cloths and lie down 
 amid stones or on the hot .sands, and sleep peacefully under 
 the blazing sun at mid-day, indifferent to human comfort. 
 
46 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 The blacks will stretch themselves out naked, with only a 
 loin-cloth when the sun is hottest, their black skins shining 
 and ^listening as the heat causes the palm and cocoanut oil, 
 with which they are rubbed, to ooze out at everj- pore. 
 Whereas the white man avoids the direct rays of the sun 
 when suffering from fexer, the black men lose no opportunity 
 in submitting to such as a curative agency. The primitive 
 .simplicity of these tropical people is largely due to climate; 
 they get along with so little, and seem in admirable condi- 
 tion and happ)- as the da)- is long. ]\Iy stay on shore did 
 not permit me time to look into the methods of education, 
 although I was subsequently informed, on reliable authority, 
 that there exists a governmental supervision over the chil- 
 dren and a compulsory educational law. 
 
 Native blacksmiths work on the roadsides, making a tem- 
 porary forge wherever their work happens to be. The)- handle 
 their tools with considerable adroitness. Egyptian scissors- 
 grinders and knife-sharpeners form a very picturesque grouping. 
 If only the people are disposed, they can get plenty of 
 work at Aden, for it is such a great shipping port. How- 
 ever, there seems to exist a great aversion to manual labor. 
 Unless absolutely driven to do so by pressing need, the labor- 
 ing classes are not possessed with an idea of bettering their 
 position or of a thrifty provision for the future. They seem 
 content to live and die in the circumstances and station of 
 life to which they have been born. It is climatic as much 
 as aught else. 
 
w 
 
 Q 
 
 3 
 o 
 
 D 
 
 O 
 
 a 
 u 
 
 X 
 
 u 
 < 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 47 
 
 Er.VPTrAN SCISSORS-GRIXDERS. 
 
 After the drive we were the guests of Cowerjie Dinshaws, 
 the celebrated wealthy Parsee merchants, whose commercial 
 house is the rendezvous for every one coming to Aden. A 
 delightful breakfast, with a strange and varied menu, was pre- 
 pared, awaiting our arrival ; and singularly enough, the host did 
 not sit down at table with us, but said, after seating us and 
 about to retire himself, " I trust you will do justice to our 
 house by making yourselves at home." A Mussulman served 
 us. He was a fat, wabbly, bow-legged, much-turbaned, and 
 scant-begowned soul, who might have stepped out of the 
 
48 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Arabian Niehts. Parsees wear the most delicate and sheer 
 Indian mull oarments, lonor and flowin*'' to their heels, fastened 
 with gold buttons. Their under apparel is not discernible 
 beneath the shirt-shaped overdress. Their feet are sandalled. 
 Indoors they wear a silk skullcap, which they surmount by 
 
 NA'rivF. iNris oi-' nikTERS. 
 
 a strange black enamelled pot hat for outdoor wear. Some 
 of the enterprising young men, who travel on business in 
 other countries, adopt, when abroad, European costumes, all 
 but the hat. Every person seemed to be well acqu.ainted 
 with m)' plan to visit East Africa, although wide of the mark 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 49 
 
 
 <>,, 
 
 m 
 
 as to my legitimate motive, and, naturally, had many comments 
 
 to make and much gratuitous advice to give. Sir Francis de 
 
 Winton, who had been stationed at Mombasa, was at Aden, 
 
 awaiting the steamer for England. He considerately sent me 
 
 word to prepare against rain if I was going to the interior, 
 
 for it had been an unusually dry 
 
 season, and it was more than likel)- 
 
 to be followed by excessive rain. 
 
 He also marvelled wh)' I did not 
 
 select the German route instead of 
 
 attempting the English. Then I 
 
 did not comprehend why, but it 
 
 subsequently became obvious that 
 
 he was cognizant of the decided 
 
 opposition that awaited me on the 
 
 part of a certain official in the 
 
 English Company. At Aden all the 
 
 current gossip and news of the iishiki. 
 
 world was buzzed about, as all the different lines of steamers 
 
 bound for India, Ceylon, Malta, and Africa anchored in 
 
 the port, and passengers ha\-e time to visit the town and 
 
 exchange news. 
 
 After making extensive supplementar)- purchases, I was 
 quite content to board the steamer. My Palanquin was much 
 admired by Messrs. Dinshaw. The senior member of the 
 firm had an Indian one for his wife, which weighed two hun- 
 dred pounds ; whereas mine onl)' weighed seventj-, being made 
 
 
 ^4 ^ 
 
 \ 
 
5° 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 of rattan, all the metal mountings of aluminium, the linings 
 and fittings yellow India silk, the cushions of down, and the 
 awnines ereen canvas. Had it been more cumbersome, it 
 would have been impossible to have transported it on the 
 
 '\1 M I IAMII.\. 
 
 heads or shoulders of men through African jungles, swamps, 
 over mountains, and across plains. 
 
 In reviewing my purchases, arranging and familiarizing 
 myself with what my possessions consisted in, and what their 
 uses, and where they were, and in making triplicate in\en- 
 tories, I discovered myself to be a very busy indi\idLial, with 
 an increased realization of cares antl responsibility, which I 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 5 1 
 
 was not willing to shirk, or relegate to hirelings. Undeniably 
 the heat gradually increased, but the double ship awnings 
 and prevailing tranquillity prevented great discomfort. When 
 we were at table, one of the deck hands, standing out of 
 sight, pulled a rope through the sk\ light by which he swung 
 the punkah, keeping the flies from harassing us, as it put 
 the air in gentle motion. Afternoon naps were in order, as 
 we lolled in long chairs on deck, and the lazy languor of 
 the tropics no amount of inherent energy could overcome. 
 At night when I elected to write in the cabin, one of the 
 ship's hands, usually a Malay boy, would be sent to fan me. 
 He would scan me with curious eyes, but never say a word, 
 nor would he leave his post unless I bade him do so. I 
 would frequently leave the table and go to my own cabin to 
 get some necessary article, and return in a few moments ; 
 meantime the faithful fellow would await my return. One 
 nieht I left the table to retire, never thinking of m\- faithful 
 comfort-maker, when, two or three hours afterwards, I chanced 
 to open my door and found him standing fast asleep, with 
 the fan grasped in his hand, awaiting my appearance. 
 
 One morning at the breakfast-table, where we were all 
 convened, the chief engineer addressed the captain, — 
 
 "Captain, I don't know what we'll do about that drunken 
 rascal ; he seems to be quite beyond my control." 
 
 The captain looked up with a degree of surprise, and 
 answered brusquely, " I'll take that in hand after breakfast." 
 
 The whole thing struck those present as being in 
 
52 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 violation of all ship discipline, but of course none of us 
 made any comment, and the general chatter resumed its 
 usual frivolity until the meal was at an end. After getting 
 settled in ni}- long chair on deck prepared for a comfortable 
 read, the captain, considerably flustered, followed by the 
 chief engineer, who spoke in a low, though excited tone, 
 rushed into his cabin and seized a rattan walking stick, and 
 after hastily rushing half-way down the deck to the hatch- 
 way, he abruptly turned around and came towards me, looking 
 the very picture of suppressed anger, and burst out with, — 
 
 "Mrs. Sheldon, look here a moment; I would like to 
 show to you a living example of the ingratitude of the 
 fellows we captains try to benefit. For example, we have 
 on the ship a stowawa)', whom I thought an honest sort 
 of a chap when he was discovered, and he gave something 
 of a plausible reason for his trick in trying to get a free 
 passage, so said, ' Very well, m\" good fellow, we will give 
 you employment as a stoker.' To this he consented, and 
 went on all right for some days, but was found beastly drunk 
 last night while on duty, and do or say what the engineer 
 might, he has kept up his org)- until we will have to take 
 stringent measures." 
 
 I protested that I did not care to see a drunken man, nor be a 
 witness to any chastisement. However, the captain persisted, — 
 
 " You will do me a favor by coming with me." 
 
 So I followed him along to the hatchwa)', where were 
 collected all the other passengers, the chief engineer, and 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 53 
 
 several of the crew, hot and breathless, appearing as if they 
 had had a tussle, and curled up on one side was the most 
 dejected -looking 
 specimen of hu- 
 manity one could 
 possibly conceive 
 of. His limp fig- 
 ure was drawn up 
 into a little heap, 
 his head hidden 
 from view by his 
 arms; a large pail 
 of water, with tow- 
 els and sponges, 
 stood hard by, 
 and the deck all 
 about was com- 
 pletely deluged 
 with water. Upon 
 the appearance of siimali ijieen. 
 
 the captain and myself, with great excitement the engineer 
 exclaimed, — 
 
 "There's no use, sir, I've tried everything to sober him 
 up, he's a cure. I've thrown eight or ten pails of water 
 over him, all to no purpose, and the men have put him on 
 his feet a dozen times, and he has as often dropped in the 
 helpless state you see him." 
 
54 
 
 SULTAX T(J SULTAN. 
 
 The captain exclaimed, " I'll make short work ot this 
 business "; and his cane went whistling through the air and 
 unmercifully fell on the shoulders of the poor wretch. 
 Involuntarily I exclaimed, " Oh, don't, Captain! don't!" 
 The captain glared at me and said, " Mrs. Sheldon, I re- 
 quire no advice in carr)ing out discipline on this ship." 
 
 After this snubbing, I was about turning to leave, feeling 
 it was an outrage to have invited me to be a spectator to 
 such a scene. With that the captain raised his foot and 
 kicked the powerless fellow four or five times in succession, 
 all the while .saying, "Get up! get up!" and I was tempted 
 to return and offer one more protest in behalf of the poor 
 wretch, when the captain's heel came down upon the man's 
 head with a sickening thud, and the skull fairly crushed 
 beneath the violence used. 
 
 With uncontrollable horror and indignation I screamed 
 
 out to the captain, as I started 
 to lly from the spot, "You brute! 
 you brute ! Don't ever dare to 
 speak to me on this \-oyage ; I 
 shall make a report to the ship's 
 compan)' ! ^'ou are not fit to 
 command a vessel ! " 
 
 Convulsed with laughter, he 
 sprang round and seized me by 
 the arm, and all the others 
 
 THl- QUF.KN'S SLAVE WUMAX. ^^''^'"'^ silUply bcUt doublc with 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 55 
 
 their merriment, and to my humiliation, I saw the drunken 
 man's head fly through the air, detached from his body, 
 a bloodless, lifeless, empty tomato tin ! This effigy of a man, 
 after having served to tool all the other passengers, who 
 had with consistent silence kept me from 
 the knowledge of their betrayment in 
 order to witness the effect upon me, had 
 gulled me completely. It can well be 
 imagined, after having left no loophole 
 by which to escape in my crazy denun- 
 ciation of the captain, what a pleasant 
 day I had. However, some time later, 
 when we were swinging at anchor in a 
 certain port, and the captain had given on 
 shipboard a dinner to the English residents, whilst the even- 
 ing's enjoyment was at its height, the chief engineer put in 
 an appearance and said with professed concern, — 
 
 " A boatman belonoino- to one of the o-entleman guests 
 is lying in a perilous position on the ship's rail, and I am 
 afraid to approach him lest he rolls off into the water." 
 
 Aha, Air. Engineer, my time had come, so I sang out in 
 a loud tone of voice, " Mr. Engineer, had you not better take 
 a tin-opener to rescue that man ? " and he disappeared from 
 sight. This time the laugh was on him. 
 
 At Lamu the ship's local cargo was discharged by lighters. 
 There was a heavy tide sweeping into the narrow channel, 
 and the rocky and sandy coast looked most treacherous. 
 
 CHAGA SNUFF-BOX. 
 
56 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Lamu itself was not an inviting spot from the water ap- 
 proaches. The scraggy, gnarled bushes in view might have 
 been dead scrub-oak, whilst others resembled cacti. 
 
 This is the site of an English station, and at this time quite 
 a bevy of important men connected with the English Company, 
 who were preparing to make an official tour up country. Here, 
 too, is stationed the original of Rider Haggard's " Captain 
 Good." He is a noted sportsman, bird and butterfly collec- 
 tor, as well as treaty maker and treaty enforcer for the English 
 Company. He still wears the storied monocle, and is most 
 helplessly near-sighted if by any circum- 
 stance he is deprived of his ocular crutch. 
 
 Rider Haggard, during his sojourn at 
 Lamu, made the studies for " .She," and 
 obtained the local color with which his 
 African • romances glow. 
 
 There has been foimil, in making 
 some excavations from time to time, 
 a considerable quantity ot 
 hand-painted pottery, cer- 
 tainly not of African origin, 
 probably of Portuguese or 
 other, which ma)' ha\'e been 
 looted or brought thither 
 
 b)- voyagers, buried, as everything is, for safe-keeping in 
 Africa, subsequently forgotten, or for divers reasons not 
 reclaimed bv the owners, but now excavated, to the 
 
 SUN PROTECTORS. 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 57 
 
 THE SLAVE DHOW. 
 
 bewilderment of curio collectors. The o-overnment's attention 
 has been called to the fact that these relics were being carried 
 out of the country, and it has prohibited further removal by 
 the passage of a law. 
 
 Some of the native iron workers in this vicinity manufac- 
 ture knives, and daggers, with ivory handles inlaid with gold 
 and silver that are really beautiful from an artistic point of 
 view, although it is with great difficulty examples can be 
 procured in any number, as the workers are most unreliable, 
 and dilatory beyond the limits of patience. 
 
 The long stretch of sandy coast and narrow waterway, 
 scarcely more than a creek, leading to the island of Seychelee 
 
58 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 and Lainu, are not in the least imposing or attractive. 
 Seychelee has affixed to it the extraordinary tradition of 
 being the refuge of Adam and Eve. Here, too, grows a 
 variety of cocoanut, rare and higlily vakicd. Its beach is 
 strewn witli bleached human skulls and bones, to mark the 
 ghastly tale of a deadly encounter between two hostile tribes 
 who about exterminated each other. Some time since a 
 French sailing vessel collected a cargo of these bones for 
 commercial purposes ! So much for national utilitarianism 
 and economy ! 
 
 Very quaint dugouts dotted the harbor, equipped with long, 
 awkward outriooers of enormous blades like sculls which bal- 
 ance the crafts as the natives fish. Such black fellows, swathed 
 about with what was once white sheeting, cast about Avith 
 eel-jigs, baited with pieces of quivering fresh fish. There can 
 be no sport in hauling them so caught out of the water. 
 These fish were a species of silver perch marked with coral 
 stripes all over the body, whilst the gills were tinted red. 
 
 Similar st\"le of boats put out from shore with their lilack- 
 skinned native crew in quest of a silver bittin from unwary 
 passengers who might be tempted to trust themselves to 
 voyage with them to \isit the shore. 
 
 When the captain's gig returned from delivering the mail, 
 although not disconcerted, I was far from being pleased \vith 
 a very unsatisfactory letter from Mr. George S. Mackenzie. 
 Despite the assurances I had had in London from important 
 men in the directorship of the Imiierial British East African 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 59 
 
 Company that everything 230ssible uould be done for me, 
 and even that they had taken the trouble to cable to their 
 representative to use his best endeavor to procure porters for 
 me, this gentleman evidently was neitlier interested in nor in 
 sympathy -with my " novel enterprise," but, to the contrar\-, 
 absolutely prejudiced against it. 
 
 Like a flash I realized that without doubt he would, if 
 he could, put a stop to the affair, believing, as he did, that 
 my advent among the natives in the English occupation of 
 East Africa would Incur 
 altogether too much risk 
 upon the overburdened 
 company. \Vh)', I could 
 not imagine, as I did 
 not ask, nor had I any 
 intention of so doincj, 
 the company to act as 
 my sponsor, or to con- 
 tribute in any substantial 
 way to my personal un- 
 dertaking beyond giving 
 me full permission to 
 traverse their posses- 
 sions, and possibly assist vaki;u.\ lllli. 
 and advise me how to recruit a caravan. Henceforward I 
 regarded Mr. G. S. Mackenzie as my Obstacle, silently bear- 
 ing my chagrin, determined to quietly make my own 
 
6o 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 GKURGK .s. llACKKNZIi:. 
 
 arrangements, in so far as I could, without his knowledge or 
 counsel, and when perfected, proceed with or without his 
 permission, let the issue be what it might. Strange para- 
 dox, in the end matters culminated 
 so that to this same Obstacle I owe 
 a debt of gratitude. His maddening 
 opposition developed and tried my 
 metal, at the same time prepared me 
 to encounter serious difficulties. I was 
 convinced that it would be imcompati- 
 ble with prudence to attempt to start 
 interior with a caravan until the rain 
 came. Enforced patience held in 
 check my impetuosity, awarding me ample time to perfect 
 and mature my mode of procedure once I should start. 
 
 From all communicated to me, it was an open secret that 
 the Germans were carrying everything by force of arms and 
 exercising strict military discipline, which they were enforcing 
 with tyranny upon the natives, who were submitted to a kind 
 of military servility they had no prior knowledge of, nor any 
 disposition to accept. The contrast between their national 
 ways and means of civilizing and colonizing natives and that 
 generally maintained by the English is extremely obvious and 
 certainly reprehensible. Throughout the German occupation of 
 East Africa on all sides there is a tooting of horns, the rat- 
 tling of guns, the salute of cannons, all that belongs to the 
 display and announcement of military despotism and rule ; 
 
ADEN TO MOMBASA. 
 
 6i 
 
 
 liiKl 1:111.1 l:V VASCO DA f;AMA, SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 whereas the English have no army, no naval force backing' 
 them to liold their sway over the natives in tlicir occupation 
 of East Africa, and it is but a question of time when the 
 natives will voluntarily yield a willing homage and fealty to the 
 English government which the Germans aim to procure, and 
 only exact by great stringency of measures. They even 
 conscript, from native tribes, soldiers to battle against their 
 recreant neighbor.'* The atmosphere was rife with general 
 discontent on this score. It may possibly be that some of 
 the statements have only a figment of truth, they may be all 
 true. In any event it is as the clown from a ripe thistle, 
 
 * Since this went to press, h.ive been received the rumors of English disturbances at Witu and Uganda. 
 
62 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 and was flying about in the air on all sides. My ears were 
 filled with the unpleasant statement that for divers reasons, 
 in harmony with the arbitrary policy of the Germans' reign 
 and rule, they would not permit any alien Europeans to trav- 
 erse their East African occupation. Alas ! these rumors have 
 a mysterious " they " that no one can give individuality, or 
 name, or place to, and this " they," during my sojourn in 
 East Africa, I discovered had no recognized parentage, no 
 local habitation or home, but was a bastard, double-headed 
 monster, most ubiquitous and slippery, and not above the 
 most petty spites and jealousies. Every one who felt uncertain 
 as to the origin of an assertion dodged behind " they said." 
 I had to be patient until the good time arrived when occa- 
 sion was given to test the veracity of the distracting hearsays, 
 and discovered them as a whole distorted, and too often 
 worthless. 
 
 The picturesque Fort of Mombasa, built in the sixteenth 
 century by Vasco da Gama, loomed in sight. 
 
MOMBASA TO ZANZIBAR. 
 
 63 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MOMBASA TO ZANZIBAR. 
 
 E approached Mombasa in the 
 sparkling rays of a tropical sun. 
 It seemed most strange and 
 
 o 
 
 unlike any harbor I had ever 
 seen. It was very diffi- 
 cult to navigate, not 
 being properly marked 
 \ by buoys, but in a most 
 ;, idiotic way the pilot 
 must steer in line of a 
 pole no thicker than a 
 bean stalk to get a course between two pillars no larger 
 than a good-sized oar planted on shore. The channel is at 
 best narrow and interspersed with sand bars, consequently 
 nearly every steamer going into this port runs aground. 
 
 There was a great commotion ; all the everybodies and 
 nobodies, white and black, hallooing, gesticulating in an 
 e.xcited manner, while rushing along the shore, leaping from 
 rock to rock, the natives, of course, in such a majority that 
 the white men appeared most conspicuous. The old Porta- 
 
64 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAW. 
 
 cocoAxrr flantaiion, m(>m}:asa. 
 
 guese fort and the low native huts, thatched with cocoanut 
 leaves, and huddled together, were more interesting than 
 attractive places of abode. Certain landmarks are conspic- 
 uous. At last the Imperial British East Africa Co.'s agent, the 
 ship's agent, and all the usual crowd which throng an incom- 
 ing steamer in these ports, pushed off in boats and came on 
 board ; and one who for the moment, in the absence of Mr. 
 G. S. Mackenzie, was the representative of the I. B. E. A. Co.'s 
 interest, came on board to see me, and commenced a long 
 harangue about the impossibility of the company's officers 
 procuring for me even one porter for my inland journey; and 
 
MOMBASA TO ZANZIBAR. 65 
 
 in the course of his conversation he revealed to me the one 
 prevaihng fact that my Obstacle, Mr. G. S. Mackenzie, did 
 not approve of my presence, and denounced my undertaking. 
 Then followed a long dissertation as to the popular idea 
 of ni)- insane undertaking. This courteous, much-hampered 
 envoy appeared completely cut up when I calmly inquired, — 
 
 " What do the officers of the I. R. E. A. Co. suppose 
 I want of them, that I am not prepared to get without their 
 assistance? I require no financial aid, and I have already 
 obtained permission from those in authority in England to 
 pass through the English territory." 
 
 He looked perfectly abashed for a moment, then graciously 
 put himself at my disposal in so far as lay in his power as 
 a gentleman, although as an officer he was utterly powerless 
 to act. 
 
 Many of the posts occupied b\- white men in the English 
 and German possessions are too insignificant to be deemed 
 
 desirable, unless through ^---li^ — ~^^ .^ ""^ i 
 
 some concealed or some (_ ,- W^^ V,;!* 
 
 ulterior end or aim they ^^ i^-^ .jj. . / -^L^.^ .^— 
 
 are sought as a matter of h.\nd showing rings for gifis. 
 
 personal eccentricity. It can be imagined that a man of activi- 
 ties, who enjoys freedom, and possesses a natural propensity 
 for leadership, should desire to break awa)' from the narrow, 
 cloying environments of civilized society, with all of its set 
 rules, conventionalities, shams, and cant, for just such a life 
 as one might find in Africa. Had I visited East Africa to 
 
66 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Study the anthropology and ethnology of the white man, in- 
 stead of the native races, I have no doubt the research would 
 have afforded novel results. However, my curiosity became 
 keener and keener to study the native Africans, and I 
 was most eager to get fairl\' at m\' work. All the volun- 
 teered advice and hints proffered on all sides I was quite 
 prepared to accept as stock in trade, which might redound, 
 by judicious application, to my ultimate success. In such a 
 country as Africa one must have physical force, health, and 
 endurance, as well as strong mentality, in order to get and 
 hold control over the natives, in order to command with the 
 power to govern one's porters. Better mysterious silence 
 when one is in doubt, than awkward indecision or a displaj* 
 of blunders and a confession of deficient knowledge. It is 
 not a country for half-tones or vacillation, at least not while 
 the natives are in their present state of civilization. The 
 fact was, it was feared that the consequences of a woman's 
 leading a caravan might throw the natives into a frcnz)-, bring 
 difficulties about which would involve the I. B. E. A. Co. in 
 trouble and expense to come to my rescue. 
 
 The Frere Town mission people came to take me to the 
 lovely spot which overlooks the entire Bay of Mombasa, on 
 which is erected their mission houses. The native crew were 
 dressed in the usual length of unbleached body-cloth, bor- 
 dered with a red stripe and a loose woven shirt. The gen- 
 tleman who escorted me quite agreed with me that it would 
 be a mistake to replace the natives' present style of dress 
 
MOMllASA TO ZANZIBAR. 
 
 67 
 
 .ARAB OIARTF.RS, Mn.MBASA. 
 
 by European iashions, and }et he confessed it would be 
 most difficult to check the tendenc)', as the home societies 
 were all the time sending out made-up articles of clothing, 
 especially for the girls and women, that Avere totally unsuit- 
 able for their position or the climate ; and the good creatures, 
 zealously devoted to the propagation of the gospel among 
 the heathen, were constantly making requests that the con- 
 verts in the mission should be clothed with Christian decency. 
 He frankly averred that no one could possibly know 
 without living in the climate, studying the necessities of it, 
 and looking into the habits of the people, how utterly pre- 
 
68 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 posterous are these modern innovations. However, he made 
 an exception in the case of the best educated native men 
 who were teachers, saying that " European clothing seemed 
 to set well upon them." 
 
 After landing- I was taken up to what was called the Ladies' 
 House, Bishop Hannington's old residence, and here was 
 
 DATE PALM. 
 
MOMBASA TO ZANZIBAR. 69 
 
 cordially received and entertained by the ladies of the mission, 
 shown about their institution, allowed to inspect the work 
 taught to the girls, visited the school, and was presented to the 
 leading man in the work, Mr. Binns. Having been told that 
 Mr. Mackenzie had incidentally said that Mr. Binns's opinion of 
 my expedition might lie considered with gravit)-, my desire 
 was to convince Mr. Binns of the plausibility of my plans. 
 He perfectly agreed with me that success would attend my 
 efforts, if I set to work properly. After explaining my aim 
 to mingle much with the native women and children, I asked, 
 in order to facilitate the work, if he could supply me with 
 woman interpreters. .Such a thing had never been thought 
 of, nor ever before required, and he evinced great astonish- 
 ment and was decidedly disconcerted when I persisted, saying, 
 "Certainly, in an old-established mission like this, there must be 
 among the pupils women or girls capable of interpreting." 
 Finally he imparted, in an evasive way, his opinion that the 
 mission girls would have a disinclination to go on safari 
 (journey), and mix with the rest of the caravan, besides they 
 would not e.xpect to carry even their own budget ; further- 
 more, that their education was directed towards making them 
 teachers in behalf of the mission, and not to acquire money 
 in secular service. This revealed to me the utter impracti- 
 cability of their methods of religious training. Such edu- 
 cational discipline must necessarily undermine their self-reliance 
 and leave the imprint of irresponsibility upon the native 
 pupils. The woman missionary workers happily are not so 
 
70 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 much swaged by supercilious sentiments, and with an amount 
 of practical common-sense seem to realize that all natives 
 
 rescued from 
 slavery by the 
 mission have not 
 b )• nature the 
 a 1 1 1 i t u d e -which 
 makes them eliofi- 
 ble for teachers. 
 These women 
 are tr\-ino- to in- 
 troduce simple, 
 useful industries, 
 such as Zanzibar 
 mat braiding, 
 and have taken 
 contracts from 
 a com m e r c i a 1 
 house for strine- 
 
 SOUDANESF, WARRIORS. 
 
 ing barter beads, besides teaching them to sew. The boys 
 are mainly instructed in Arabic, Ki-.S\vahali, and English; 
 whicli tits them as porters and interpreters, but so inefficiently 
 that the mission boys are the horror of most caravans, and 
 they apply the precepts of their religious training as a cloak 
 for all their shortcomings. If a lamp is broken by one of 
 ihem, or anything is lost, or a misdemeanor committed, when 
 taxed as to wlio did it, with nai've sacrilege, not knowing what 
 
MOMBASA TO ZANZIliAr<. 
 
 71 
 
 it means, it is common to hear them exclaim, "Jesus chd it." 
 And, if reprimanded, the)' reiterate \vith some degree of logic, 
 " Dio Bwana, Jesus did it. jesus died to save sinners — me 
 mission boy — Jesus did it." This does not represent an 
 isolated circumstance, but accords with the experience of 
 numerous travellers. 
 
 .Since my visit to East Africa, Rev. Dr. Stewart, celebrated 
 as the founder of the Livingstone mission, assisted by Dr. 
 Moffat (Livingstone's nephew), through the instrumentality of 
 half a dozen .Scotch philanthropists, has established, about 
 two hundred and fitly miles from the east coast, an industrial 
 mission on the most practical lines. He aims to teach the 
 natives some craft or avocation, according to the trend of 
 their minds and physical capabilities, which will fit them to 
 fill the existing demands, or those which may be created, of 
 
 the country, and not such as will 
 have no outlet. It is but just to 
 declare in favor of the medical men 
 who go out to uncivilized lands, 
 either under secular or religious 
 auspices, that they are truly the 
 most devoted, abnegating adjuncts 
 to class or church, and 
 ^^^ if so disposed, can ex- 
 ercise the most bene- 
 
 SNUFF-BOX, STUDDED SILVER, MEIAL CHAIN, 
 WA-CHAGA. 
 
 ficial influence towards 
 the amelioration and 
 
72 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 progress of the natives. The women and girls are clothed 
 in white cotton dresses, made like a chemise, bedecked with 
 
 a T 11 r k e )' - r e d 
 stripe around the 
 skirt, low neck 
 and short sleeves. 
 Most of them 
 have their ear 
 lobes distended 
 to an accepted 
 size by a paint id 
 method of intro- 
 ducincr graduated 
 plugs ; then they 
 wear as an orna- 
 ment leaves of 
 )• o u n g pal m s 
 coiled very tight- 
 1\- and trimmed 
 
 AkAl'. WClMW 
 
 1,1 m; i;an'axas lo porter. 
 
 so as to display the white veining that runs through the 
 centre of the leaf, which makes a spiral and looks very 
 pretty. Some of the grander natives disport fine brass ear 
 ornaments. They are permitted to wear their bead neck- 
 laces and bracelets. The girls who have not their hair 
 shaven tight to their head coiffure it in an elaborate and 
 intricate fashion. It is impossible to comprehend how they 
 can braid it in such an endless variety of patterns, so 
 
MOMBASA TO ZANZIHAR. 
 
 73 
 
 O O Q 
 
 
 '=y. « 
 
 f=^=P 
 
 neatly and closely to their heads, in tiny flat plaits, each 
 strand pressing close against the scalp at ever)' turn, 
 and not in long pendent strands. All of the girls and 
 women are splendid boat-women, and 
 manceiure their ugly, heavy, awkward 
 canoes with a skill equal to the boat- 
 men. They eat squatting" on the ground 
 or at a long table with their wooden or 
 metal basins before them filled with por- 
 ridge, which they gather up with their 
 fingers and roll into a ball and stuff 
 into their mouths in the most piggish 
 way. Not only does this habit obtain 
 with the children, but adults eat in the 
 same manner. It seems to afford an 
 imfaxorable commentary on the methods 
 of education employed. Their dormito- 
 ries are of the rudest kind, — a long 
 shanty or room, where a certain number 
 of eirls and women are alloted a lone 
 trestled couch, the spaces divided for 
 each occupant by mats ; but there is no 
 attempt to provide that order of privacy 
 which develops the refinement of civil- 
 ized decency. As a rule they eat one 
 meal daily, when they stuff themselves gourd sxuff-bo.k, stud- 
 
 . ,• .• 1 ^- TTTi , DED SILVER AND CARVED 
 
 to disgustmg repletion. Whenever they p^^-terns, wa-chaga. 
 
 1 
 
 o C o'cO o " J 
 
 * '0 SC 
 
74 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 can o-et fruit they munch it at all times, and drink to their 
 detriment fermented cocoanut milk, called tembo, upon which 
 they frequently become intoxicated. This does not so often 
 
 occur in the mission as 
 in the freer life outside. 
 The bread, alike for the 
 whites and blacks, is 
 raised with tembo 
 yeast. The mission 
 people, being c o n - 
 vinced that it creates 
 an appetite for drink, 
 try to supply for their 
 own followers, as well 
 as those in the vicini- 
 t)-, bread raised with 
 other yeast. The 
 women pound the corn 
 and millet in stone and 
 wooden mortars, with a 
 c ] u m s )• \v o o d e n or 
 stone pestle. Mothers bear their babes suspended in a 
 cloth upon their backs whilst pounding the grain, without 
 evincing any fatigue. I asked one woman why she did not 
 put the little one down whilst at work. She looked puzzled 
 for a moment, then smiled, and pointed to an ant hill, thrust 
 her fingers into her mouth and caressingly touched her baby. 
 
 ARAB I'.LIN'II REGGAR. 
 
MOMIiASA Tn ZANZIBAR. 
 
 75 
 
 Inspired by a secondary thought, she swayed her body in 
 a rocking manner and ciooned out, "La-la." Her first pan- 
 tomime simply indicated that she feared her babe might be 
 eaten by the voracious ants ; the second, that the monoto- 
 nous rocking motion whilst she pounded the grain put her 
 infant to sleep. Soon as the children are weaned, they are 
 placed in a special house, to which is attached a circular 
 cemented playground, where they are daily amused, cared 
 for, and taught by a native woman until able to attend the 
 schools. The maternal wisdom displayed by the lad)' mis- 
 sionaries in the employment of a native mother teacher is 
 beyond question, for she could know at once the little one's 
 ailments and administer some simple native medicine ; she 
 could learn better than a white woman its little grievances 
 
 and soothe them. Then, too, she 
 is infinitely better adapted to under- 
 stantl what would best amuse the 
 little ones. The custom should be 
 emulated. 
 
 On the ^Mombasa wharf and 
 shore, hosts of nude boys and girls 
 were plunging into the water irom 
 the framework of a 
 pier over seventy feet 
 high, giving vent to 
 hilarious shouts of de- 
 
 SNT'FF-l'.OX, ST'JDDED SILVER, MEFAL CHAIN, 
 WA-CAHGA. 
 
 lieht and vving^ with 
 
76 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 each other. They dive feet down, and are most expert swim- 
 mers. Respecting the amphibious traits of the natives in 
 Africa, an English officer exploits the fiction that some ante- 
 cedent of tlie African race was crowded off the ark and had 
 to swim or drown. 
 
 Noticeable on the shore were women and boys of the 
 Wanyki tribe, presenting the most extraordinary distortion of 
 the abdomen, which they esteem a great beauty. The abdo- 
 men is bulging and rotund and like a lesser dome upon a 
 larger dome ; the umbilicus has been distended by artificial in- 
 flation during infancy to the size of a tennis ball. I was per- 
 mitted to witness the abnormal operation. Many of the women 
 
MOMBASA TO ZAiNZIBAR. 
 
 n 
 
 wear kilted skirts of common dark blue muslin, seldom over a 
 foot long. Such a jumble of white men and total absence 
 of white women can hardly be conceived of; no man seemed 
 to be in the place that he was fitted to occupy, yet he had 
 signed a three years' iron-bound contract. Some of these men 
 were refined and highly educated, from the great centres 
 of the world ; fired by ambition, stimulated by a desire 
 to enlarge their horizon, they had sought these openings, 
 scarcely realizing the deprivations incumbent upon their 
 posts and the monotony thereof. Others were volunteers 
 from the humblest ranks of life. Unfortunately there are 
 no white women, apart irom the tew woman missionaries ; 
 hence these men are thrown 
 promiscuously together and 
 too much upon their owm re- 
 sources, and the customary 
 habit of taking " pegs " — 
 brandy and soda or whiskey 
 — in the course of time, in 
 too many instances, enervates 
 alike the constitution and 
 character, although many of 
 the men become so inured to 
 the habit they never are the 
 slightest bit maudlin. Of 
 those eentlemen whom I met 
 
 on the coast and elsewhere in 
 
 ABVSSIN'UX SL.-iVE GIRL. 
 
78 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 East Africa, I must proclaim that, with few exceptions, they 
 acquitted themselves in a most manly way, and extended to me 
 upon every occasion offered the greatest courtesy. It was 
 touching to witness their efforts to entertain me under trying 
 conditions, so devoid of outside resources, far away from marts, 
 and how they ransacked their meagre stores to get little deli- 
 cacies, and how earnestly they hunted to bring in a bit of 
 choice game. They were to a man on their best behavior, 
 and put their best foot forward in extending the amenities 
 refinement prompted. They did all they could for my com- 
 fort and convenience. Men never could have been more 
 charming nor more circumspect in their deportment. Occa- 
 sionally, when as my guests on safari, they would accompany 
 me for a day or so, their good-natured acceptance of my 
 leadership and willingness to accede to my arbitrary rule of 
 camp, and order of march, proved them to be well-bred men 
 and admirable disciplinarians. To these gentlemen, none of 
 them I regret to say of my own nationality, I desire to make 
 public acknowledgment of heartfelt appreciation. 
 
 There were the usual friction and dissension belonging to 
 occupants of newly defined posts in a new enterprise, with the 
 tendency to revolt against conditions. In due course, with 
 experience gained by the directors as well as the men, these 
 crossgrained things will modify themselves. 
 
 I went on shore to visit the quaint old fort, which is a 
 superb ruin, and has a fine outlook towartl the sea, and gives 
 one a bird's-eye view of Mombasa, with the native huts huddled 
 
MOMllASA TO ZANZIBAR. 
 
 79 
 
 NATIVK WARRICJRS. 
 
 as close together as possible, with their quaint cocoanut roof 
 thatchings. Here I had pointed out to me my first line of 
 march away from the English settlement that I should take 
 if I went away from the coast. The fort was occupied by 
 Capt. Rogers, who commands a troop of sepoys loaned by 
 
8o 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 the government to the British East African Company. In 
 the fort quarters there were some Arabs stationed, who 
 disported magnificent studded cutlasses and belts, as valuable 
 as they are beautiful. They are worn thrust into the belt in 
 front. Leaving the fort, my attention was called to the 
 superbly carved doors and lintels, which are evidently of 
 Portuguese and Persian origin, forming the entrances to tumble- 
 down buildings. The streets were quaint, circuitous passage- 
 ways. The ivor)' custom house possessed considerable 
 interest to me, as the bids were given and accepted by a 
 Parsee commissioner, in order to appraise the value of the 
 
 tusks, and assess 
 duties. A scribe 
 cut little Arabic 
 l1 e s i g n s upon 
 each tusk valued 
 and passed. 
 
 An excursion 
 was arranged, to 
 my delight, to 
 take me over 
 the seven miles 
 and a half tem- 
 poraril)' laid of 
 the Victoria 
 Nyanza Railroad, 
 SOMALI wAKRioKs. mooted as the 
 
MOMBASA TO ZANZIBAR. 
 
 8i 
 
 greatest of all benefactions for East Africa when once 
 completed. 
 
 I was greatly chagrined to be informed that there was not 
 to be hired a single porter at Mombasa ; so, after meeting and 
 discussing my open plans with my Obstacle, whom I finally 
 succeeded, by diligent argument, in convincing that, despite 
 his intense prejudice to my j^roposed undertaking, at 
 least I very decidedly had considered its magnitude, the 
 personal risk involved, and the immense liability incurred, he 
 seemingly became my advocate, and 
 so far consented to my application 
 for permission to go through Eng- 
 lish territory as to say, "If you can 
 form a caravan at Zanzibar, I will 
 put no barriers in )-our way." I 
 mistrusted it mig-ht be a o;enteel 
 evasion on his part to checkmate 
 
 EAR STRETCHER WORN BY MIS- 
 
 me, and yet avert the disagreeable- sionary girls, mombasa. 
 ness of out-and-out opposition. With propitiatory gallantry 
 he even proffered for my use when, if I should return 
 from Zanzibar, his fine, airy bungalow at Kilandini, a suburb 
 of Mombasa; although unfurnished, he urged it would be a 
 cool and airy place of refuge, much better than to camp 
 in the open, although I was quite prepared to do that if 
 necessary. In passing, I would say my Obstacle had 
 advanced the objection to me that Mombasa was an unfit 
 place for a lady, because there were no hotel accommodations. 
 
82 
 
 SULTAN TO SL'LTAN. 
 
 So by this gentleman's recommendation, with all my 
 goods and chattels, which I had largely Increased by additions 
 in the different ports, I betook myself to Zanzibar on the 
 " Madura," full of apprehension, but determined to turn over 
 every stone before admitting I was frustrated, and try what 
 skill I had at recruiting and organizing a caravan. 
 
FORMI^G MV CARAVAN. 
 
 83 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 FORMING MY CARAVAN. 
 
 'ORMING my caravan — how to 
 do it, and how long it would 
 take me — monopolized my entire 
 thoughts, to the exclusion of all 
 others, in the short voyage to Zanzi- 
 bar. Notwithstanding that practical obsta- 
 jfei- cles had arisen, and rebuffs whistled like 
 V/i\ small shot on all sides, I never quaked 
 even secretly beneath a vague forecast of 
 '■-' * defeat. 
 Alas! at Zanzibar I found that my world-renowned reputa- 
 tion of mad woman had preceded me, to my prejudice. In 
 America, England, Aden, and Mombasa, and now here, I 
 had to listen to and confront as best I could public censure. 
 The bare idea that a woman should be foolhardy or ignorant 
 enough to dare to enter Africa from the east coast and at- 
 tempt to penetrate interior as far as the Kilimanjaro district 
 of the late Masai raids, at a time when great disturbances 
 had been provoked by the Germans and a revolt was brew- 
 ing, and essaying thus to do as the sole leader and com- 
 
84 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 mander of her own caravan, — the thing was preposterous, and 
 the woman boldly denounced as viad, mad, principally be- 
 cause there was no precedent for such a venture ; it was a 
 thorough innovation of accepted proprieties. It never had 
 been done, never even suggested, hence it must be im- 
 possible, or at least utterly impracticable, and certainly out- 
 side a woman's province. 
 
 MOMBASA FROM ENGLISH I'OINT. 
 
 Zanzibaris porters could never be induced to go into a 
 district terrorized over by bloodthirsty, buccaneering Masai 
 on safari (journey) led solely by a woman. Any woman 
 with such intentions, whoever she might be, must take no 
 offence when set down as a reckless fool. The movement 
 ought to be first scoffed, then, if necessary, obstructed, and 
 finally, if need be, prohibited by the authorities. Despite 
 her intrepidity, or her attributes for leadership, or her ability 
 to spurn hardships as she might dangers, she must be irra- 
 
FORMINC; MV CARAVAN. 85 
 
 tional in attempting such a liazardous vindertaking, and doubt- 
 less would gladly abandon not only an ambitious but impracti- 
 cal and suicidal plan when once she was properl)' informed of 
 the clangers, and convinced of the uncontrollable odds against 
 her. Having listened to these same sort of protests and 
 persuasions until my ears were dulled to their unsavory 
 repetitions, — aye, in truth, I think I knew the formula of 
 every objection by rote and rule, and could ring the changes 
 as deftly as my opponents, — did these gentlemen know 
 that my empire of folly was not ostracized, and that 
 I had received over two thousand applications from both 
 men and women, as a rule accredited with unusual sense, 
 occupying almost every rank in life, and the majority of them 
 professional and scientific men, entreating me to allow them 
 to accompany my free and independent expedition ? 
 
 The most insuperable difficulty urged upon me was the 
 fact that there were no porters to be had, even at Zanzibar, 
 so manj' caravans had been equipped for the Germans as well 
 as for the I. B. E. A. Co., and for some private expeditions 
 that had combined to drain the country oi available porters. 
 
 After much persuasion, Mr. Boustead, one of a firm for 
 equipping caravans, agreed to constitute himself my agent, if 
 I so desired, and endeavor to obtain fifty men to go with me 
 to the interior, without any masculine European to aid me. 
 This, however, he did in a very discouraging way. 
 
 " If it were a feasible scheme, even then there are not fifty 
 men to be had," he urged. " Besides, Zanzibaris would not 
 
86 
 
 SULTAN TO SULl'AiN. 
 
 manner, 
 succeed. 
 
 consent to go in 
 such a small 
 number into 
 hostile Masai 
 land, and cer- 
 tainly not with- 
 out being prop- 
 perl)' armed." 
 
 I protested, 
 urged, argued, 
 and finally got 
 him to consent 
 to try. I wanted 
 to start from 
 jMombasa within 
 a fortnight; 
 hence he must 
 work sharp to 
 collect the men 
 and to provide 
 the necessary 
 supplies. My 
 urgency for 
 speed was met 
 
 M. FRENCH-SHELDON. BEHi; r.WANA. in a d U D I O U S 
 
 He would try, but he had no hope he should 
 Then cropped up another vital reason for delay. 
 
FORMING MY CARAVAN. 
 
 87 
 
 There was no water in the interior, and would be none until 
 the rains. Very well, then, I would wait until there was rain, 
 if he would set to work about the caravan, in order that 
 I should not be detained when the auspicious time came. 
 That very day the rain fell in torrents. 
 I asked him if 
 
 influence with the 
 Sultan would aid 
 him in any wa)'. 
 
 " Certainly it 
 would." 
 
 So I proceeded 
 to use my diplo- 
 matic passport, 
 and, through the 
 courtesy of Ameri- 
 can Consul-Gen- 
 eral Ropes at Zan- 
 zibar, arranged for 
 an early audience 
 with the Sultan. 
 There were cer- 
 tain difficulties 
 herc:; again to be 
 encountered. It 
 was unusual for 
 his Highness to 
 
 ti^ffr^^(2i^?^'^ v-A.\ 
 
 SULTAN OF ZANZIBAR. 
 
8S SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 receive a lady, but, in consideration of Consul-General Ropes's 
 persuasive arguments in my behalf, — that I was the first lady 
 to attempt to lead a caravan that history had ever known, 
 and various flattering claims he made for my personal im- 
 portance, — a message came to say the next day at four he 
 would receive me, but I must come alone, conducted to his 
 Highness by two dragomen, who would attend me from the 
 consul's residence to the palace. As I walked through the 
 narrow, dirty apologies for streets, sandwiched between these 
 two marked dragomen, with all the black people gazing at 
 me as they deferentially drew aside to let me pass, and 
 squatted on their heels in lieu of bowing, the thought came 
 flashing into my brain that even these wretched blacks, in 
 their debasement, imagined the very worst thing possible 
 about the white woman, and I felt choked with self-indigna- 
 tion that a freeborn American woman should have sought 
 the opportunit)' to conspicuously place herself in such a ques- 
 tionable position ; then the absolutism of my one determina- 
 tion asserted itself, and the humiliation was from thence a 
 mere detail, albeit keen and uncomfortable. 
 
 Arriving at the palace, which is a most unpretentious 
 structure, I was conducted up a flight of long stairs and 
 was met by the Sultan on the landing. The few words of 
 salutation in Ki-Swahali I had mastered came tripping off 
 my tongue in response to the Sultan's jajiibos, obsequious 
 smiles, and bows of welcome. After these ceremonious pre- 
 liminaries were over, one of the dragomen was commanded 
 
FORMING MV CARAVAN. 
 
 89 
 
 by the Sultan to act as interpreter. The walls of the large, 
 showy saloon were hung with red panels embellished with 
 quotations from the Koran in embossed gilt characters ; 
 great showy crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling; tables 
 
 WHITE IVORV. 
 
 of beautiful inlaid workmanship were ranged through the 
 centre of the room, and tall-backed gilt chairs with crimson 
 satin cushions were arrano-ed in a stilted fashion througfhout 
 the long saloon. The floor had a crimson velvet carpet with 
 such thick pile the tread of feet became noiseless. 
 
 Once seated at one of the tables, feeling flushed by the 
 curious scrutiny of all the attendants who hovered about, 
 I was gratified when the Sultan ordered a particularly staring 
 
90 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 oleaginous creature to serve coffee. This I drank witli relish; 
 l)ut no sooner was my cup partially empty than there was a 
 quick succession of various sorts of sherbets paraded for 
 my refreshment; trul)' they were marvellous concoctions of 
 all colors, beginning with brown, closely followed b)' red, 
 green, and white syrupdike fluids in the daintiest glasses 
 imaginable ; but, with suspicion, I avoided the strange, spicy, 
 honeyed beverages ; only touching the rim ot each glass with 
 my forefinger, then, out of courtesy, pressing my finger to my lips 
 in sign of satiety, to excuse my declining such choice nectars. 
 
 Subsequent to these delicate civilities, the .Sultan explained, 
 with evident embarrassment, that it was not his custom to cere- 
 moniously receive ladies, nevertheless he was quite desirous to 
 be of service to me in every possible way. This was my chance 
 to tell him of my proposed expedition to Kilimanjaro and 
 Masai land. Pulling his joho (long loose embroidered coat) 
 around him, e.xposing his bare feet encased in sandals, he 
 expressed regret that I should desire to go to such a danger- 
 ous, wild section of Africa, and wished I might be dissuaded. 
 
 "Is not Zanzibar charming? Why not linger here as the 
 friend of the Sultan ? " 
 
 "No, not dissuaded," I firmly rejoined: "however, his 
 Majesty could make It far easier and safer for me, it he telt 
 inclined." 
 
 Again he wrapped his splendid gold-embroidered jolio 
 about him with a certain majesty and said Imperiously, "Com- 
 mand us and it shall be done." 
 
FORMING MV CARAVAN'. 
 
 91 
 
 Explaining the difficulties my agent experienced in pro- 
 curing porters, I urged that he would aid me b_\- having all 
 slaves volunteering speedily sworn in on the followino- Satur- 
 day ; and when masters interfered with their slaves, or mid- 
 dlemen objected, 
 to declare him- 
 self my friend, 
 and command it 
 otherwise. 
 
 "It shall be 
 done." 
 
 He ordered 
 his band to play 
 some special 
 pieces in m )• 
 honor, which, as 
 usual, wound up 
 the performance 
 by the national 
 anthem, an ex- 
 plosive pot- 
 pojirri. When I 
 was on the point of leaving, after drenching me with otter of 
 rose, he invited me, with great effusiveness, to return on 
 the following Friday with a woman interpreter, to visit 
 his harem ; he also placed a carriage at my disposal during 
 the entire time I remained in port, — I will not mar the lustre 
 
 SULTAN S -IHREE HKN'CH.MKN. 
 
92 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 of his gallantry by describing the Sultan's vehicles and horses, 
 — and he offered to take out his war ship "Glasgow" for 
 my pleasure. This war ship, by the by, it is satirically said, 
 was presented to the Sultan by a celebrated shipbuilder for 
 
 the paltry sum of $200,- 
 000 (/40,000). 
 
 Friday's arrangements, 
 owing to the difficulties 
 of procuring a woman 
 interpreter, either from 
 the mission people or 
 through my agents, 
 seemed to be una\oida- 
 bly cancelled when I re- 
 woMAN OF THE HAREM. celved a message from 
 
 the .Sultan summoning me to come, as he had himself se- 
 cured the services of a woman interpreter. So I went, and 
 received a most friendly reception. Through locked and 
 barred doors I was conducted from one of the palaces — 
 there are three in a row — to the other; and finally reaching 
 a large saloon, the place where the interpreter was dismissed, 
 that was in wild disorder, like the show-room of a barbaric 
 merchant prince, — a dazzling variety and array of valuable 
 gifts, curios, all sorts of purchasable splendors heaped incon- 
 gruously one upon another upon tables, on the floor, and 
 nothing showing to any advantage, the only impression given 
 was of quantity and enormous value. 
 
FORMING MV CARAVAN. 
 
 The Sultan's eldest daughter was brousfht !n In' a black 
 woman slave, attended by two little black slave boys. 
 
 With a flash of pride the Sultan exclaimed, " See how a 
 Sultan dresses his daughter! Look well, and tell to other 
 Europeans how splendid are her jewels." The heavy gold 
 anklets worn by this little child, but five years of age, 
 impeded her moving with any freedom. Her crown, studded 
 with jewels, must ha\'e pained her tender brow ; and the 
 gorgeous as well as curious necklaces suspended one upon 
 another to the number of a dozen, and numerous bracelets 
 and fineer rings, certainlv must have been burdensome. 
 The Sultan's lament is that he is unfortunate in having three 
 dauo'hters and no sons. He 
 
 o 
 
 was curious to know if I had 
 children, and when the nega- 
 tive response was conveyed 
 to him, he asked boldly, 
 " Has your husband many 
 wives?" He smiled in a 
 cynical way. 
 
 " Certainly not," I re- 
 torted with some contempt, 
 vexed by his effrontery. 
 
 At this juncture a heavy embroidered portiere was drawn 
 aside by two Malay eunuchs, whose tongues were cut out 
 to limit their power of disclosing secrets, and there appeared 
 a hauo-hty woman, gorgeously attired. Possessed with all the 
 
 WOMA>f OF THI5 HXREM. 
 
94 SUI.TAX TO SULTAN. 
 
 Imperious disdain of an empress, she approached me, and 
 rudely threw out her hand to me, at the same time ungra- 
 ciously darting a glance of outraged feeling upon me. This 
 then was the Sultana ! Poor woman, did she presume I 
 was another usurper of her legitimate place? Only a few 
 moments expired when she was ushered out by two gross, 
 horrid, greasy eunuchs, and the portiere was drawn over the 
 closing door. Within ten minutes after her Highness's exit, 
 through another door entered in Indian file woman after 
 woman of the Sultan's harem, to a number most amaz- 
 ing. Each one In turn approached me, extending her hand. 
 To the first, who was a fine, frank-looking creature, I 
 arose to respond to her greeting, when the Sultan waved 
 me down, — 
 
 " Do not trouble )-ourself lor them. There are too man\-, 
 all alike, and not worth it." 
 
 Some of these poor, degraded concubines were sad-eyed 
 and full of sorrow, others seemed defiant and triumphant, 
 and yet others looked envious. Comparing the vast difter- 
 ence in the costliness and quantity of their jewels and 
 dresses, it flashed across my mind that these distinctions were 
 marks of favoritism. Each and every one of these royal 
 concubines, at the command of the Sultan, bathed my 
 right foot in rose-water, and In recognition of my superi- 
 ority and evidence ol their humlllt)-, each ga\e me one 
 of her jewelled rings. The sum total was one hundred and 
 fort)- two. 
 
FORMING MV CARAVAN. 
 
 M^. 
 
 95 
 
 
 I 
 
 \VA 
 
 c)^-^vv 
 
 SULTAN S PASSPORT. 
 
 TRAXSLATIOX OF SULTAN'S LETTER. 
 In the name of God the meyoiful, the eo/fipassionate. 
 From Ali Bin Sa'iij. 
 
 To nil who may see it, and to proceed : This respected American lady is one of those 
 arriving here and travelling into the region of Kilimanjaro; and I command that everv 
 one who meets her, or with whom she puts up, shall receive her with absolute regard and 
 attention, and shall restrain any one who interferes with her; for she is one of those who 
 are much esteemed by us. This is fur the information of those whom she may meet. 
 And peace be with you. 
 
 Written on the seventeenth of the month Sha'han. in the year 13US 4 (March 2, ISDl). 
 
 I>y the order of 
 
 ABDAL AZIZ BINf MOHAMMED. 
 
96 SUITAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 The Sultan, after sliowing me about through the private 
 rooms, as he professed he had never previously shown any 
 one, queried what I thought of it all. With true American 
 frankness, I declared it atrocious. He said he would gladly 
 renounce his harem, " But I should lose my Arab constitu- 
 ency." 
 
 Most cautious man as this .Sultan is respecting signing 
 papers, always suspicious of some governmental policy that 
 will in\-olve him, he offered to vise my passport. This I 
 declined, desirous that he should give me a special letter to 
 any Arab caravans 1 might encounter on my route up 
 country. This he did. He also gave me his autographed 
 photograph ; and I had the Sultan's word he would always be 
 more than pleased to serve me in an\' possible way as his 
 friend. His gifts were most lavish ; a pair of Muscat dogs, 
 and four Muscat donkeys, which policy dictated it was 
 best to decline. .Saturday my men were sworn in without 
 the usual difficulty, and when the steamship "Madura" sailed 
 out of port I had the satisfaction of knowing that in six days 
 the so-called impossible had been accomplished, and by a 
 woman. Eight of my people were on the ship. My headman 
 of headmen, Hamidi, one of the best known and most reliable 
 of Zanzibaris, had come to pledge to me perfect faithfulness. 
 I had started out with the idea of ha\-ing plenty of women 
 as j)orters, and to have a native woman interpreter. I saw 
 only one native woman who could in any way fill the 
 recjuirements of the latter [jost, and ni)* conscience would 
 
FORMING MV CARAVAN. 
 
 97 
 
 not allow me to employ her, much as I desired, as she 
 had started for the mission a children's school, which would 
 have come to a 
 standstill if she 
 was taken away. 
 As a slave, when 
 a child, she had 
 been rescued 
 from her cruel 
 captivity and be- 
 friended by the 
 mission people, 
 educated and 
 s u p p o r t e ci b)' ^ 
 them during her 
 helpless child- 
 hood; although 
 she had been in akai; i.i.hek-writer. 
 
 other employ since, until the school was inaugurated, she 
 scrupulously owned that the mission had a first claim upon 
 her services, — a sentiment in which I accorded. 
 
 We steamed back to Mombasa. There, for the first time, 
 my freight and luggage, which were far from being modest, 
 were disembarked, for I had taken everything with me to 
 Zanzibar in case I should be compelled to go to Kilimanjaro 
 through German territory, via Bagamoyo or Pangania. 
 
 Malignant fever was raging at Zanzibar, and a general 
 
 ^gr 
 
98 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 panic possessed nearly every European resident. Clinical 
 thermometers flourished, and a friend's or an acquaintance's 
 temperature was a theme for open discussion on the high- 
 ways and byways. It was and is the universal practice dur- 
 ing an epidemic for every one to test his or her own tem- 
 perature several times daily. A friend meets a friend ; the 
 
 daily bulletin of 
 their respective 
 temperatures is 
 discussed. " INI )' 
 temperature is 
 I o 2 , what is 
 y o u r s?" " Mine 
 is 103, and I'm 
 going to get a 
 chance to go on 
 board of one of 
 the war ships." 
 " Poor So-and-So's 
 temperature was 
 107 this morning, 
 they have him in 
 an ice bath. He'll 
 
 ARABIAN MUSICIAN. 
 
 pass in his chips ! " This habit is one of the most ridicu- 
 lous and pernicious, rendering many a person liable to fever, 
 and should be tabooed. 
 
 Zanzibar to a stranger presents the guise of a pest-ridden 
 
FORMING MV CARAVAN. 
 
 99 
 
 SUGAR-CANE SEI.I.F.R. 
 
lOO SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 land. No sewerage, and all the fikh pitched into the sea to 
 ebb and How with the tides, polluting the atmosphere and 
 stinking in one's nostrils. The streets are narrow, crooked, 
 and dirty. Bazaars are everywhere, and bedecked with all 
 sorts of articles. I took oreat delight in watching an Arab 
 family at table, also an Arab woman selling sugar-cane. 
 Oranges of the most luscious variety and .sweet limes and 
 mangoes were extremely cheap and plenty. There are two 
 very good clubs, and nothing else but dinner parties and 
 a montonous drive of seven miles for recreation. A .Sunday 
 spent with a friend at his sJunnba (country place) is always 
 enjoyable. There are never but a very few white women, 
 the wives or relations of the consuls. When a war ship 
 or a steamer is in port, the residents are permitted an oppor- 
 tunity to go on board, and the commanders frequently 
 inaugurate a series of little dinners or luncheons ; but at 
 best the outlook is very circumscribed, and a man's ambition 
 must, in the end, be downed. Girl water-carriers made a 
 pretty picture going in bevies to and from the wells, carry- 
 ing their hammered copper, brass, and earthen pots upon their 
 heads ; one girl always supplied with a long-handled ladle, 
 the dipper part made of a calabash. 
 
 Upon return to Mombasa, Mr. Mackenzie, no longer my 
 Obstacle, but my converted friend, with kind courtesy ten- 
 dered me the use of his large, airy, two-storied bungalow, 
 most picturesquely surrounded at Kilindini, during my sojourn, 
 while awaiting the balance of my caravan. 
 
FORMINC; -MY CARAVAN. 
 
 lOI 
 
 The scenery and lov^ely climate made the nine ilays of 
 my tarriance well worth I'emembering. The principal men 
 associated with the difierent departments ot the I. 15. E. A. 
 Co. called upon me. 
 One can but be amazed 
 at the kind of men that 
 have taken up their work 
 so far away from all that 
 civilization means to men 
 of education and ability. 
 There are but few coun- 
 terfeits of houses. Every 
 one must live in a struc- 
 ture of four corrugated 
 zinc walls, with a tuakota 
 (cocoanut leat ) plaited 
 thatching placed over a 
 zinc roof. Most ot the 
 dwellings are constructec 
 right upon the ground, okkvish musician. 
 
 and the best of them have only a cemented floor and out- 
 sheds. There is a slanting makota-pent forming the cover- 
 ing to a rude veranda, beneath which it is the custom to lie 
 and sit during the hot noonda)-, as well as during moments 
 of leisure, where long chairs are ever in view, and dripping 
 calabashes of water hanging to cool where the air freel)- 
 circulates. 
 
I02 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 MOJIBASA. 
 
 Tlierc are no luxuries, not even proper comforts in this 
 new countr)-, where young men have rushed with the love 
 of adventure and the hope ot making a mark for themselves 
 and achieving a future. .Somehow there seems to be a fas- 
 cination enshrininof adventurous Africa for fine, eneryfetic men 
 who are fired with ambition. Alas I I greatly fear all is 
 not as they pictured it in their tar-away homes. There is no 
 royal road in this new El Dorado. Ability, steadfast work, 
 patience, abnegation, and time are the only stepping stones. 
 
 One week alter leaving Zanzibar my entire caravan 
 arrived at Mombasa, and in the late afternoon, with songs of 
 salutation and general yells resounding through the shaniba 
 of Kilindini bungalow, there came ninety-five porters, askari. 
 
KORMIXi; MV (/ARAVAN. 
 
 103 
 
 palanquin bearers, headmen, and interpreters, making my little 
 army of Zanzibaris up to the g-oodly number of one hundred 
 and three. Seventy ot these men were to be armed with 
 guns. The balance carried knives. It was only under 
 this condition porters could be induced to go into the 
 Masai countr\-. They camped as they could until Monda\, 
 when all my loads woukl bj delivered from the dhow. I 
 gave the porters one and all a general address as to ni)' retjuire- 
 ments from them, and what to expect if they were unfaithful. 
 To all I said they replied, " Dio " (yes), and " Inshallah" (God 
 willing). The same shuffling irresponsibility as with whites. 
 
 HARBOR OF ZAN'ZIliAR. SULTAN S PALACE. 
 
I04 SULTAN TO SULTAN 
 
 SfSj^'—J 
 
 
 
 
FORMING MV CAKAVAX. 
 
 TRAVSLATION. 
 
 To all Arabs and Siualiilis travelling in ike interior : This is to inform you that this 
 lady, to whom I have given this letter, is my friend, and I wish every one who meets her 
 caravan to be kind to herself and her porters, and to do everything to help her safari. Any 
 one who does this, and brings a letter from her to say she is pleased with what has been dune 
 for her, will receive thanks on arrival at Muml^asa. Should any one interfere with her caravan, 
 annoy her in any way, and do any act of disrespect to her, will be considered to have offentled 
 the company, and will be treated and punished accordingly. 
 
 (Signed) GEORGE S. MACKENZIE. 
 
 Mombasa, 4th April, ISOl. 
 
 In my caravan I found I had men who had been with 
 several great explorers, and with some of the big game 
 hunters who had memorialized Cha^a land as the Hunters' 
 Paradise. I looked with amazement over all these strange 
 black and every shade of brown faces, with much brutality 
 imprinted thereupon, and marvelled if I should always be 
 able to control them and make them subservient to my com- 
 mands. After a moment's contemplation I felt somehow that 
 I should, and would not have hesitated to have started at 
 once with the lot as they stood, for a three years' journey 
 The work in providing the right and infinite variety of beads 
 and wire and cloths for barter to procure food for all this 
 body of men, for no longer a period even than three months, 
 was a great anxiety, and, when properly clone, 1 had more 
 loads than men, and was forced to telegraph to my agent 
 to get for me thirty more porters and have them follow me 
 to Taveta. \Mien the)', with the headman and two soldiers 
 {askari), arrived, I had one hundred and thirty-eight men. 
 Usually many desert, for they receive so much of their wages 
 in advance ; in this instance, three months'. However, 
 
io6 
 
 SULTAN 'R) SULTAN. 
 
 BLAi_ K l\iiRV. 
 
 the Fates were in my favor, for, upon calling the roll, there 
 were only a few who had remained at Zanzibar, and these 
 were replaced by \nlunteers. 
 
 When Monday came, and the guns, which were 
 brought to me b)' a chain gang, were distributed, Mr. Mac- 
 kenzie harangued the people, telling them if the)- deserted 
 and were found by him or his agents, they should be con- 
 demned to serve a )ear in the chain gang. The Sultan had 
 promised any miscreant far v.orse punishment, — to cut their 
 throats if black-listed. Then there was a heavy penalty put 
 upon the whole caravan, and for that matter upon me too, 
 respecting the firearms. No one could sell, or lose, or 
 
FORMING MY CARAVAN. 
 
 107 
 
 break his gun without a fine of about forty dollars, — double 
 the value of the gun when new. All this, I was assured, 
 was in my behalf, and doubtless proved a great protection to 
 me, although I could not refrain from expressing temporary 
 indignation at what seemed extortion. So, gathering up all 
 the loads, carefully numbered, embarking my Palanquin and 
 all the people in a large dhow, and some in smaller boats, 
 the I. B. E. A.'s steam launch, for a given sum of rupees towed 
 us across to Railroad Point, and from there we were reall)- 
 to make the first start the next morning. 
 
io8 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE FIRST ^L\RCH. 
 
 H-COVETED rain. 
 with its heralded season 
 of benefits, propitiated 
 us, and the entire cara- 
 van was atlirill with de- 
 Hght, knowing" how the 
 liardships and fatigues 
 of the safari (journey) 
 they liad enlisted for 
 would be ameliorated 
 now that they could anticipate plenty of water. 
 
 Having put out from Kilidini at a late hour, although 
 our point of landing was a short distance abo\e and across 
 the narrow stream, in consequence of the weight of loads, the 
 throng of people, and the swift current, we reached Railroad 
 Point, after considerable delay, too near night to make any 
 progress on our journey. Persuaded by the officers of the 
 I. B. E. A. Co. stationed here, I consented with pleasure to 
 remain over nifjht as the cri-iest of mv friend, Mr. C. Mac- 
 donnell Lemmi, who most graciously vacated his premises for 
 
THE FIRST MARCH. 
 
 109 
 
 my personal accommodation, whereas my men camped in the 
 adjacent open. If so inclined, my friend could have boasted 
 of being the possessor of the most tasteful dwelling there- 
 abouts. Instead of giving wa)' to the uninviting barrenness 
 and uncon- 
 
 geniality of 
 his sur- 
 roundings, 
 he had with 
 self-respect 
 exerted 
 himself to 
 make the 
 best of con- 
 d it ion s in 
 his endeav- 
 or to main- 
 tain a sem- 
 blance of 
 his inbred 
 
 JOSEFE AND NATIVES. 
 
 home refinement. The interior of his tin\- corrugated abode 
 was daintily hung with bright trade cottons, and photographs 
 were grouped about on the walls and tables ; his toilet arti- 
 cles were arrayed in such a fashion as to betray his fondness 
 for elegance ; the floor was covered with prett)' Zanzibar mats, 
 upon which were spread lion and leopard skins, and over the 
 chair backs were draped bits of bright cotton stuffs ; a large 
 
I lO 
 
 SLl.TAX Til SUI.TAN. 
 
 ARAI'.S RKSTIXn. 
 
THE FIRST MARCH. I I I 
 
 Milan plush rug answered for a bedspread. Everything, with- 
 out being costly, was most decorative, and presented a vivid 
 contrast to the heedless don't-care manner most men permit 
 themselves to lapse into when isolated from home tics. 
 Some wa)' it was ineHaljl)- touching to witness these evi- 
 dences of this great stalwart man's clinging to the artistic 
 conventions of his far-away Italian home lite. He was one 
 of the "wise men" who, according to Shakespeare, "make 
 every port a happy ha\en," antl never made a display ot his 
 disappointments when his dreams were discounted by stern 
 reality, but, to the contrary, tried to infuse fact with fancy. 
 Denied the refined companionship of white women for a long 
 time, this man was most charmed to have the lleeting oppor- 
 tunity to converse with mc ; and I have thought, since my 
 return, if for no other result than the undisguised pleasure 
 afforded to lone, forlorn white men I encountered in East 
 Africa, by my presence and society, my expedition would, 
 even so, not have been made in vain. 
 
 The Indian bullocks and their drivers interested me very 
 much. These expensive, handsome little animals had been 
 importeci to send to Victoria Nyanza, but during the wait 
 were employed on the railroad construction works. How- 
 ever, they were finally shipped as accessories to Capt. 
 Rodgers, and his troop of sepoy soldiers loaned b)- the 
 government to I. B. E. A. Co. in his expedition to W'itu. 
 A camel caravan had gone up countrj' a few weeks prior to 
 my appearance, and bad news came back to the effect that 
 
I 12 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 the camels were coming to grief and dying. This portion 
 of Africa does not conduce to the use of camels for trans- 
 portation. Donkeys die off very speedily, and horses are 
 impossible ; therefore there remains no relief to the poor 
 Zanzibar porters, nor immunity for the natives from slavery 
 until a railroad is constructed. 
 
 POMRE CUPS. 
 
 Unfortunately, the recent rain had washed out the tem- 
 porary roadbed of the railroad and undermined the rails 
 so that they were not safe to drive the heavy engine ov'er ; 
 therefore the seven miles I had anticipated to have conveyed 
 my carax'an b\' rail was now impossible. 
 
 During the evening and night some straggling porters 
 came into camp, reducing the list of deserters materially. 
 My friend kindly gave me a lesson in roll calling, as well as 
 how to quickly inspect loads, count the rifles, and set my 
 tents. For the last time everything was overhauled. 
 
 When it is recognized that a caravan going into the in- 
 
THE FIRST MARCH. 
 
 113 
 
 terior or up country in Africa is like a migratory community, 
 and must be provisioned and armed for the entire expedition, 
 take sufficient goods for barter to insure immunity from 
 hunger, and be enabled to give tribute to purchase from the 
 natives a right of way i^hongo^ , if required, as well as a 
 variety of presents for the natives one wishes to negotiate 
 with, and that it is essential to provide for necessities and 
 all likely emergencies during periods of health as well as 
 during sickness, that precaution must be taken against 
 tropical heat as well as against the bitter cold trade winds, 
 which at certain seasons blow up during the afternoon or 
 night, and for dry as well as for rainy weather, living as 
 one must in the open, tlie incongruity and variety ot an 
 African outfit is beyond conception of any one who has not 
 had experience therewith. Not onl)- must one prepare 
 against the elements, 
 but against ferocious 
 wild beasts, as well as 
 the invidious attacks 
 of creatures no larger 
 than white ants, which 
 are perfect vandals in 
 the wa)' they carry out 
 their work of rapid 
 destruction upon all wooden objects. Precious or valuable 
 articles must be kept, to insure them against damage, in 
 air-tieht and water-tight tin cases : the coils of metal wire 
 
 BUFFALO BULL. 
 
114 
 
 SL'I.TAX TO SULTAN. 
 
 {senenge) are sacked in round packages ; the beads (^skanga ) 
 are carried in boxes or canvas sacking ; the cloth in long 
 bales, covered with makota (cocoanut) matting; the rice in 
 strange, trumpet-shaped bags; the provisions in boxes; pots, 
 pans, and kettles upon poles exposed to view, and a certain 
 
 I, 
 
 ^ 
 
 \ 
 
 X 
 
 ^ 
 
 t 
 
 -^^ 
 
 h 
 
 ^^ 
 
 //l/^o/' 
 
 "^ 
 
 MASAI FLAG OF 1 RUCE. 
 
 number of iron pots, in which the porters and men cook ; 
 calabashes with water, tents and poles, chairs, folding tables, 
 large waterproof canvases enveloping cork ground beds ; large 
 piecec of waterproof cloth, the ground cloth with which the 
 tent is carpeted to keep the damp from rising from the earth ; 
 boxes of candles, soap, cartridges in boxes, matches. Hints 
 and steel, cotton waste to clean the guns, cocoanut oil, kero- 
 
TIIK FIRST MARCH. 
 
 I I 
 
 sene in large square tin cans, when emptied used for water 
 cans, or bartered to the natives; coffee in sacks; lanterns, 
 by night swung on poles, carried by a porter, with a light 
 load; water bottles; photographic apparatus and instruments 
 for observation; tools; medicine cases; largfe tin buckets lor 
 water; bath tub, hammock for the sick, and all manner of 
 trilling accessories, and luxuries, and endless et ceteras. Then 
 come the men's mats, upon which they sleep ; the cloth, of 
 which they make their little tents, used as a turban (vituniha^ 
 during the day to ease up their loads from their heads, and 
 kept by them to the last as a means of barter with natives. 
 
 In the selection of the 
 beads, the quality and size 
 of the metal wires, the 
 cloths, the silks and velvets, 
 gold-lace, and other pres- 
 ents which one takes for 
 chiefs, of all kinds and 
 sizes, the most valued 
 among which will be British 
 soldier coats, flaunting red, 
 with gaud\- gold-lace and 
 plenty ot brass buttons : 
 European hats, and red 
 umbrellas, tooting horns, 
 music boxes, clocks, matches, razors, knives, bells, rings, 
 bracelets, metal belts and jewelled weapons, needles, sewing 
 
 KHARTOUM NKGRO. 
 
Il6 SULTAN TO SUITAN. 
 
 thread, pins, fishhooks, tops, kites, dolls, picture books, clay 
 pipes, tobacco, snuff, tea, sugar, silverware, china cups, knives, 
 spoons and forks, paint boxes, mirrors, sewing machines, tools. 
 
 Needless to say, great thought and attention are required, 
 and one must profit b)' the experience of other travellers 
 in order to avoitl falling into mistakes which it is impossible 
 to rectify after once leaving the coast, if indeed one can 
 rectify them at the coast. All of these loads must be 
 weighed, numbered, and allotted to the men and rear- 
 ranged, or as they sa\- in Africa, tangeiiezcd, from time to 
 time, as one journeys on, according as articles are taken 
 from different packages, in order to fairly distribute the 
 work upon all of the porters throughout the caravan ; then, 
 too, as illness alwaj-s ensues after one has been out on 
 safari a few days, the sick must be relieved of the 
 burden of full loads, if not, indeed, relieved altogether, and 
 they themselves carried in hammocks. This unloading, 
 tangenezing , as it were, as one j^roceeds, is both advanta- 
 geous and necessary. Almost daily can be gauged the 
 depletion of supplies, and extravagance checked ; it also 
 affords an opportunity to detect pilfering, and discover if 
 loads have been discarded, sometimes in time to recover 
 them. 
 
 One possessed ot a spark of humanity will not leave a sick 
 man by the roadside to die of starvation, and even become, 
 alive or dead, food for the vultures and prowling animals ; 
 hence, if the afflicted is too ill to walk, two of his com- 
 
THE FIRSl' MARCH. 
 
 117 
 
 \VH1ULL\(.; DLRVI.ilIKS slilvN AT ZANZIBAR. 
 
 panions are obliged to be relieved of their loads and carry 
 him ; in order to do this the contents of these loads must 
 be distributed to the other porters. They have no objection^ 
 to carrying a inzimga (white man), but they very nuich 
 object to carrying a {&\\o\\ pagazi (porter). 
 
 However, I found it an admirable method to quietly 
 say to an objecting porter, " Look here, my man, to-mor- 
 row )ou ma)- be ill, and if )ou object to carrj- )our 
 companion to-day, who will then be willing to carry you 
 when you are stricken ? We will leave you to your fate, 
 the prey to the wild beasts ! Come, come, fall in line ! " 
 
ii8 
 
 SULTAN TO Sri.TAN. 
 
 This usually ended all grumbling ; for the dissenter, 
 seeing there was no chance to shirk, would assume his part 
 of the burden. The end was accomplished ; he did his 
 duty, although too often with ill grace. 
 
 The method of dealing out rice, 
 which is carried for poslio or rations 
 during the first eight or nine days 
 from the coast in bulk of sixty 
 pounds in a kaiida, — a long and 
 narrow matting bag, broadest at the 
 bottom, — is somewhat peculiar. A 
 brass measure, like a straight tumbler, 
 called a kababa, which should legiti- 
 mately bear upon it the offiical im- 
 print of the Sultan, resembling the 
 figure "8," holding about a pint of 
 rice, is the accepted dole ; but in 
 lieu of this, the headman of head- 
 men will deal out the portions by 
 putting his two hands together and 
 allowing the orain to rest within 
 
 NATIVE SOLDIER. 
 
 SO that none of it falls over when he shakes his hands. 
 The amount eiven to the men varies accordino- to the rank 
 of eacii man. 
 
 Porters, carrying the heavy loads, are paid the least and 
 receive the smallest poslio; the headmen, who are paid the 
 largest price ami never carry even their own mats, receive 
 
THE KIRST MARCH. 
 
 119 
 
 four to five times the amount of food or allowance, and their 
 wages are in proportion larger. However, I was obliged to 
 submit to the usage of the country, believing it must have 
 virtue from its time-honored existence. 
 
 The small (quantity of food that each 
 man eats daily would seem hardly to 
 suffice for the maintenance of his strencrth, 
 but the\- as a whole are comparatively 
 hearty and, as a rule, thrive when on 
 safari, and if treated fairl)-, seldom are 
 sullen or murmur, unless it is very cold ; 
 then they begin to ask for meat, and for 
 more cloth, as they huddle, utterly misera- 
 ble, with teeth chatterinof, round their fires 
 in the open, sometimes the rain pelting 
 furiously down upon their half-naked 
 bodies. 
 
 During a noonday halt or a tew min- 
 utes' rest to catch breath after a stiffish 
 climb, it is verv amusing to see the 
 porters making cigarettes, or extract from 
 their turbans, where they were placed for safety and con- 
 venience, little pipes, draw a few whiffs, then pass them on 
 to their less fortunate comrades, and in five or ten minutes 
 be ready and content to start again, apparentl)' thoroughly 
 refreshed, if not docile and obedient to the demand of their 
 bwana (master). 
 
 XAIIVE SOLDIER. 
 
I20 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 They carry water in calabashes until they get in the 
 mooted vicinity of pools or streams, when they hastily empty 
 them, averse to carry the additional weight. This frequently 
 causes great distress among the men, for 
 water too often fails, or is unfit to 
 drink in welhknown localities ; then their 
 rashness becomes obvious, too late to 
 remed)-, yet they never profit by expe- 
 rience. 
 
 W'hen a ilifficult journey is being 
 maele and the men are fagged, there is 
 always one man near the head of the 
 carax'an who starts up in a loud 
 \'oice a song of encouragement ; the 
 drift of it is that tliej' are paid for 
 work and that they must be faithful, 
 and when the j(iiu'ne)' is finished or 
 the day is done, they may rest and 
 sing, dance and eat, and all this for 
 their bra\'e Invaiia. Then the)' have 
 songs of emulation, which are directed, with caressing policy, 
 toward their leader, the Invajia ; the rhythm is very (juaint, 
 and the terminal chorus resembles a hunter's call, with a 
 succession of long-drawn sounds. As far as I could ascertain, 
 these sounds did not represent articulations, but were a spe- 
 cies of rally whoops and yells, as well as a tone pledge of ac- 
 quiescence in a crude way very much esembling Tyrolean trills. 
 
 NATI\E SIILDIER. 
 
THE FIRST MARCH. 
 
 121 
 
 Swahali porters, collectiv^ely called Zanzibaris, natives of 
 almost every different African province, reveal their nativity 
 by the manner in which they naturally carry their loads. 
 A Zanzibari proper never carries a load on his sliouldcrs, 
 and his head seems 
 provided with a thick- 
 ness of scalp for his 
 accustomed duty ; just 
 as the Wa-mawenzi 
 ha\"e a muscular de- 
 velopment on their 
 shoulders in cons e- 
 quence of their habit 
 of carrying loads upon 
 them ; and if on safari 
 there is to be taken 
 a palanquin or a 
 hammock, which re- 
 quires the services of \^ 
 two or more bearers, nati\ k wan r-i akkii ks. 
 
 the leader should alwa)-s aim to provide himself with 
 Wa-mawenzi pagazi, otherwise he will be made very uncom- 
 fortable, thrust upon the heads of the others, swinging 
 mid-air in a craz)' way. The Zanzibaris carry their loads 
 sometimes balanced with their hands extendecl overhead, on 
 either side of the load, but with their bodies and heads 
 perfectly erect, never looking at the immediate footpath, 
 
122 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 avoiding with deftness the overhanging branches or 
 side projections. They put one foot cHrectly in line of 
 the other, without turning the toes out, making a very f 
 narrow tread. f 
 
 This is a most difficult wa)' for a European to walk, 
 antl I experienced great awkwardness in trying to stride , 
 from side to side of paths that we followed, or across 
 the tiny water beds of mountain rills, because it was 
 
 impossible to walk 
 without stumbline, 
 or stepping on m)- | 
 own heels, in a 
 four-inch track. 
 
 The)' univer- 
 sall)' carry long 
 stout staffs, cut by 
 the way in an ad- 
 jacent bosk, which 
 they thrust ahead 
 of them, and bear 
 upon when ascend- 
 
 -MAi.r, c;\ME. 
 
 mountains, and 
 
 employ to sound streams when fording, in order to 
 
 find and avoid water-holes. The staff at night serves 
 
 as one of the props on which they stretch their 
 tent cloth. 
 
 MASAI 
 SPEAR. 
 
THE FIRST MARCH. 
 
 123 
 
 The Wa-mawenzi thrust a pole through the cords of their 
 packs which they stick in the eartli and prop against a tree to 
 support them, and never place the loads on the ground when 
 on the march. 
 
 Frequently, 
 when the roads 
 are \-ery muddy 
 and slippery, the 
 mud, being of a 
 sticky clay con- 
 sistency, adheres 
 to their feet, and 
 accumulates all 
 the particles of 
 erass and stones 
 until they are 
 obliged to stop 
 and scrape it off, 
 the weieht be- 
 
 TRAliF. CLOTHS. 
 
 comes such a great hindrance to their progress. The tenacity 
 of this mud and its depth at times, in consequence of the pre- 
 vailing rains, caused me great personal difficulty. I was obliged 
 to have one of my porters, with his bayonet, excavate places 
 for me to thrust my toes, in order that I could walk up- 
 right instead of going on all fours or falling backward. 
 
 The refracted heat and glare, which most travellers com- 
 plain bitterly of, reflected from the red and white sand, I was 
 
124 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 fortunate in being spared, as the season was auspicious and 
 vegetation very abundant. But even the blaze of the sun, as 
 it bursts suddenly from behind lugubrious clouds, will affect 
 the eyes of one unused to it, and bring about serious affec- 
 tion of the vision. By using colored glasses with side pro- 
 
 POMI'.E CUPS. 
 
 tectors, this is easily mitigated. When approaching the na- 
 tives I was always obliged to remove my goggles ; for they 
 were terrified whenever the)- caught sight of them, and would 
 run away, screaming in fright. 
 
 This calls to mind an incident which occurred on the 
 plains of Taro. After having thoughtlessly kept my goggles 
 on, and the natives had experienced the usual scare, I 
 endeavored to coax them back, trying to amuse them by 
 
THE FIRST MARCH. 
 
 showing them some pictures, which they chci not comprehend, 
 and finally started my music box to play. This delighted them 
 so that they forgot all about the spectacles, which I had in 
 the mean while cautiously removed. 
 
 When a large throng of natives was about me, feeling 
 thirsty, I ate an orange, and the idea popped into my head 
 that one of the pranks of my childhood might amuse them. So 
 I cut a quarter section of the orange skin into points in imita- 
 tion of teeth, and pressed them 
 over my own teeth, operating 
 them by opening and closing 
 my mouth. This delighted the 
 natives beyond expression, and 
 an old chief besought me for 
 the coveted sham ; in his de- 
 light at procuring the trophy, 
 he started off in great haste, 
 soon returning with the blood 
 streaming from his mouth, and] 
 a great splendid tooth, which | 
 he had just extracted, as a 
 eift to me. He sat down 
 when I had inspected it, and 
 commenced to puncture a hole 
 through it in order that I might string it round my neck 
 as a charm against hunger. 
 
 He indicated this to me by saying, " Chukula," which 
 
 GOURD WATER BOTTLE. 
 
126 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 means " food," and then touching his stomach with his hands, 
 took the tooth and pressed it over his stomach, saying, 
 " A-i-e, la-la," which meant that hunger would sleep. 
 
 Their gestures are so very significant that any one who 
 pays heed must understand what they desire to indicate, 
 without being able to comprehend a single word of their 
 language. I have thought, since returning from Africa, that 
 a clever and thoroughly good-natured pantomimist might be 
 able to reach the intelligence of the natives more effectually 
 than any other person. 
 
 A native desiring to tell me he had plenty of bananas on his 
 plantation, which he; was cai^rr 1 should visit, took a bunch of 
 
 bananas, put it down 
 in front of me, pulled 
 several of the bana- 
 nas off, surrounded 
 me by placing one 
 after the other in a 
 circular row, then 
 lifted up the bunch 
 and placed it succes- 
 sively beside each 
 one of the distributed 
 bananas. The whole 
 
 BRASS t HAIN' NF.CKI,ACE. 
 
 thing revealed so clearly what he meant, that when m\- inter- 
 preter interrogated him on the point, it corroborated my idea ; 
 for it transpired that he owned a plantation which he averred 
 
THE FIRST MARCH. 12/ 
 
 was fruitful enough to provide the whole caravan ; and as iny 
 porters wanted the fruit and he wanted to barter it for their 
 beads and cloth, a bargain was at once struck. 
 
 Many of their antics in their sign language are not only 
 grotesque, but childish. I was remarking to an elder in a cer- 
 tain tribe upon the fact that I saw very few deformed people, 
 and none lame, when a native doubled himself up in a sitting 
 posture and commenced to hop before me. When he con- 
 cluded this little performance and again stood erect, he 
 pointed with his tongue to his village, and made me under- 
 stand that in it there was a man in this condition, and he 
 wanted some da^ucx, or medicine, for him. This was verified 
 when I accompanied him to his village. He took me forth- 
 with to a hut where a lame man sat upon a long wooden 
 framework which he used for his bed as well as his work- 
 table, — a cripple from some accident which had occurred in 
 his early youth ; however, he was so useful to his people, 
 even as a boy, — he is a clever craftsman now, — that he 
 had not died young ; like true Spartans, these natives adhere 
 to the idea that if nature has frowned upon a human being, 
 it is their duty to see that he does not eke out a life of 
 misery or dependence. 
 
 Whatever they may resort to I am not able to state, but 
 it is an exceptional thing to find adult cripples in Africa. 
 This idea may also explain the fact that there are no de- 
 crepit old people ; but as they do not allow even outside 
 tribes to know of the deaths that occur among them, I think 
 
128 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 it would be very difficult to trace the time and method used 
 to put . away those who promise to be either imbecile or 
 helpless. If a woman gives birth to twins, one of these 
 sio-nificantly dies ; if an animal has twins, not only are the 
 twins slaughtered, but the mother is slaughtered also, for her 
 prolificness is regarded as an omen of bad luck. There 
 is something mnre subtle than I could discover actuating 
 
 them in these seem- 
 ingly senseless 
 deeds, based un- 
 Idoubtedly upon some 
 long-abiding supersti- 
 Ition. I was informed 
 o f seve ral cases 
 of women being 
 EAR ORNAMENT MADE OF WART HOG TUSKS. killed who had been 
 
 considered traitors by taking lovers in a tribe hostile to their 
 own, to whom they confessed having revealed the secrets of 
 their own people. Without loss of time they were summarily 
 killed, in accordance with an arbitrary law among themselves. 
 A Masai woman of considerable importance, trusted as a pur- 
 veyor between her own and hostile tribes, was discovered false 
 to her tribal allegiance, having formed a liason with an enemy. 
 She was thrown, so goes the story, with her abundant adorn- 
 ments of metal coils incasing her legs, arms, and neck, into a 
 smelting furnace to be consumed by fierce flames. Her forty or 
 fifty pounds of metal ornaments in due time melted into a mass. 
 
THE FIRST MARCH. " I 29 
 
 Little chunks of iron alloyed with copper and brass, dis- 
 playing tiny glints of colored glass, all fused together and 
 reputed to be of the unfortunate woman's worldly splendors, 
 are given to or forced upon an enemy as a token of bad 
 luck. .Surreptitiously, at my solicitation, my headman procured 
 for me a bit of the stigmatized metal. Men who are traitors 
 are punished with more rigor, and with an idea of spectacu- 
 ular example. The man is tied to a tree, and all the men 
 in the tribe will come and stick him with their knives, at first 
 just enough to make the blood flow; then these stabs are 
 given with increasing violence until the knives enter deep into 
 the flesh, and the culprit quivers from head to foot in supreme 
 agony ; never, however, uttering a sound, but stoically endur- 
 ing the punishment as his life ebbs out. His body is then 
 allowed to remain the prey of rapacious vultures and hyenas, 
 until there is nothing but a few bones and the ropes left. 
 
 The name of the traitor is never mentioned, and should 
 one of his children — it he have an)' — bear his tabooed name, 
 the child receives a new name ; and in speaking of this 
 man, his widow or family say, " He who has gone to the 
 black world," evidencing that they have an idea of purgatory or 
 of the more enlightened, dogmatic, fiery regions. 
 
I30 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FIRST ALAR\L EXCITABLE PORTERS. 
 
 IMAMA! simama! Bebe! (Stop! stop! 
 lady!) suddenly yelled my askari, 
 " Masai ! Masai ! " This was cer- 
 tainly a trying moment. The por- 
 ters at once launched forth into a 
 voluble, rapid gibberish, out of 
 I which I could barely distinguish 
 here and there a word I could 
 comprehend. 
 
 But " Masai ! Masai ! " predomi- 
 nated, and every man was pointing to certain vague objects 
 far away in advance on our line of march, and manifested 
 unfeigned alarm and fear. The result was wild confusion, 
 which I realized would lead on to a decided panic, if not 
 promptly checked. 
 
 My field glasses revealed the cause to be the presence of 
 several almost nude natives armed only with bows and arrows, 
 and carrying a few calabashes and water-skins, who were dodg- 
 ing through the long grass and thick undergrowth in a coy, 
 timid fashion, far from indicating hostility or aggressiveness. 
 
FIRST ALARM. EXCITAliI.E PORTERS. 
 
 I U 
 
 Quickly halting iny men, I proceeded to meet these 
 natives, accompanied by an interpreter and two askari, who 
 carried our Masai flag of truce and my little American mas- 
 cot. Seeing us advance without fear or threats, they squatted 
 abjectly upon the ground, their long bows and arrows planted 
 straight up and down in front of them, their startled coun- 
 tenances, with 
 ej-es opened wide 
 in amazement, 
 speechless to see 
 such a strano; 
 apparition of a 
 mziinga (whit(> 
 man) as I pre- 
 sented. 
 
 To remove! 
 their lurking ap- 
 prehension as to 
 our actual inten- 
 tion, I gave them several name rings, and Josete imparted 
 to them the elaborated statement that Bebe was a white 
 queen of limitless power coming to make triends with them 
 and to bring them many beautiful tokens of peace. To all 
 of which they quizzically ejaculated, " A-i-e ! a-i-e ! " more 
 amazed than before. Finally among themselves they talked 
 in a subdued tone, casting inquisitive glances at me, evi- 
 dently stud)ing my attire, and christened me " Bebe Bwana" 
 
 WAIT-A-BIT TREE. 
 
132 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 (woman master); a sobriquet that was spon- 
 taneously and universally bestowed upon me as 
 a satisfactory and all-sufficient appellation b)- all 
 natives whom I met in East Africa ; and this 
 too with a certain directness and aptness that 
 surprised me, not only in this title, but respect- 
 ing the full meaning of all of their nouns. 
 Sometimes they were no other than adjecti\'al 
 substantives in their cogent expressiveness of a 
 like thing and kind combined. 
 
 These natives were stray sellers of cala- 
 bashes, and gee, a substitute for butter made 
 from goat's milk, strong smelling and rancid 
 llavored, )'et prized highly by natives and Zanzi- 
 baris and even white men on safari. They had 
 meandered three days away from their settle- 
 ment of Teita, in hopes to dispose of their 
 produce and wares. They maintain themselves 
 by their bows and arrows and the wild fruits 
 found on all sides, carrying a small supply of 
 maize, sugar-cane, and bananas, and sleeping 
 under the shadow of the trees. As fine, fearless 
 children of either forest, plain, or mountain, these 
 specimens could not be regarded as types. 
 After the scare had subsided and we had resumed our 
 march, meditating over the alarm exhibited by my valiant 
 little army on such slight provocation, I could not but expe- 
 
 BRASS BEADS. 
 
FIRST ALARM. EXCITABLE PORTERS. 
 
 'OJ 
 
 LUNCHEON IN THE OPEN. 
 
 rience a qualm of insecurity, and for tlie first time fully real- 
 ized the terror the African bogy-man — the Masai — struck 
 to the Zanzibaris heart. It was too late to repent, there 
 was no chance for me to abandon the venture I had so 
 confidently embarked upon, if I had so desired ; therefore 
 with a more serious sense of personal responsibility, and 
 an awakening to the necessary requirement of self-govern- 
 
134 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 ment, in order to hold indubitable sway over my men, I 
 bent my every thought, with more absolute determination to 
 accomplish my aims at every sacrifice apart from relinquish- 
 ment of personal dignity, and by the enforcement of disci- 
 pline and exaction of duty and obedience by any means 
 short of inhumanity. 
 
 Bravery and fearlessness have nothing akin to reckless- 
 ness or heedless disregard of consequences. This statement 
 is made in the full consciousness of the fact that during 
 moments of sudden emergency, action must be taken with- 
 out tardy deliberation at the 
 time. However, previous train- 
 ing and consideration of possi- 
 ble peril, and general adapta- 
 tion of wa}'s and means, with 
 a cool, well-balanced head, 
 nerve, and tact, stand in the 
 gap as a bulwark of power and unfaltering wisdom. 
 
 My constant study was to know my porters, to learn 
 their personal characteristics, and to put each man at his 
 best. The tax upon my judgment was great, tor these 
 untutored fellows are creatures of ungovernable passion. 
 If one porter calls another " a goat," like a flash the 
 affronted man whips out his knife and makes a vicious lunge 
 at the gross insulter; unless authorized interference puts a 
 stop to these accessions of murderous passion, the result is 
 likely to be a tragedy. Nothing is so effectual as the 
 
 INLAID WOODEN FOWL. 
 
FIRST ALARM. EXCITAllLE PORTERS. 
 
 135 
 
 time-honored stick, the kibosh. I have been much maligned, 
 and accused of ruthlessly Hogging the iiaik'es/ I do not 
 feel called upon to explain on this score, yet will state the 
 facts, so as to prevent misunderstanding in the minds of 
 truth seekers. 
 
 One day a porter in anger stabbed one of his comrades 
 through and through his body, imperilling his life. He was 
 floo-oed. 
 
 Another porter violently pitched upon and brutally hurled 
 to the ground the daughter of a chief, for no greater offence 
 than that she persistently offered some sweet corn for sale, 
 after he had or- 
 dered her to quit 
 the encampment, 
 which, by the 
 wa)', was occupy- 
 ing the grounds 
 of the native 
 market place. 
 This act came 
 very near em- 
 broiling- me with 
 the natives. The 
 man was flogged. 
 
 Another hot-headed porter, maddened out of his reason, 
 if he ever had any, wrested a rifle from a comrade's hands 
 and shot at the headman, who had enraged him by assigning 
 
 WOODEN POT. 
 
n6 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 'O 
 
 to him a load he objected to carry, missing' his victim b\' a 
 hair's breadth. He was flogged. 
 
 In glancing over my black list and counting the men who 
 were flogged during my entire safari, the actual nimiber 
 
 does not exceed, in fact does 
 
 not attain, the fingers of my 
 
 two hands. 
 
 Starting out on my expedi- 
 jtion, I fondly nursed the idea 
 
 that the porters could be gov- 
 iNLAiD \vooDE^f BOWL. emcd by kindness and moral 
 
 suasion, and that the discipline so necessary to their own 
 individual safety, as well as the safety of the expedition, 
 could be consistently maintained without resorting" to the 
 usual punishment with the stick. This cherished belief was 
 soon modified by actual experience. I found that discipline 
 could only be maintained by chastising serious oftenders in 
 the accepted way, — a method familiar to them and approved 
 by the sentiments of their comrades. Coaxing arguments 
 and persuasive talks were disregarded and sneeringly laughed 
 at, probably the more so because /, flicii- leader, was a woman. 
 As time wore on, they found that I was always at the head 
 of my caravan, and if there was any danger to be encountered 
 that they could rely upon me ; soon they were imbued with 
 confidence and respect. They found, also, that wilful offenders 
 would suffer just punishment, that orders must be obeyed 
 without demur, that no idle threats were used, that promises 
 
FIRST ALARM. FACITABI.E PORTERS. 
 
 |J7 
 
 were cautiously given but religiously kept, that yes meant 
 yes, and no, no ; that if any of them fell ill, I personally 
 attended them daily, setting their broken bones, dressing 
 their wounds or administering needed medicines, and having 
 them carried when disabled. 
 
 The result was that I soon obtained complete control over 
 every man. I do not think I could have succeeded in this 
 if I had not most unwillingly changed my lifelong ideas 
 about whipping. An appeal to 
 physical force has always seemed 
 to me to be brutal, and degrad- 
 ing alike to victim and adminis- 
 trator. However, circumstances 
 alter cases. A caravan on safari 
 as a travelling community must 
 have order and laws of its own 
 for the safety of the whole ; it 
 must, in itself, form a body 
 politic to enforce these laws 
 and assist in the preservation of 
 order and discipline. 
 
 The only thing when a man 
 has committed an offence, and 
 his punishment has been agreed ixig-shaitd beads. 
 
 upon by having his fault submitted to a jury of five or six 
 of his comrades, is to have the headman execute it promptly, 
 and if the culprit shows signs of atonement, never to permit 
 
138 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 him to be nagged or twitted ; instead, to accept his good 
 behavior for all it would seem to indicate. Other methods 
 of punishment are particularl)- cruel, and disable the men. 
 
 There is, without exaggeration, more real good than in- 
 tended evil in the Zanzibaris, if they are properly and judi- 
 ciously treated. They have patience, obedi- 
 ence, devotion, and above all, pride. 
 
 A circumstance revealing the pride ani- 
 mating them to excel each other and win 
 some meed of praise may be best illustrated 
 by the following story connected with one 
 of my porters, known as the "strong man" 
 in the caravan : — 
 
 Among the baggage was a long tin 
 uniform case, which, because of its weight, 
 was a double load ; I fully e.xpected to 
 have had it carried between two men, but 
 after a few marches this plan was found to 
 be exceeding!)- awkward, owing to the 
 steep, rugged country we traversed, so, with discontent, 
 the porters put down the load upon the ground after a 
 difficult day's march. My attention was drawn to them b_\- the 
 confusion that ensued. Getting at the true inwardness ot the 
 commotion, I called all the porters together, and stepped 
 before them to tr)' ni)- art in soothing their fretted tempers. 
 " Here is a box which is a double load ; I have heard a 
 great deal concerning the renown of a strong pagazi in this 
 
 DAWA BEADS. 
 
FIRST ALARM. EXCITABLE I'ORTERS. 
 
 139 
 
 caravan. Now, where is that strong pagazi? A man who 
 earns double money and double poslio, because he does the 
 work of two men ? " 
 
 There was a de- 
 cided rustle, then a 
 
 jostling and parting >^ ^.^^ ' ^ 
 
 at the back of the 
 throng of porters, 
 and forcing his way 
 through there came 
 forward a tall, stal- 
 wart fellow, with a 
 beaminor face, his 
 smiling open mouth jewelled sword give.n' sultan ^LA^'DAR.A. 
 
 revealing his glittering teeth. He stood out conspicuously 
 apart irom the others, and announced proudly, " Bebe, I 
 am that strong man." Then whirling himself like a spinning 
 top round on his heels to display his muscular superiority, he 
 stretched out both his arms, clinched his fists and forcibly 
 drew them tightly up to show off his pronoimced biceps, 
 saying, " Bebe, command me." 
 
 Indicating the box with my staff to him, he salaamed, and 
 grasped the handle of the great tin box, and with one single 
 swing lifted it clean and imfalteringl)' from the ground onto 
 his, I presume, thick head, balanced it there, and walked 
 oft triumphantly, sending a song of defiance and rally to the 
 other porters, who gave vent to their adulations by slapping 
 
I40 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 their naked thighs, by nods, and a general hubbub such 
 as only a Zanzibari cara\'an can make. 
 
 This same porter had as tremendous a voice as he had 
 a body, and was always talking garrulously, and roaring out 
 in thunderous tones when we were on the march ; and as he 
 had naturally taken his post, as a man of entitled honor, in 
 close proximity to my ears, frequently I thought he would 
 drive me distracted. No sooner was one story finished than 
 
 this inexhaustible narrator com- 
 menced another, and no com- 
 rade dared interrupt or gainsay 
 him. One day, when my nerves 
 were particularly rasped by his 
 continual loud-voiced chatter, I 
 summoned him during the noon- 
 day halt to my pre.sence. 
 
 " Kara, you are a very fine 
 fellow ; you do your work well ; 
 you are always thoughtful of 
 Bebe ; you bring me beautiful 
 grasses and flowers ; no fire is 
 so bright as the one you build 
 for me ; nevertheless I cannot 
 have you screaming as you do 
 behind my ears, and if it con- 
 tinues I shall be obliged to order you to the rear." 
 
 He made me profuse, emphatic promises to correct his 
 
 KNOB KERRY STICKS. 
 
FIRST ALARM. EXCITAHI.K PORTERS. 
 
 141 
 
 error, saying, as he again .struck his Ijreast with his sledge- 
 hammer fist, " Bebc Bwana, you .see I am so big in the 
 lungs, and my voice is as big as 
 I am strong." 
 
 To this 1 quite agreed, assur- 
 ing him, whereas, I did not wish 
 to diminish his strength, I did 
 care to silence his lusty voice. 
 That day things went on very 
 peacefully. There was not the 
 slightest occasion to complain 
 of my Samson, and, in good 
 truth, during the entire day he 
 took it upon himself to cry out 
 indignantly, " Kallela," to silence 
 his fellow-porters in the rear 
 when they, forgettid of my' 
 wishes, began to talk in a loud 
 tone of voice. At night 1 called 
 him up to me and complimented 
 him on his effort to be quiet, 
 telling; him how well he had 
 pleased me. 
 
 With a burst of enthusiasm 
 he exclaimed, " Ah, Bebe Bwana, I am so happ)' ! because I 
 have sweat prickles from my marrow all day tr)-ing to be quiet." 
 
 The quaintness of the remark and the knowledge of the 
 
 MV UUN. 
 
 KIR.ST GUN CASE 
 MADE BV NATIVES. 
 
14- 
 
 SULT.W Ti 1 SILTAX. 
 
 severity with which the prickly heat attacks these men, 
 sufficed for me, and caused me to think him not inept in 
 simile. 
 
 This same man was a great gormand, and the prepara- 
 tion of the food in the little knot of men with whom he 
 messed was a work of art, and almost a work of devotion. 
 He tasted the pot, when the chicken stew with vegetables 
 of various kinds had reached the point when it required to 
 be seasoned, and if the flavor was not up to the mark, he 
 carefully added the deficient condiments. Before eating he 
 always bathed himself and put on his spotless, clean kanzu, 
 a long, white garment like a nightdress, fancifully stitched 
 or embroidered about the neck ; and if there was something 
 ])articularly dainty, according to his idea, a choice portion of 
 it was brought with great flourish to my tent, and cere- 
 
 monioush' proffered to me. He was 
 always the first to establish his own 
 tent and get everything shipshape and 
 comfortable at the time of our encamp- 
 ment; and when his day's work was 
 done, he would change his attire, and 
 seemctl to "^"joy with sensuous delight 
 the comfort with which he had so deftly surrounded him- 
 self. Unfortunately, pot)r Kara, whilst trudging up the foot- 
 hills of Kilimanjaro, was sunstruck; he was not only inca- 
 pacitated from carrying a loatl, but was in a serious plight 
 ♦or some days; yet he would not surrender his place of 
 
 III'.AIiMAX. 
 
FIRST ALARM. EXCITABLE I'ORTERS. 
 
 143 
 
 honor, or give the load to one of his companions, but, with 
 great fortitude, struggled beneath it until I personally ob- 
 served his flagging condition, and was compelled to authori- 
 tatively interfere. I had him come to me, apart from the 
 others, and told him he must surrender his load, and possi- 
 bly be carried himself until we reached a proper resting 
 
 NAT1\"E KNIVES. 
 
 place, and his acute agony should yield to medication. He 
 protested with great vehemence, exclaiming, — 
 
 "What! 1, the strong man of every safari I have ever 
 undertaken, give up my chosen load to one of those goats? 
 Oh, no!" 
 
 ■ Then I said, " Kara, my good fellow, I will tell you what 
 I will do. Your box is known as the heavy load. Come, 
 now, I will empty it, and you will only have the weight of 
 the box on your head — just seventeen pounds — and no man 
 
144 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 in the caravan will know but what you are still carrying your 
 heavy weight." 
 
 This artifice delighted him, and he fairly howled in 
 barbaric glee when I dismissed him, to think he was going 
 to get the best of his comrades by this subterfuge, yet 
 
 maintain inviolable his 
 prestige. So it was 
 that Kara, the proud 
 porter, carried, with 
 comparative ease, dur- 
 ing the period of his 
 indisposition, for seven 
 da)-s, the empty box, 
 no one in the caravan, 
 not e\-cn mv headmen, 
 knowing that I had 
 extracted its contents, 
 and had, unsuspected, 
 KARA, siRON-G MAN. (.Hstribu ted the same 
 
 among other loads without perceptible increase ot weight. 
 
 As Kara recovered his strength, he voluntarily sought me 
 and suCTcrested that the lesfitimate contents of his box mis-dit 
 be replaced, saying he was feeling so well and strong and 
 full of life that if he did not have a heavy weight upon his 
 head as a sort of safety valve, he should fly from the top of 
 one of the mountains and be dashed to atoms, so he needed 
 the load to hold him down and exhaust his superlkious force. 
 
FIRST ALARM. EXCITAIILE PoRTERS. I45 
 
 Inadvertently I was just in the act of putting my foot 
 upon an ants' nest, concealed from my sight by overgrowing 
 grass, when, like a whirlwind, something suddenly grasped 
 me about the waist, lifting me up from the ground, and 
 seemed to dart on the wings of the air, away be)ond on the 
 open plain, when I was as suddenly dropped, and then dis- 
 covered m)- captor to have been Kara, my strong man, as 
 he prostrated him- 
 self, his fac (■ 
 pressed close on 
 the ground in the 
 dust, pleading pa- native haxana knife, unpolished. 
 
 thetically, "Btbc Bwana; siafiif siafu!" (ants, ants;) so it 
 was that this ever-watchful porter, seeing me unwittingly 
 about to step upon the vicious ants, himself knowing from 
 sad experience what a terror the)- are to man and beast, 
 had dropped his load and, unceremoniously seizing me, had 
 carried me beyond the danger. In narrating this and similar 
 incidents I must aver that these half-civilized porters, 
 although deficient in many advantages that modern education 
 brings, are far from being devoid of the highest chivalry. 
 
 Apropos of these ants, they attack human beings in 
 great droves, and have frequently been known to compel 
 every man in an encampment to turn out, in the middle of 
 the night, and seek refuge at some distance away from the 
 original camp ; it is no uncommon thing to hear the men 
 grumbling and growling at night, followed by the flapping of 
 
146 SULTAN TO SUI.TAN. 
 
 their mats, when trying to sliake off these invasive insects. Their 
 bite is painful, and poisonous to some people. They have 
 periods of migration, when they make long journeys in vast 
 armies, devastating a tract of country by cropping a noticeable 
 swath where they have traversed. The other ants, which 
 build the strange red-sand structures, looking like broken 
 battlements on the top of a palace or bastion, are perhaps 
 more interesting to study. Then come the termites, or white 
 ants, which seem bent on destruction ; not only do they attack 
 splendid forest trees at the roots and work up, devouring as 
 they proceed the body of the trees, leaving nothing but the 
 outer bark, in perfect semblance of solidity, but which will 
 topple over and fall into fragments at the slightest push, they 
 will also attack the foundations of any wooden structure, 
 however massive ; frequently wooden bo.xes that are put upon 
 the ground for one night will be simply riddled by them, 
 leaving only a mere veneering of the wood itself, however 
 solid, which crumbles into dust when touched. 
 
 Travellers and inhabitants of Africa find these destructive 
 creatures a great pest, and the wooden mountings of man\- 
 fine instruments, to the sorrow of explorers, are totally 
 destroyed without warning. The native woman invariably 
 carries her infant slung upon her back in hides or cloth 
 while at work pounding corn or millet, or when tilling the 
 .soil, fearful of allowing the child to remain on the ground 
 lest it become a prey to the ants. 
 
 Mosquitoes and stinging flies Infest Africa In vast swarms 
 
J 
 
 O 
 
 
 O 
 
 3 
 
FIRST ALARM. EXCITABLE PORTERS. 
 
 147 
 
 during particular seasons, especially towards and on the coast. 
 One of the essential articles for comfort in personal outfit is 
 a large, sound mosquito net, 
 anil large squares of gauze 
 or netting to wear over the 
 sun hat, and enclose snugl)' 
 the head and neck; otherwise 
 the flies dart into the travel- 
 ler's eyes, which is even 
 more painful than their sting. 
 Then, too, the tlesh-bur- 
 rowing jiggers and grass ticks 
 cause much distress; the jig- 
 gers usually burrow under the 
 toe and finger nails, whereas 
 the ticks work head first into 
 the flesh, and breed therein 
 in a prodigious manner it not 
 dug out. Every one caught by the porters is cut in two. The 
 poor, faithful fox terriers which adopted me from Taveta until 
 the)- reached Moschi were simpl)- besieged with these pests, 
 and out of sheer mercy every day I would pick and dig 
 their tormentors out of their flesh. The dogs' ears and groins 
 were the favorite spots of attack. The poor little animals 
 would be maddened in their helplessness to free themselves. 
 I was told of se\-eral fine docs havincr been made blind, and 
 finally succumbing, p(;stered to death by ticks, and carelessly 
 
 WOODEN' POT. 
 
148 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 neglected by those who were caring for them in their 
 masters' absence. 
 
 Old camping grounds are to be consistently avoided, 
 as they are more than likely to be infested with jiggers, ticks, 
 lice, antl a nameless host of other \'ermin. 
 
 POMP.E CURS AM) PAN PU'E. 
 
 A singular thing occurs respecting the animals ami color 
 of the sand ; the tones all seem to marry one with the other ; 
 and when you chance to see a nimiber of haj'tebeest, or deer, 
 against one of these ant structures, — for such they are, — 
 you cannot distinguish between the two until you see some 
 movement on the part of the animals ; and so it is with most 
 of the creeping things, especially the mantis, the " praying 
 mantis," which appear like the bark and twigs of trees, and 
 \\Vv moving leaves which the}' so illusively simulate ; even 
 the butterflies look like winged flowers, and will, by some 
 strange attraction, settle on llowers their own counterfeits in 
 color and varif^gated condition, and when they rise and take 
 wing, disturbed b\' some passing thing, th(i first impression 
 
FIRST ALARM. EXCITAIJLE PORTERS. 
 
 149 
 
 to the vision is tliat a mysterious phantom breeze has blown 
 the petals of the flower off the parent stem. The variety 
 and gorgeousness of these butterflies are beyond description, 
 but the choicest species, according to collectors, are the white. 
 
 ■IWIX MKAl, POTS. 
 
 mottled with brilliant crimson spots, bright blue, pale green, 
 yellow, and violet. 
 
 Pink locusts, clapping their wings and harshly chirping, 
 swarmed in millions over our heads like a floatine cloud all 
 through one morning. 
 
 Another noticeable thing in the physical aspect was the 
 prevalence of all shades of heliotrope, violet, and purple 
 
ISO 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 in the flowers ; and whereas pink would prevail in England 
 or temperate zones, this tropical East African nature seemed 
 to be more fashionable, and dispense with the old-time beauties 
 for some new diversity in the floral world. Clematis is 
 very profuse, and a species of white, pink, and crimson 
 magnolia, with oreat waxen buds and enormous frasjrant 
 flowers, with laree, thick, smooth leaves ; rhododendrons are 
 gorgeous ; balsams, narcissus, buttercups, asters, and poppies 
 star the erass-lands, and milkweed ^alore and o^ladiolus, wild 
 heliotrope, geranium, and orchids of the rarest, but no roses, 
 not even a sweetbrier, to greet the eye. Every shady nook is 
 a superb fernery of every variety. Maidenhair fern trails and 
 twines to the top of high trees in a prodigal manner. 
 
 We constantly met myriads of land turtles of rather a 
 small variety, and the porters would never pass one without 
 taking their staves and turning it over on its back ; and many 
 of the shells that were brought to me for inspection bore upon 
 their carapace Arabic characters, showing that some previous 
 traveller or porter in a caravan had captured the little thing 
 and carved a device upon its back, whether as a message to 
 
 other caravans or merely 
 out of personal amusement 
 I am unable to say, for 
 the natural tracings ot the 
 mottles of the shell and 
 the characters were so 
 
 intermiuCTled that it was 
 
FIRST AI.AKM. EXCITAIil.E I'OKTERS. I5I 
 
 impossible to separate one from the other. I picked up 
 from Teita throughout my entire journey, on the foothills 
 of Kilimanjaro and even so high up as Kimangelia, beauti- 
 ful pure white and delicate brown and buff helices, some 
 very small and others enormous. 
 
 Unwilling 
 to travel 
 among these 
 natives with- 
 out leavingr 
 some evidence of my 
 presence, I had taken 
 the precaution to have several 
 thousand rings, on which were 
 engraved m)' name, and to 
 every native with whom I 
 personally came in contact in 
 the course of time I presented 
 one of these souvenirs ; they were also most useful to 
 tie round a package of letters or send as an earnest, 
 affixed to a seal, to a mission station, or when I required 
 to send a messenger to a sultan whose country I desired 
 to pass through or had already traversed. These little 
 souvenirs became heralded from native to native, and tribe 
 to tribe, and I was alwaj's asked for a pctc Jint, which 
 meant a " name ring." Whilst fitting rings upon their 
 fingers I was enabled to observe how small as a rule 
 
 FRENCH-SHELDOX RINGS. 
 
152 
 
 SULTAN TO SUI.TAX. 
 
 their hands were, and out of upwards of five hundred clay 
 impressions on paper I took of feet and hands of natives 
 of various tribes, it was exceptional to find a very large 
 hand or foot. 
 
WA-NVIKA AND WA-DURUMA. 
 
 '5o 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 WA-NYIKA AND WA-DURUMA. 
 
 HE tract of plain skirting the 
 Shimba or Lion Mountains, where 
 meander vagrant W'a-Nyil^a and 
 Wa-Duruma, spread out before us 
 as we started exactly at five 
 o'cloclc at sun up, witli rain-laden 
 clouds overhead rapidly coalescing 
 into dense, ominous masses, was 
 certainly most uninviting and well 
 entitled to its name of the wilder- 
 E\'er)'\vhere the tropical vegetation seemed to offer 
 a bristling jsrotest to intrusion, — euphorbias, mimosa, acacia, 
 wait-a-bits, cacti, and nettles of endless variety ; the most 
 lovel)' foliage to my sorrow I too often found hispid b)- a 
 nap of infinitesimal needle-points ; the very grasses were 
 spiked and saw or blade edged, tearing, pricking, and gash- 
 ing alike the flesh and garb, causing no end of discomfort, 
 if not actual pain. 
 
 Sudden!)' a great cackling of poultry was heard, which 
 answered well as a sounded tocsin to announce the appear- 
 
154 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 ance of a party of unseemly Wa-Nyika who were issuing 
 from the woodlands to engage in trade with the mzunga 
 caravan they had heard was coming. A pariah dog flew at 
 me, and to ward off his attack I lifted my Alpine stock, and 
 
 POMBE CUPS. 
 
 at the same time discharged a pistol over his head. The 
 dismayed natives were thrown into a wild state, and angrily 
 rushed forward, flourishinff their bows and arrows in a threaten- 
 ing manner, when my alert askari pointed his gun at them, 
 shouting, "Stop ! speak! salaam Bebe." When they discovered 
 they were in the presence of a white woman, in consternation 
 they kept ejaculating, '" Javibo ! Javibo ! Bcbe viztmga?" 
 (How do you do, lady white man ?) and dropped down upon 
 the ground in a squatting position, staring me quite out of 
 countenance, now and then chatted among themselves as 
 though marvelling what it meant. Soon they queried the 
 porters to know if there was a bivana mzunga (a white 
 man-leader) of the safari. When the negative response was 
 given, their amazement did not abate ; indeed, they were 
 thrown into a deeper quandary and exclaimed, " Aief Aie! 
 
WA-NVIKA AM) \VA-1)LMU:MA. 
 
 155 
 
 Aie /" as they wagged their heads and riveted their eyes 
 with fixity upon me, forgetting their feathered, fhittering, 
 squawking merchandise, which, tethered to walking poles, had 
 been heedlessly pitched upon the ground when they had 
 rushed upon me. Then surged around me women and 
 children, with equal amazement ami more audacit)- than 
 evinced by the men. They curiously commented upon my 
 color, hair, hat, costume, shoes, gloves, crooked staff, and 
 pistols ; and in glee yclept, the latter, ni '(0/0 hundiiki 
 (baby guns). Language with all" these tribes has a full- 
 fraught meaning, making clear the thing they desire to com- 
 municate. Phrase harlequinade with its quips and pranks 
 and abstrusely in- 
 volved sense is re- 
 served for enligrht- 
 enecl supereducated 
 races ; barring- their 
 quaint poetic similes, 
 
 — and these too are 
 marvels of e.xpletives, 
 
 — the natives aptly 
 short cut word and 
 sense. 
 
 So these grovelling, intimidated, unclean creatures were 
 the men of the wilderness ! Their bodies tattooed indis- 
 criminately without significance, and smeared with umber- 
 colored clay and rancid grease, emitting an odor far from 
 
 M nni) BiiNPUKr. 
 
 (]iAi:v GUNS.) 
 
'56 
 
 SULTAN TU SULTAN. 
 
 EOYPTIAX Ml'SICIAN. 
 
 agreeable to civilized nostrils. Their teeth filed and dis- 
 colored, hair bushy and rather animated. 
 
 The men, when not naked, wore a bit of hide about them, 
 or a filthy fragment of cloth ; whereas the married women 
 disported a miserable blue calico kilted skirt, reaching half- 
 
WA-NVIKA AND WA-DURUMA. 1 57 
 
 way from their waist to their knees, and some indifferent beads 
 and rough wire necklets and bracelets. 
 
 Trade was sharp for a brief time, and the general hubbub 
 of the porters and angry protests of the natives squabbling 
 over the chickens became deafening ; the natives grew uproar- 
 ious when a burly porter would cut a chicken trom its tether 
 and put down, in exchange, a string of red beads called scm- 
 scm, and cry out " Buss." finished as a finale to the trans- 
 action, which was not satisfactory to the- crafty, avaricious 
 native. It always ended in the porter being compelled to 
 relinquish the poor, thin ku-kn (chicken), and commence 
 a new deal. At first these proceedings interested me ex- 
 ceedingly, but in the end I was obliged to take a firm stand 
 to escape being fleeced beyond reason by the extortion of my 
 long-sought ideal primitives, and found a magic in that 
 same word biiss that ended all dickering and disputes. Fives 
 seemed to be the span of enumeration, and they use as an' 
 abacus, sticks, and in trade place one down, cry out moja 
 (one), and follow it up with another and another, pili, latu, 
 21IIC, tano (two, three, four, five) ; gather them up and go over 
 the same again, if the trade exceeds five. And when they 
 want to enumerate one half, a stick is broken in two ; then 
 they are thrown into a dilemma by possessing two half-sticks 
 instead of one whole one. One hand doubled up stands 
 also for five, two hands for ten, when sticks are not con- 
 venient. 
 
 If two bunches of bananas or other produce are offered 
 
158 
 
 SULTAN TO SUL'IAN. 
 
 WOMEN' OF THE HAREM. 
 
 for barter at the same price, the simple native will not sell 
 both together, but one at a time. Exacting the fee agreed 
 upon, he hands over the article and closes the sale by saying 
 buss, which the purchaser repeats, then goes through the 
 same detailed performance again. Should a dispute arise, as 
 
WA-NVIKA AND WA-DUKUMA. 1 59 
 
 it generally does, between customer and trader, the latter will 
 dog the former and by degrees accept the proffered stipend,' 
 after which a host of his tribe, finding the market price 
 broken, will solicit barter on the same diminished terms. Yet 
 the tenacity with which they hold fast to their first price, 
 until they must own defeat or conform to a lesser ofter, is 
 admirable. Leaders of expeditions narrate, with striking 
 unanimity, instances where their barter and the native's prod- 
 ucts have been placed in full view on the camp grounds for 
 mutual consideration, and the natives could not be induced 
 for days and days to yield, until time and patience failed, and 
 an order was given by the leader to gather up the barter, 
 and even then often the natives would permit the mzunga 
 to depart without budging from their origuial demands. Ex- 
 tortion seems a latent trait with all African tribes ; this 
 properly directed in connection with their trading propensities 
 may in good time result in converting them to thrifty com- 
 mercial peoples, and in uplifting them bejond dependence 
 upon philanthropic indulgence and helpless subserviency. 
 
 Wa-Duruma kept sneaking out from their thorn-hedged 
 seclusions all day as we proceeded on our march, and pre- 
 sented a strange appearance, some few with their wool 
 bleached yellow with unslacked lime, which is found here- 
 abouts, and bushed out like Somali men, into which were 
 thrust porcupine quills and short lengths of reeds and fish- 
 bones. 
 
 Their ear ornaments consisted mainly of tiger and other 
 
i6o 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 animals' teeth, and striped quills of vulture's feathers with a 
 tiny tuft of feather at the end. A few slender strings of blue 
 
 beads, a groatskin ank- 
 let, a meagre strip of 
 clay-stained, coarse 
 cotton cloth tied over 
 their shoulders hanging 
 scarcely to their hips, 
 constituted their dress. 
 Hardship and thriftless- 
 ness, if not jsoverty, 
 seemed written on 
 their lineaments. They 
 suffer so from famine 
 that they gladly sell 
 themselves into bond- 
 age. This brings me 
 to the statement that 
 
 KGVPIIAN COrRIERS. 
 
 many Wa-shenzie, — which is an African equivalent for back- 
 woodsmen, — when once enslaved and taken to the coast, are 
 unwilling to be liberated, and have no desire to return to 
 their former haunts or lives. A master must provide food 
 and shelter for his slaves when they are not hired out. Then 
 the slaves are obliged to give half, if not all, of their earn- 
 ings to their master. A peculiar African institution is that of 
 slaves owning slaves, and in my caravan there were men, not 
 in my employ, but the slaves of some of m\- porters, who 
 
\VA-N\IKA AMI W A-HURLMA. 
 
 i6i 
 
 were themselves slaves, and were taken on safari to relieve 
 their slave masters of their packs, and to do odd jobs for the 
 headmen and others, remunerated by a mere stipend given 
 to their owners, or remnants of food that would otherwise be 
 thrown away. They seemed merry and contented to lead the 
 nomadic life of a safari in companionship of the regular porters. 
 When not living in the open, they huddle with their 
 families and their goats in dome-shaped huts no better than 
 pig-pens, ver\' low, made of branches and sticks plastered over 
 
 w 1 
 
 th 
 
 m 
 
 ud 
 
 a n ti 
 
 dung, entered by 
 a tiny aperture on 
 hands and knees; 
 the interior filth)- 
 and stifling with 
 the dense smoke 
 from an e \' e r - 
 smouldering firt/, 
 without a vent tor 
 its escape or for 
 ventilation. They 
 practise polygamy 
 when they can ; 
 sell their female 
 children and wives 
 
 NATIVE GOSSIPS. 
 
 to the Masai or Arab traders ; are a wretchetl, ill-favored 
 people, debased even in the eyes of other African natives, 
 
1 62 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 living not so far from the coast as to deter them from going 
 tliither, yet in their indolence preferring to skulk about, get- 
 ting a precarious livelihood as they may. Their worship is 
 fetich. As a whole, they have nothing to recommend them. 
 They are stunted in growth, imhealthy in appearance, victims 
 to skin affections, and look thoroughly degenerated and are 
 of low-grade mentality. 
 
 My feet began to blister, and the men showed evidences 
 of lameness from the same cause. To overcome the pre- 
 vailing- distress I issued an order to give to each man a cer- 
 ts <^ 
 
 tain allowance of carbolized grease to apply daily to his 
 feet. This would naturally make ruinous inroads upon my 
 stock of luiguents, and it was necessary at the outset to think 
 from what source to replenish. All goat and sheep and 
 beef fat from thenceforth was understood to belong to me, 
 no matter from where or by whom procured, and my bounti- 
 ful viafuta (grease) supply was the unfailing comfort of 
 every one in ni)' caravan to the finish of my safari. 
 
 We passed several pairs of comparatively good sandals, 
 discarded or lost bj' others who had travelled the same way. 
 I fully e.xpected to see my porters make a grab for them. 
 To my surprise, not one man even touched them. It appears 
 that some porters have a foot disease which is dreaded so 
 intensely, in consequence of its infectious nature, that they 
 one and all avoid any sandals not their own. When a 
 goat, sheep, cow, or game is slaughtered, the porters beg for 
 pieces of the raw hides, out of which they roughly cut soles 
 
WA-KVIKA AM) WA-UUKL'.MA. 
 
 10: 
 
 -,>>".»' --^-.^i 
 
 LOADS FOR FOUR PORTERS. 
 
 which the)' strap to their feet with a leather thong, and wear 
 occasionalh" when traversing stony roads, and swing from 
 their gun-stocks when not in use. 
 
 When we camped lor the night we were obhged to form 
 a hedge ot thorn-bushes and circle the encampment with 
 huge bonfires to keep the wild beasts from attacking us. It 
 was terrifying to hear the continuous roar of lions resound- 
 ing on all sides, and the scurrying feet of panting jackals, 
 and to see the glare of hyenas' e)-es in the darkness of the 
 umbrageous surroundings. A sense of abiect helplessness 
 momentaril)' possessed me, \anquished b}- a courage that had 
 onl\- been dormant. 
 
1 64 
 
 SULTAN TO SL'LTAN. 
 
 Orders were issued to have the camp doubly guarded and 
 the men well armed and allotted extra ammunition. My gun 
 and pistols were my close companions during a sleepless 
 night. I felt I should have at least thirty-one chances before 
 reloading if attacked. The night was particularly black and 
 the growling, rumbling thunder was in unison with the mun- 
 dane horrors. Day dispersed the impending storm-clouds, as 
 well as silenced the nocturnal voices. The experience was 
 beneficial, insomuch as the happy, safe denouement dissipated 
 all future cause for a similar scare during the entire safari. 
 Unfortunately I had no Wa-shenzie hunters, and the majority 
 of my men knew nothing about the use of firearms except 
 
 GRASS MAT FOR I'dRTKR S BED. 
 
 what hail been drilled into them since enlisting for my ex- 
 pedition, and were clumsy at best. Nothing contributed 
 more to my personal comfort than the numbers of lamps 
 scattered about, four always outside of my tent, and the 
 huge fires my askari (sentinels) kept up nightly. 
 
\VA-N'VIKA AND WA-DURUMA. 
 
 >65 
 
 Daily, hour!)', I may aver the uniqueness of my position 
 grew upon me ; in truth, the farther away from toucli with the 
 coast we journeyed the more my personal responsibility and 
 cares and anxieties, for nameless reasons, increased. A 
 chronic insomnia gained upon me at such a pace I scarcely 
 ever slept over two hours out of twenty-four ; this, too, with- 
 out a sequel of ill effects upon my health, although every 
 nerve was strained to its higfhest tension. Walkine conduced 
 to my general well-being, and I am constrained to admit 
 proved invaluable, with other rational hygienic observances, in 
 giving me an entire immunity from fever. I never drank 
 water that had not been first boiled and filtered, refrained 
 from all stimulants excepting coffee, indulged daily in hot- 
 water baths, cautiously avoided the sun's ra\s upon my head 
 and spine, put on an additional garment when hottest, if 
 not on the move ; changed wet 
 clothing as soon as convenient. A 
 
 small bathing tent proved of the 
 
 greatest use and comfort ; it was 
 
 always set just outside of the back 
 
 flap of my tent, in close proximity, 
 
 so I could step from one to the 
 
 other with ease and privacy. Not 
 
 least in sanitary consideration was my Palanquin, in which I 
 
 slept, elevated at least two and a half feet from the ground, 
 
 above the strata of miasmatic mists. One of my black 
 
 women had a natural gift ot massage ; and whenever we 
 
 TOP OF SANDAL. 
 
1 66 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 POMBE CUP. 
 
 paused for a noonday's rest, I made a habit of standing or 
 moving- about to avoid stiffness ; and Suzani always came, 
 despite lier own fatigues, and if tlie seclusion of tlie trees 
 or bushes was opportune, otherwise she called one of the 
 
 other women, who would plank her- 
 self back towards me in front of me, 
 and spread out her body-cloth to 
 screen me ; then Suzani rubbed me 
 as a jockey might have rubbed a favorite horse between 
 races. .Abdullah, my civilian cook, likewise proved an excel- 
 lent accessory to my migrating establishment. He was also a 
 capital interpreter, not only of words, but alack ! of my goods 
 and chattels. Many and many a chicken was carried off by 
 the hyenas that by natural assimilation was translated 
 into his well-conditioned .sell. 
 
 For general convenience I was provided with a huge 
 waterproof, padlocked dobe, or wash-bag, into which was 
 stuffed, protected and separated in 
 lesser bags, immediately necessary 
 articles, for example, a change of 
 costume, extra 
 shoes, toilet '^♦itW 
 articles, and a 
 small suppl>- of wooden pipe. 
 
 soap, matches, candles, fhnt and steel, coffee, biscuits, as 
 well as a small quantity of barter articles, and close at hand, 
 as another pack, a cork ground bed. Through this precaution, 
 
WA-NVIKA AND WA-DURUMA. 
 
 167 
 
 an emergency retarding the bearers of my tent or special 
 loads never left me in the lurch for ordinary comforts and 
 essentials. 
 
 Every night or morning my women washed every travel- 
 soiled article, snatching the opportunity to dry them as they 
 could on the bushes or guys of my tent. When a dress or 
 other articles of wearing apparel became useless through 
 shrinkage or damage, they were carefully washed and placed 
 in a load of utility oddments to await a time when they were 
 worth their weight in gold for bandages, or to repair other 
 garments. Every article of my clothing was light, durable, 
 and as dainty as possible ; in fact, everything had been done 
 to minimize weight, in order to maximize quantity, in every 
 department of my personal effects and caravan supplies. 
 There were men scattered throughout the caravan who could 
 turn a hand at almost every 
 trade, or do a bit of jobbery, 
 and even barbers and/ 
 " leeches " were to be found 
 when wanted ; and I had 
 taken a large supply of tools 
 and articles to meet almost wdoden ear strktcher. 
 
 every conceivable demand, — rope, canvas, nails, sail needles, 
 and great hanks of linen thread, as well as considerable 
 aluminium wire, solder, and irons. 
 
 The indigenous products of the country offered all that 
 could be desired in the way of fibrous plants and trees, and 
 
i68 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 ^-.-*-«¥^^:S^:^^^N _— ,^^^^^^^:f- 
 
 all the timber we could possibly require. A saponaceous shrub 
 from which the natives and Zanzibaris cut their tooth-sticks 
 was very prolific. One of the porter's attendants would be 
 
 sent to cut an 
 armful of this 
 wood and dis- 
 tribute it right 
 and left until 
 his supply 
 would be e.x- 
 hausted. 
 
 *Capt.Wm. 
 E. Stairs, care- 
 fully prepared 
 the subjoined 
 rules for camp 
 making for 
 me, supple- 
 menting them 
 with a score 
 of practical 
 counsel, i n - 
 
 CAPT. \VM. E. STAIRS, R. E. 
 
 valuable as the thoughtful outcome of his vast experience as 
 an officer of famous repute in African exploration, for which 
 I shall ever be grateful. 
 
 * Since the above went to press, the direful newt of Capt. W. E. Stairs's death near Zambezi has made all 
 solemnly grieve who knew the loyal, gallant, high-spirited soldier, the refined gentleman, and unselfish, lov- 
 able friend. His untimely death is an irreparable less. M. F, S. 
 
WA-NVIKA AND WA-DURUMA. 
 
 169 
 
 Although I found it expedient to deviate from the letter 
 in some of the minuti.x, as he would have advised had he 
 been on the 
 field cognizant 
 of the situation. 
 His watchword, 
 " Discipline for 
 yourself and for 
 your subordi- 
 nates," was "'WI^K NATIVE WOOnEN- BASIN. 
 
 never forgotten, 'wmm In proof of his own acceptance of 
 this axiom was '"liiili' his trite expression, " Never question 
 a duty to be executed, do if quickly and leave it accomplished 
 behind \ou, or face it like a Briton a /'ouirancc. 
 
 HINTS FOR CAMPS, ETC., .« REGARDS DEFENCE. 
 
 I. Choose commanding position, one not near long grass or bush, if hostile 
 natives are about. 
 
 II. Beware of long, dry grass near camp ; natives may set fire to it and 
 burn you out. So clear a space round your goods of twenty to thirty yards 
 diameter. 
 
 III. Cover up your goods with tarpaulins, and place sentries, and as 
 a general order let this be the rallying point in the night or when danger 
 appears imminent. 
 
 IV. Place sentries (black) in groups of not less than three men each at 
 exit and ingress of camp, seventy yards from centre, and in great danger, 
 groups to right and left. 
 
 \'. In an attack on camp at night the first notice will be some arrows 
 falling in the camp. At once order silence, smother down the fires, as the 
 
SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 natives invariably fire at these in hopes of hitting men lying about them, 
 and rally near the centre pile of goods, and store of ammunition ; then 
 send out some of your most reliable men, but you yourself keep in camp 
 and direct matters. 
 
 VI. Never move a step in .Africa without two or three attendants with 
 rifles. Make this a maxim, for one day it may save your life ; and remember 
 there are maniacs in .Africa as well as elsewhere. 
 
 VII. Your column organize as follows: * first, your riflemen, without 
 loads ; then the carriers, then a small force under a chief in rear, and for this 
 pick your very best man. 
 
 VIII. Insist on your personal baggage, tents, and blankets being near your 
 
 person, and always 
 up in front, other- 
 wise you may arrive 
 in camp and your 
 things be hours be- 
 
 M. FRENCH-SHELDON'S MEDICINE BELT. "*^ hind. 
 
 IX. Number every bale, box, load, or bundle, and enter in a book against 
 the name of its carrier, and endeavor to give same loads to same men each day. 
 
 X. Fall the men in each morning, call the roll, and give out their loads in 
 person. This keeps up the discipline and prevents favoritism, as the best 
 black chief will give his friends light loads if left to himself. 
 
 XI. .Always try to keep near you quinine, carbonate of ammonia, and one 
 or two other standard medicines. 
 
 XII. Natives as a rule prefer day to night for attack ; a night march may 
 often put you out of a difficulty. 
 
 XIII. Go slowly at first, with frequent halts till the men and women get 
 strong ; allow as many women as possible to accompany you, as it shows 
 peaceful intentions.! 
 
 *This was impossible, as my loaded porters carried rifles. 
 
 t The few women in my caravan were a decided detriment, and caused me unceasing anxiety and chagrin. 
 
WA-NVIKA AND WA-DUKUMA. 
 
 171 
 
 XIV. Do all the palavering yourself if jiossible. Swahali will carry you 
 far along your journey. 
 
 XV. You as a woman possess many points that no man would have in 
 dealing with Africans. You therefore should find an t-n/rl-e easy anywhere. 
 
 General principle of a camp in danger : — 
 
 -^??1|%'V^ii'^4ife, 
 
 
 
 ^5, 
 
 m^^ , 
 '^m.,% 
 
 * • -mi 
 
 %^ 
 
 + -^ 
 
 
 TV>' 
 
 : : Sentries. 
 
 A. Stores and rallying point. 
 
 B. Tent. 
 
 XXX. Men sleeping. 
 
 Never put your tent on the edge of the camp, and always have trusty 
 ones sleeping near you. 
 
 When no immediate danger is apprehended, the sentries should be 
 outside the camp, fifty yards, which is about bow-shot. 
 
 In conclusion, I feel sure that your invaluable tact and perception will 
 pull you through much that a man would fail at. 
 
i;: 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 In danger or in safety, do not forget to have always in camp some 
 watchers, or sentries, with their rifles handy. 
 
 You can never be safe till this is done, and the men know what to do 
 in an emergency. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 . O- J^^^^ , 
 
 To Mrs. French-Sheldon. 
 
REVOLT AND DEATH. 
 
 ^72> 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 REVOLT AND DEATH. 
 
 LAINS of Taro stretched out in vast, 
 ^sloping, sandy lengths, defined by the 
 (clusters of hills on either side, and 
 an isolated sand mound now and 
 again looming up like a dome with- 
 ^ |^"^^ri'^'''^^^^^^'^^0'^'t apparent connection with the 
 .,..,^r=' °'y;Wvf -^^ _■■'■- hills. An occasional length of thorny 
 ,«4i,«^ vines and trees, gray, spectre-like, gaunt, 
 'gnarled, bare of leaves but clad in cruel re- 
 pellent thorns, were made more conspicuous by the luxuri- 
 ous wide-spreading branches of a baobab, or a mango, inter- 
 spersed with brilliant flowers, prolific, delicate ferns, and 
 marvellous cacti. 
 
 The rain had imparted an agreeable, smiling freshness to 
 nature, veiling the burning red sands and tufted stubble with 
 a generous verdure, which spared us all much discomfort. 
 This portion of the route, however, is generally conceded to 
 be full of hardships, especially as the porters are scarcely 
 broken in to their work, and their feet are soft and easily 
 burnt. In making such a detour as the wait-a-bits and 
 
174 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Other natural obstacles provokingly compel in Africa, length- 
 enino- the journey to a given point at times immeasurably, 
 my men became surly, evincing symp- 
 toms of insubordination. Suddenly the 
 leaders wheeled around, halted the line 
 of porters following, pitched their loads 
 in wild disorder upon the groimd, saying 
 Bebe did not know the road, and refused 
 to budge, and as the porters in the rear 
 kept coming up they were incited to 
 manifest the same spirit. The minor 
 headmen made futile attempts to rally 
 the men, and beat about in a lusty man- 
 ner with their kibosh, all to no effect. 
 Hamidi, m\' factotum, was in the rear, 
 far away ; and Josefe, my interpreter, was 
 simply guyed and scofted at for every 
 order he issued from me. Then or 
 never I realized I must demonstrate to these mutinous, half- 
 savage men that I would be obeyed, and that discipline should 
 be enforced at any cost. Only for one instant in perplexity 
 I paused, a vulture flew overhead, 1 drew my pistols and .sent 
 a bullet whizzing after it, and brought it surely down at my 
 feet, to the astonishment of the revolting men. 
 
 With both pistols cocked, suddenly I became eloquent in 
 the smattering of the Swahali which I knew, without interpre- 
 ter, inspired with fearlessness and strength I started through 
 
 WArr-A-Brr 'ihorn 
 
REVOLT AND DEATH. 
 
 175 
 
 the centre of the rebelHous throng, pointing first one, then 
 the other pistol in quick succession at the lieads of the men, 
 threatening, and fully prepared, determined, and 
 justified to shoot the first dissenter. 
 
 As with unrtinching, angry eyes fixed upon 
 them, I exclaimed, " Get up ! take your load ! 
 One! two! th !" and before the three was pro- 
 nounced the man addressed was on his feet, 
 grasping" his discarded load. After half a dozen 
 men were thus warned, and the entire throng re- 
 vealed uneasiness and were stirring-, I turned 
 upon them and said, " Every man who is not 
 on his feet with his load on his head, when I 
 have counted three, I will shoot ! " They knew I 
 woidd, and knew I had been empowered to do 
 so by the Sultan of Zanzibar. 
 
 RACONTA 
 
 Then I had no fear : now I marvel how ever beads. 
 I had the temerity to take such extreme measures. 
 
 I halted my caravan, and through 
 the pelting rain, attended by Josefe 
 and two askari, retraced my steps to 
 meet Hamidi, who had been de- 
 layed by the accidental disablement 
 of two porters, who were being 
 slowly carried. He returned with 
 me, and the men were harangued in such plain language 
 there could be no future misunderstanding. The two 
 
 NATIVE WOODEN COMBS. 
 
1/6 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 ringleaders were flogged, order restored, and that march 
 resumed. 
 
 This was the first and last revolt during my safari, 
 and if it had not been promptly and fearlessly 
 quelled, my life would not have been safe, and 
 the entire caravan would have been in constant 
 danger from similar outbreaks. 
 
 Although it rained daily, many well-known 
 pools, or ziivi, were filled with mud and slime, 
 and the porters would drink the loathsome '^"^d"-'''^'^ ^'^'^■ 
 
 "^ fluid, heedless of resultant ill- 
 ness. On the hill of Taro are 
 famous water-holes, or small 
 cisterns, which irregularly 
 honeycomb masses of flat 
 rocks, called ungurunga. 
 These are remarkable natural 
 formations, cupped into and 
 
 channelline a short distance 
 beneath the surface of 
 granite-like rocks. Many 
 theories are offered to explain 
 their existence. Some sug- 
 gest that they have been 
 
 \ carefully enlarged by the 
 
 TRADE DEADS. \,:^v\y\^ of thc wild uicu from 
 
 time to time, when they have traversed the plains. Slight 
 
REVOLT AND DEATH. 
 
 ^n 
 
 depressions in a soft portion of tlie rocks, where water was 
 observed to accumulate, liave been scooped out by travellers, 
 and increased by the decomposition of decayed vegetation. 
 Many of the holes are mere pockets ; whereas others I dis- 
 covered were connected beneath the surface of the rock, some 
 two to four feet in diameter and ten to twelve feet deep. 
 
 Here every 
 kibiiyu or cala- 
 bash or bottle or 
 kerosene tin was 
 filled, to meet 
 the requirements 
 of one of the 
 most difficult 
 marches through 
 an up-hill coun- 
 try. 
 
 As we were 
 about to move I 
 on, I observed a 
 tree covered with what seemed to be yellow blossoms, so 
 thickly set that the color of the bark from root, branch to 
 top could not be discerned. Casting my eyes up, and lost 
 in wonder, my Masai interpreter, who was something of an 
 African cicerone, pushed forward, and tossed his turban into 
 the tree. The jellow rose on wings, and proved to be the 
 tiniest birds imiaginable, in size between a humming-bird and 
 
 METAI. NKCKLACES FOR GIFTS. 
 
I 
 
 178 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 an ordinary butterHy. Not one twitter, only the rustle 
 and whir of thousands of wings, as the yellow graduall)' 
 coalesced into an airy cloud overhead, and was gently 
 wafted far away out of sight. 
 
 Useless to narrate day by day the routine and de- 
 tail of marching, or to make much ado about hardships 
 and trials, which were the consistent outcome of such 
 a journey. We met only a few straggling natives. Fever 
 I began to be manifest among the men. Warburgh's solu- 
 ' tion was promptly and lavishly administered ; their feet 
 and legs swelled, and great gaping ulcers appeared. 
 These were most miraculously healed, through a simple 
 treatment. First, the ulcers were washed out, and the 
 cavity was filled with powder iodoform ; then bandaged 
 with a strip of antiseptic gauze, over which was tightly 
 tied a piece of goat's or sheep's hide, and left without 
 redressing for several days, when the ulcer would ha\e 
 healed and present a wholesome surface. This simplified 
 and minimized the medical labors which were incumbent 
 upon me. The swelled and blistered feet were relieved 
 by hot water when available, and constant use of 
 grease, which I provided in almost limitless quantities. 
 With considerable horror I discovered that two of ni)- 
 I men were afflicted with a malady simulating, if not 
 ^•'^' actualK', leprosy. They were kept isolated as much as 
 si'KAR. possible, to await developments, and in a few da)s 
 when tlie toes on the foot of one man dropped off, and 
 
 MAS, 
 LONt 
 
REVOLT ANU HEATH. 
 
 179 
 
 the other case became an aggravated form of leprosy, there 
 was nothing left for me to do but arrange to provide for 
 them and lea\'e them with some kind natives, until they could 
 join a coast-bound Arab caravan, or b}' degrees work back 
 to Zanzibar. 
 
 Ever\' man in the caravan who had not had smallpox, 
 or had not been recently vaccinated, I vaccinated, and 
 strangely not one man was disabled thereby, although every 
 case "took"; this may be attributed to the 
 excellency and purity of the vaccine and 
 certain h)-gienic laws I unremittingly per- 
 sisted in having the men observe. 
 
 When encamped the temporarj' invalids 
 were assigned the duty of camp scavengers, 
 swept with besoms of their own make-up all 
 the litter, and burned all rubbish, and it was 
 forbidden that anj- one should in any way 
 befoul the camp or its immediate vicinity. 
 
 The nights were made hideous with the roars, howls, 
 grunts, chatter, yappings, and croakings of wild beasts and 
 frogs, crickets and cicadc-e. Our camp was always surrounded 
 by a thick thorn hedge, and camp-fires blazed on all sides. 
 Through the interstices of the hedge could be seen the red 
 glaring eyes of the prowlers, and when the animals became 
 too intrusive, a random shot sent them helter-skelter to a 
 safe distance. 
 
 We intercepted a caravan, and I sent a |3ackage of letters 
 
 KAUZU WORN BY 
 HEADMAN. 
 
I So 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 to the coast, sealed and tied, with a name ring- affixed. 
 There was a thrill of delight in being able to communicate 
 with the world 
 of civilization 
 through this 
 means of mail 
 carriers not 
 included in 
 any zone sys- 
 tem. 
 
 After marching during a perfect 
 hurricane, with the rain pelting and 
 soaking us, the van of the caravan led 
 as ever by me, we arrived at the camp- 
 ing ground at the foot of Mungu to, 
 await the wear)' stragglers. As filthy 
 and disgusting a spot as can be ima- 
 gined, infested with vermin and cluttered 
 with all manner of discarded rubbish, provision tins, bits of 
 garments, old sandals, rinds of fruit, the chewed pith of sugar- 
 cane, bones, fragments of rope, broken bottles, and ash heaps. 
 The storm increased with such violence there was no choice ; 
 the camp must be made there, until we could get a supply of 
 water from the quenchless well at the top of the mountain. 
 Two thousand feet of rocks to scale by the footsore and weary 
 men, and jackals and lions in hazardous pro.ximit)'. Every one 
 was irritable and fractious, their din grew unbearable, when 
 
REVOLT AND DEATH. 
 
 l8l 
 
 suddenly the storm abated and the sun burst out dazzling, 
 shedding a good-night radiance over all. Good-nature was 
 restored, the men began to sing, and each one eagerly 
 performed his task ; those detailed to bring water started 
 swiftly with their utensils and their guns up the steep 
 mountain ^^a"'^'^^ ^^^^^^5^^^ to the well, in order 
 
 to re- jjT ,.,a«s,AsaaiBfc,^f;;^^r ~ "^ turn before the sim 
 
 should vanish 
 
 and night set 
 
 in. A warn- 
 
 WOODEN MEAL DISH. 
 
 ing charge was given to a young porter not to tarry, and 
 above all not to wander away from the others, knowing full 
 well he might be enticed by the sight of the wild pepper 
 and berries that there abound. 
 
 Awaiting the return of porters sent for water and watch- 
 ing the laggards of the rear come into camp, my attention 
 was attracted by seeing upon the arms of a Wa-Duruma 
 woman a curious pair of pink and white bead armlets. I 
 tried to purchase them from her. .She wa.xed \-ery angry at 
 the mere suggestion, her eyes flashed indignantly as she 
 
lS2 
 
 SULTAN TO SUI.TAX. 
 
 gathered herself up on her feet, and placed her back against 
 a tree as if to defy me. 
 
 "No! Bebe Bwana, no! no! no! My man has 
 h gone to Chaga land, and these he placed on m\' arms 
 \ to prove my faithfulness to him. They \vere his mar- 
 3 riage gifts to me. No ! no ! no ! I will not ! " 
 
 Nor could she be induced to part with her bridal 
 bawbles, although I made her tempting oft'ers of cloth 
 and beads she much coveted. However, her protest 
 and sentimental indignation were worth tenfold the 
 value of the armlets as a revelation of character ; 
 and yet these natives are reputed by white men to 
 possess no idea of nor disposition to faithfulness in 
 their marital relations. They may be inconstant, but 
 GRASS {ii^gy g^j-g faithful in a way. 
 
 BEAD •' -^ 
 
 NECKLACE. Night fell ; the moonless darkness was so intense 
 it seemed palpable. Every man was in camp but one. 
 The roll was called. Alas! no answer came to "Ferusa bin 
 Sura," the boy who went with 
 the others to bring water. 
 Every man was questioned 
 concerning him. Yes, the)- had 
 filled their vessels all together ; 
 he was there with them, and 
 they had all started down to- BKAD-ixLAin bo\\x. 
 
 gather; no one had noticed that he loitered, although the 
 Avild pepper was plenty and they all had gathered some as 
 
REVOLT AND DEATH. 
 
 iS: 
 
 they came leaping down the rugged mountain, but driven 
 by hunger, fatigue, and the fear that night might overtalce 
 them, tliey had not tarried. 
 
 Hamidi organized a search party with torches and guns 
 to search for Ferusa 
 bin Sura. Kerosene 
 cans were opened and 
 great bonfires made. 
 The relief party 
 shouted, yelled, and 
 sung. A protest re- 
 sounded on all sides 
 from the wild beasts. 
 Presently an unearthl)- 
 shriek overrode all 
 other noise ; my heart 
 fairly choked me in its agonized plunges and curdled my 
 blood, for I realized that poor Ferusa was being devoured 
 by the lions. Nothing could now restrain me. With a well- 
 armed body guard and torches I made them conduct me 
 up the mountain path and fire volley after volley, trying 
 to frighten the animals; all to no purpose. We finally dis- 
 covered that he had fallen into a gully, and there had been 
 pounced upon by lions he had disturbed. Nothing was left 
 but to retreat, and in the morning search for his remains. 
 We found a bone or two, and the water pail ominously 
 marked with my name. Sometimes in the night my memory 
 
 NAIIVE DISH MADE OF OXE PIECE OF WOOD. 
 
1 84 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 SPIRAL METAL NECKLACE. 
 NATIVE WORK. 
 
 vividly brings back those ear-splitting shrieks, and the vhole 
 scene, with its spectacular horrors, parades through my brain. 
 This was the only human creature I left dead in Africa; 
 
 although later on I had an attendant 
 so violently ill with fever, so mad in 
 delirium, forcing upon me great per- 
 sonal solicitude and requiring hourly 
 vigilance on my part, and a total 
 surrender of all other special attend- 
 ants to the invalid's care, in order 
 to prevent another tragedy. The 
 caravan ambulance of this one inva- 
 lid required the service of eighteen during four fifths of my 
 safari, but reached home comparatively well. 
 
 During the day I visited some villages we passed, where 
 there was scarcely any sign of habitation ; the huts wide open, 
 the fires burning, completely deserted, with the exception of a 
 few old men and women lolling about ; for every one else had 
 gone to work on the shambas, or jjlantations, which the auspi- 
 cious rains had made fertile, or had followed those who did 
 work in order to secure to themselves companionship. But 
 when the sun was about to set, surging from all directions 
 came the natives, the women bearing upon their heads 
 long loads of grass or wood, happy and joyful as if the day 
 had just begun and they were anticipating some fete, rather 
 than having just finished their labor and returning home for 
 rest and refreshment. 
 
< 
 
 t 
 
 o 
 
 s 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 > 
 
 H 
 
REVOLT AND DEATH. 
 
 185 
 
 WOODEN SPOON. 
 
 Methods of working the plantations seem rather hard upon 
 the women, because the few tools they use are without 
 handles, and the Zanzibar hoe 
 is a bastard pick and hoe com- 
 bined, something like an adze. 
 The shortness of the metal haft, which is projected from the 
 tool itself, compels the women to bend almost double as they 
 break up the ground. 
 
 Fortunately the rare fertility of the soil lessens the 
 necessity of much work of this kind. They cut the grain 
 
 with curved .. ,.,.1..^ _ knives sharpened 
 
 on the .,eil^^1M^li'^C¥k'>^>WO^f%^j inner edge, 
 
 HIDE ASl> BE,\D CAP WORN P.V SULTANS 
 
 something- like a modified sickle, as well 
 
 as with long straight knives looking like dirks. 
 
 The curved knives are principally used for cutting 
 
 banana stalks and grass. The women resort to a rather 
 
 singular artifice in case the bunch of bananas they essay to 
 
1 86 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 cut happens to be very heavy ; they manage to stand up 
 directly beneath it upon a stone or log, and by throwing 
 their heads back and a peculiar curving of the spine, ma- 
 noeuvre until they make platforms of their necks and breasts, 
 upon which they ease up the heavy bunch, while they reach 
 overhead to the extreme limit of their arms, grasp and hack 
 it off by a sweeping motion of their curved knives ; and I 
 have seen a woman supporting a bunch of such ponderous 
 weight that when it was liberated from its parent stem she 
 would fairly reel backward, stagger a moment to recover her- 
 self, and with difficulty keep from dropping her precious 
 burden until she was able to place it carefully on the ground. 
 Finally she would, with regathered force, firmly lift it on her 
 head and walk away with her burden, displaying the light- 
 ness and agility of a gazelle. The women never seem to 
 shirk carrying a load, however hea\'y it may be, if they can 
 once manage to get it settled and balanced upon their heads. 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 
 
 187 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 
 
 IFFICULTIES and hardships were 
 steadily in the ascendency trom the 
 n moment we left the sycamores at 
 Maungu, and struck the steppes to 
 the west. The mountains of Ndara, 
 presenting their rugged gneiss wall, 
 stand out boldly, and beyond the 
 mountains of Teita haz)' like a 
 half-tone. Nature became more 
 „__ •/;:,'■- "erratic, vegetation more varied; the 
 
 breccia rocks were full of bits of glittering quartz and mica, 
 thorns and angular branches made phantom-like profiles, 
 grasses of a height exceeding ten feet hid the glaring 
 red sand, and brilliant odoriferous flowers attracted swarms 
 of honey bees. Our march in the broiling sun, up the rising 
 ground, fatigued us considerably. Unfortunately, my advance 
 askari, whose business it was to lop oft the intrusive 
 branches and vines to make a wa)- for me, allowed a branch 
 of a thorn-tree to escape his grasp, which flew back and 
 struck me in the left eye, leaving a thorn thrust in my 
 
i88 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 TEllA HUT. 
 
 eyeball. Such agony I never previously experienced, and the 
 attendant horror that, in removing the thorn, the eye might 
 possibly be destroyed, disquieted me to the degree when all 
 knowledge of expedients was vanished for a time. 
 
 Terror reigned supreme over every member of the 
 caravan, and the poor unhappy culprit supplicated me for 
 mercy, fearful that the penalt)' for his fault would be nothing 
 short of death. Although sorry for myself because of the 
 seriousness of the accident, there was certainly no wrath in 
 my heart for him. A singular coincidence occurred which I 
 feel justified in narrating, as it impressed the Zanzibaris as 
 to the actuality of the superhuman powers they heretofore 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 
 
 189 
 
 POISONED ARROWS. 
 
 had supposed were enthralled in mj- being. The same 
 askari met with a similar accident to his left eye thirty- 
 six hours after my misfortune, and gradually his eye ran 
 out, so that when we reached the coast, at the finish of 
 the sajari, the empty socket tortured my conscience, knowing 
 that he believed it was a retribution I had called down 
 upon him. He was a Roman Catholic convert, and during 
 the remainder of 
 the safari, after 
 his own injury, 
 he addressed 
 orisons first to 
 God, then to me. 
 He fully ac- 
 cepted his affliction from the beginning as a righteous punish- 
 ment I had called down upon him, and nothing could eradi- 
 cate this idea from his mind. He would pathetically and 
 without cant say, " Bebe is merciful, kind, and good; a Inoana 
 would have shot me." 
 
 After the shock had abated, my eye was bandaged, and on 
 we marched. One does not stop for an eye or a limb or a 
 life in Africa ; one is ever impelled to proceed, per augusta 
 ad aiigiista. With one eye I saw more than I can ever 
 hope to recount of the grandeur of Kilimanjaro, and am 
 repaid tenfold for all I suffered in Africa by the possession 
 of the confidence and friendship bestowed upon me by the 
 African primitives. 
 
190 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 At the foot of the Ndara Mountain we halted just below the 
 Sagalia mission station, at least six hundred feet above. This 
 camping ground, so well known to all caravans traversing 
 that resfion, contains a number of uninviting straw and banana- 
 leaf thatched sheds, filthy with the indescribable debris of 
 many caravans, and giving out a strong odor of chickens, 
 goats, cattle, and, at this particular time, also of camels, for 
 the I. B. E. A. caravan taking camels up country had only 
 a few days before passed that way. Some of the tired 
 porters hastily put down their loads, and threw themselves 
 
 upon the litter, 
 heedless of the 
 filth and stench, 
 in their eager- 
 ness to avail 
 themselves of 
 the dubious 
 shelter. \ pool 
 of water fed 
 from the moun- 
 tain rills, if not 
 
 NATIVE MF.TAL RINGS AND GOATSKIN BROTHERHOOD RINGS. iudccd frOITl a 
 
 living wellspring, a dark, dank home for wriggling, loath- 
 some creatures, silently rested beneath outspreading sycamore 
 and baobab trees. Here the men scrambled and threw them- 
 selves flat on the ground, plunged their heads into the water 
 and drank until they had quenched their inordinate thirst. 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. I9I 
 
 In quick response to our signal shots tlie natives dis- 
 charged two rifles, and men, women, and children, the young 
 and the old, began to swarm down the rugged escarpment 
 with amazing precipitation, bearing on their heads all sorts of 
 salable green stuff, and chickens, eggs, butter, gee, milk 
 curds, honey, and what other articles of barter their meagre 
 stock in hand warranted. 
 
 A great hubbub ensued, to which the porters largely 
 contributed, as there would be a mutual recognition of an 
 old acquaintance. Mr. Wray, the former 
 resident of the Sagalia mission, also the 
 agent of Ibea, had resigned their posts 1 
 in consequence of the dissatisfaction mani- snuff-box. 
 
 fested by the natiyes in a series of unbearable jaersecution. 
 Their absence deprived me of an opportunit)' I had largely 
 counted upon whereby to obtain some interesting data. 
 
 Whilst the men of the caravan were bartering, cooking, 
 bathing, and filling their calabashes, attended by Josefe and 
 three askari, I climbed over six hundred feet up to the top 
 of the hill to take a bird's-eye view of the surrounding 
 country and visit the people. 
 
 Depravity seems to be an eminent characteristic of natives 
 in easy touch to coast traders and caravan traffic. The 
 Wa-Teita, especially that branch of the tribe known as the 
 Wa-Sagalia, who inhabit this portion of the mountain in the 
 province of Teita, situated as it is at the four corners of 
 caravan routes leadino- to and from the coast in various 
 
ig2 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 directions, present a glaring example of the statement. They 
 are grovellers, devoid of self-respect, and evince a shameless 
 
 state of beggary; although they possess 
 a most fertile tract of country, pro- 
 tected by its eminence from surprises 
 by hostile tribes, their indolence and 
 the prevailing demoralization of the 
 women too often reduce this tribe to 
 a sad plight of penury. 
 
 The flagrancy of the • women is 
 most disgusting, from all accounts 
 given by reliable travellers who have 
 been forced to camp here for a few 
 days. Food was too high priced to 
 entice my porters to tarry long, there- 
 fore during the few hours we halted I 
 was spared the humiliation of being 
 an involuntary witness to their degra- 
 dation. 
 
 Neither the men nor women are 
 comely of feature or fme in figure. 
 Their color is brown rather than black; 
 they file and discolor their teeth and 
 tattoo their bodies in a rudimentary way, 
 without motive or any conventional 
 fashion. The women artificially make their breasts pendulous, 
 and shave their heads, all but a circular crown patch, which 
 
 BRASS AND IRON 1;EAUS. 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 
 
 193 
 
 they strand and string beads upon ; the prosperous or favor- 
 ite women attach a number of strands of beads around their 
 heads, in addition to the crown of 
 beaded hair, and per- 
 mit several strings to 
 hang down over their 
 ears and shoulders; 
 they wear high masses 
 of dark blue and red 
 small beads, called 
 
 lar^e 
 
 sail -SCI) I, 
 
 to d 
 
 is- 
 
 tinguish such from 
 seed-beads, around their 
 necks, until their chins are 
 awkwardly thrown up anc 
 pressed backwards; also a bead 
 
 girdle, or smiply more goatskin ki,ap worn by many tribes, 
 
 strands of beads roped ornamented with beads and chains. 
 
 about the waist ; then a dark blue or brown — clay stained 
 — cotton loin-cloth or kilt skirt, very short, coming only half- 
 way between hip and knee, or a tiny scrap of cloth or goat- 
 skin hanging in front, or a small triangular flap of goatskin 
 dangling behind from their waists ; large pewter and bead 
 armlets and upwards of twenty-four wire hoops two and 
 one half inches in diameter, on which are strung all sorts 
 of small beads, in one ear, and in the other a few hoops 
 of large green and blue glass rings of the sort that are 
 
194 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 prized by the Masai. In various punctures around the rim 
 and in the lobes of their ears they thrust bits of sweet 
 
 grass, circular pieces of 
 ivory or bone, porcupine 
 quills, brass, iron, and 
 copper danglers orna- 
 .mented with a few large 
 showy beads. All these 
 beads represent accuniu- 
 
 \VA-TE!TA BEAD AND METAL EAR-RINGS. 
 
 TWENTY-FOUR WORN AT A TIME. lated wcalth. OccasioU" 
 
 ally women had followed the fashion of the Zanzibaris slave 
 women, and wore little studs of various materials put through 
 holes bored into their nostrils and lips and cheeks. When 
 they are fortunate enough to possess a bright variegated 
 bandana or handkerchief, they delight to display it on their 
 person. Horn, metal, and goatskin rings bedeck their hands. 
 Although their hands and feet are broad and thick, they are 
 not long, and cannot fairly be called large. They, as 
 other natives, detest ablutions, and use quantities of animal 
 and cocoanut oil overlaid with yellow clay and accumulated 
 dirt. 
 
 The men wear odd bits of all sorts of calico, deck out 
 their persons in ivory and bone and metal armlets and leg- 
 lets, wear similar ear ornaments, arm themselves with bows 
 and arrows, carry a hide quiver filled with poisoned arrows; 
 the poison they use, and many other tribes in East Africa, is 
 a vegetable product from the province of Gyriama, which 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 
 
 195 
 
 WA-TEl'lA EAR-RINGS. 
 
 they procure from the Arab traders, or direct through their 
 own envoys from the people of the country. 
 
 Polygamy exists, and a degenerate outcome of the men's 
 thriftlessness leads them to marr)- their own mothers and 
 sisters and even their own children, because they are too 
 improvident or actually in some 
 cases too poor to purchase 
 an unrelated wife ; 
 hence the offspring 
 of these consanguin- 
 
 which enervate alike 
 
 their mental and 
 
 physical forces, must 
 
 retrograde and develop vicious tendencies in their degenerate 
 
 progeny, if they do not in time happily become sterile. 
 
 Their religion, such as it is, may be safely called fetich. 
 
 As they depend largely, as one of their most profitable 
 products, upon the yield of the calabash, which is the fruit 
 of the baobab-tree, when a famine threatens they plant 
 numbers of this tree to propitiate the elements, and regard 
 as a bad oinen the destruction of a baobab-tree if through 
 accident or intention. 
 
 All the hair, as a rule, is shaved close to the skin. Magic 
 doctors are held in high repute. Women are the accoiiclicurs 
 and specialists for women. Puberty is attained at an early 
 age, as in all tropical countries. The v^'omen ma)' marry 
 
196 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 at the age of ten, and the youths at fifteen. The families 
 are not large. Virtue here has no place. Men and women 
 antl children drink pombc, and smoke 
 long wooden or iron pipes, and use 
 snuff. The inevitable snuff-box dangles 
 In sight, for every tribe in East Africa 
 indulge in the habit. 
 
 Plenty of game could be discerned 
 ambling away on the outstretch of 
 steppes beyond. A sudden mist shrouded 
 the distant sight of Kilimanjaro, which 
 deprived us of seeing the grand moun- 
 tain's peaks. Rain portended, and despite 
 the protest the natives made, we soon 
 were in train to march. 
 
 The natives were struck with amaze- 
 ment to see the loliitc won/an, and 
 several stood as if riveted to the ground, 
 with their loads on their heads, staring 
 at me for hours. Men squatted about 
 with their bows and arrows clutched in 
 their hands, mutely watching every move- 
 ment I made. The Palanquin was a 
 veritable surprise to adults and children. 
 All wanted to see it carried ; and when 
 the bearers lifted it up to proceed on 
 
 WA-TEITA BEAD HOOP 
 
 EAR-RINGS. our safai-!. they ran m droves after 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 
 
 197 
 
 them, shouting and screaming with dehght, exactly as do 
 street gamins pursue a circus caravan going through a town. 
 Shaba, tlie old chief of Sagalia, had presented me with a 
 few of his ear ornaments, for which I had gi\'en in return an 
 ample amount of beads ; however, he expressed great 
 dissatisfaction, and demanded some Americana, white cotton 
 sheeting, which Hamidi peremptorily refused. He planted 
 
 ■Cuo* 
 
 WA-TEHA NECKLACE. 
 
 himself close beside me wherever I chanced to move, and 
 commenced a nagging grumble, about being so poor and 
 that I was so rich, and what the other travellers had given 
 him. A more abject-looking creature can scarcely be de- 
 picted. His wives sallied about him to lend their voices 
 to his bewailings, until for peace and quiet I came very near 
 acquiescing to their demands. The women, to incite my pity, 
 
igS 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 carried their wretched-looking babies shing over their backs 
 in a hide or length of cloth, but Hamidi protested that he 
 would satisfy and silence the "beggars." 
 
 Rather a sprightly bronze beauty — a beauty according to 
 the accepted rule of that country — came racing up to me, 
 repeating over and over again, " Bebe, Bebe," extending her 
 arms, holding in her hands a sweet grass bead necklace, and 
 a round bone ornament pierced in the centre, which she had 
 
 worn on her own neck. 1 
 ;pted her proffered 
 curious to know 
 hat she would 
 demand in return. 
 To my astonish- 
 ment, she spit at 
 me. In my dis- 
 gust and indigna- 
 tion, I was about 
 to return her pres- 
 Mits, when Josefe 
 ;hecked me by saying 
 is merry way, " Quite 
 right, Bebe, it is their way 
 of paying you a compliment; 
 they all do it in this part." So they do, as we shall see 
 later on. Rather pleased at the little maiden's evidence of 
 generous friendliness, I drifted into quite a revery, from 
 
 CARAVAN I'ATH. 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 1 99 
 
 which I was disturbed, some miles from the place of the 
 scene, by her voice and her presence. She had repented of 
 her free gift, and had pursued us to exact adequate pay- 
 ment for, or the return of, the trifles. She was pacified with 
 the glitter of a few pice and a name ring. 
 
 Whilst I partook of my luncheon, sitting in my Palanquin, 
 I confess experiencing great embarrassment in the presence of 
 the large audience of natives who thronged about to gaze 
 and comment upon the performance, wherever we chanced 
 to halt, from beginning to finish of our safai-i. 
 
 The observances of little ceremonies and indulgence in 
 certain refinements, as well as some few luxuries, conduced 
 not only to my prestige in the natives' eyes, but to my 
 personal comfort and self-respect. Requisite accessories add 
 but little to the expense of a safari, and bring a threefold 
 result : namely, in appearance, in instructiveness as to the 
 white people's customs, and not the least, to personal conven- 
 ience and comfort. All talk explanatory of such, not illus- 
 trated by actual representation, could not do half the service 
 of certain observances adhered to consistently by a leader. 
 It is not foolish. It is essential in studying traits of native 
 people, and to provoke and develop the play of their intel- 
 lect when brought face to face with strange manners and 
 customs. 
 
 On we pushed, trying to reach a suitable camping ground 
 for the night, despite the sharp showers that fitfully swept 
 down upon us. Suddenly, as the sun neared the horizon, a 
 
200 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 BEAIlED FIGLEAF. 
 
 violent outbursts ot 
 
 bow of promise, with tliree reflected glories of its radiant self, 
 
 made the heavens magnificent, and the storm ceased. Alas! 
 
 photographs taken of this and similar manifestations of the 
 
 elements proved utterly worthless, 
 
 — vagfue, meaningless, and black be- 
 es ' o 
 
 yond the recognition of a single out- 
 line or effect. 
 
 Encased in a waterproof coat, 
 rubber boots, and a cover over my 
 topcc (pith hat), I defied every storm, 
 and marched with ease through 
 wind-driven rains. My head askari 
 shouldered me to convey me across a muddy, leech-infested 
 stream, swollen by the recent downpourings, and in his 
 effort to obtain a foothold on the slimy, somewhat abrupt, 
 yielding bank, slipped, and dumped me into the turgid 
 waters. When fished out I certainly was a bedraggled-look- 
 ing object, both e)es closed with mud which trickled down 
 from head to feet, my mouth, nostrils, anci ears resembling 
 overflowing phials of pea soup. 
 
 Witnessing the event, Hamidi's kibosh ( rhinoceros-hide 
 stick) went whistling through the air as he impulsively plunged 
 throueh the stream to chastise the frightened askari. How- 
 ever, in justice I signed him oft', and made merry of the 
 incident, protesting it was not the man's lault through any 
 carelessness. Quietly I resolved never again to trust myself 
 to the hazard of a similar ducking, and thereafter swam or 
 
2 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 
 
 20I 
 
 ^^rw^^rv^^V" -w ^^i 
 
 forded the streams, only making exceptions when we had to 
 plod through short spaces of muddy, swampy ground, and 
 there was no sense in making myself uncomfortable or 
 hideous for hours by loading down my clothing and feet with 
 tenacious clay and slime. 
 
 Straggling natives at first were very shy and half sus- 
 picious, although never hostile or reluctant to supply us with 
 food when we would reach their settlements, although at 
 Matata the prices were even more exhorbitant than at Teita. 
 This can be accounted 
 for from the fact that 
 our reputation had 
 preceded us, and we 
 were heralded as a 
 /)/£' and ricJi safari, 
 and that Bebe Bwana was a white queen. 
 
 The plantations were very fertile, and the women, who 
 are the legitimate agriculturists of East Africa, bediz- 
 ened with Qrlisteninof beads and shinino- metal, tilled the 
 ground, without apparently deeming their task to be any 
 hardship. Somehow the natives' acceptance of the inevitable 
 is very fine. Knowing that we were to traverse their 
 country, they were evidently on the alert to see me, and were 
 disporting their splendors in honor of the event. They were 
 not surprised, and passed upon m)' anomalous appearance 
 without hesitancy. My long hair was an unremitting source 
 of amazement to all the tribes I met. They queried why I 
 
 TWO EKADED CaRDLE.^. 
 
202 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 did not shave it off, lilce theirs. My crooked Alpine stock, 
 with its blue pennant emblazoned with the magic device, 
 noli J71C tanzci'c, was much admired and I tear coveted. 
 They innocently deemed it to be a badge of high rank, 
 never havine seen one before, hence inferred that I must be 
 of supreme importance and possessed of limitless power, to 
 pass over their idea of the inexhaustibility of my material 
 resources. 
 
 On all sides I was besought for razors and clasp-knives, 
 which I bestowed freely. An explorer's knife, worn attached 
 
 to my belt, delighted them with its 
 iintltuiu in parvo contents. 
 
 They would peer around and into 
 my tent if the flaps were fastened 
 ^ '^ back to the guys, when fitted up 
 ^. -V with all of its paraphernalia, and 
 - ) stand, eyes wide open, fixed with 
 V -amazement at the mysterious ap- 
 'jpointments thereof, for hours, with- 
 out becoming weary. 
 
 At night I would set alight mag- 
 nesium wire, red and green Greek 
 powder, or send up rockets, antl 
 EGG-SHAPED BEADS. somctlmcs fire a voile)' for their 
 
 amusement when they were bold enough to venture to defy 
 the dark, of which they have an inherent fear, measurably 
 shared b)' all African tribes. 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 203 
 
 On our route at Ruru we found, curled up tinder the 
 meagre cover ot a tew branches overspread with palm leaves 
 and grasses, a poor, ill wretch dying- 
 frc^m neglect and hunger, who hail 
 been discharged, it was said through 
 his |:)hysical inability to proceed with head-inlaio dish. 
 
 a cara\an destined to a certain station, and turned adrift, 
 without adequate means to reach the coast as best he could 
 or drop dead in the bush. Poor fellow, he managed to drag 
 himself several days on his homeward journey, antl then col- 
 lapsed in his utter helple.ssness at this point. Although I 
 was carrying a document from an authoritative officer to 
 various subofficers, occup)'ing stations in East Africa, ordering 
 them not to deplete their stores, nor to provide me with sup- 
 plies of barter goods, ami under no circumstances to assume 
 any e.xpense in my behalt, or enlist in any of my undertak- 
 ings other than to warn me of ilanger and if possible prevent 
 me from incurring risk of lite, coinmon humanity asserted itself, 
 and I provided one of their adandoned wretches with a tempo- 
 rary abiding place in the care of a native family well known to 
 my headman Hamidi, and left him trade goods sufficient to get 
 him to the coast when he should be able to travel. Three weeks 
 afterwards, three natives from this village presented themselves 
 in my camp to demand further payment ior the maintenance 
 of the fever-stricken waif. Their claim I promptly repudiated, 
 as it could only be regarded in the light of sharp practice, 
 for the man had died, by their own confession. 
 
204 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 We were constantly coming across the fresh spoor of buffa- 
 loes and rhinoceros, and the bush was trampled significantly. 
 The rear part of the caravan was put to rout by the dash of a 
 herd of zvilde bccsfc which had been disturbed by the noise 
 whilst grazing, but after the panic subsided it was found that 
 
 no one had been hurt; 
 then the)' all boasted 
 how they could have 
 brought down the en- 
 tire herd if Bebe 
 B w a n a had only 
 r^^^ given them per- 
 mission to shoot. 
 D u r i n o- the 
 
 WOODEN PASIN. 
 
 course of the day I was fortunate in bringing down a lovely 
 gazelle at two hundred and forty yards, — a random shot 1 
 sent from my Winchester into a herd. This bit of luck was 
 hailed with great acclamation by my men, and they boasted 
 about it with as much fervency as if they, each one, had 
 individually bet;n the marksman. 
 
 Several porters started on a gallop to bring in the 
 game. It was soon flayed, and the meagre portion of 
 meat it afforded was dressed and sent to my cook tent. 
 Selectino- a few steaks, the balance was eiven to Hamidi, to 
 distribute to the sick, after reserving the liver and kidneys for 
 his own mess pot. 
 
 Although quantities of big game abounded, after a few 
 
DEI'KAVEI) WA-I'EITA. 
 
 205 
 
 experiments it became obvious to me that it would throw 
 my caravan into wild confusion to engage in sport which 
 would not have had a brilliant result, as my men were not 
 expert in the use of rifles. However, when we could not 
 procure meat, and the men seemed to require a more generous 
 diet than fruits, corn, bananas, and yams, I would try my 
 hand. Partridges and Guinea fowls were plenty, and flew up 
 from the bush when we were right upon them. One morn- 
 ing, in less than an hour, with my revolver, I shot for the 
 pot nineteen, without the slightest tax of skill. The inflam- 
 mation that had set up in my injured eye behooved me to 
 avoid long-range sights. However, after my minor successes, 
 I fully comprehend why it is that f\ great sportsmen like 
 Sir John \VilIoughb\-, » Jackson, 
 have expressed them- 
 selves with so much en- 
 thusiasm about this 
 " hunter's Paradise." 
 
 A deplorable species of 
 " buck fever," belonainc: ex- 
 clusively to no particular 
 country, experienced b\" me 
 when in too close proximit)' 
 
 to the ivories of elephants encountered on my sajari, pre- 
 vented me taking photographs of the admitted greatest 
 source of commerce in Central, East, and West Africa, — 
 a commerce which lias a nefarious significance when one 
 
 Chanler, and others. 
 
 kHINoi. KROP. 
 
206 
 
 SULTAN TO SL'LTAN. 
 
 speaks of black ivory, or slaves; for It is the white ivory yield 
 which is the very key-note of slavery for the ill-favored blacks 
 who are captured and impressed into service by the Arab i\ory 
 traffickers to transport their hauls to marketable points, and then 
 sold when their task is accomplished. Another plea for proper 
 
 and humane trans- 
 portation, to which 
 obviou si y Chris- 
 tians, hu m a n i t a- 
 rians, commercial 
 promoters, coloniz- 
 ers, should lend 
 unanimous voice. 
 
 Our caravan 
 was constantly be- 
 ing joined by small 
 Arab caravans, 
 who were bound 
 jKWFi.i.r.D pRFSKNis FOR sui.TANP. '^ luterioT to the 
 
 elephant regions, expecting to be absent from the coast for 
 one, two, and three years. The paucity of their numbers, 
 and seeming inefficiency of their barter goods, provoked me 
 to make many inciuiries which resulted in certain revelations 
 as to luno it is dow. 
 
 A few Arab merchants, none of the number particularly 
 wealthy, form a little band and pool their money to venture 
 themselves or employ available men to go interior for ivory, 
 
DEPRAVED WA-TEITA. 20'/ 
 
 and with combined forces procure the smallest possible 
 number of porters requisite to carry their wares, and forth- 
 with proceed. They do not hesitate to plunder the natives 
 of their accumulated ivory, which they usually bury for safe 
 keeping ; or purchase at a rate barely removed from actual 
 looting, or even employ native hunters to bring down the 
 elephants and secure for them live ivory tcmbo. When they 
 have collected sufficient, without hesitation, in the name of 
 the Sultan, they capture strong natives to carr\' their ill-gotten 
 gains to the coast marts, 
 
 The surveillance of the European officers over the 
 posts and stations of their respective governments, in order 
 to collect the duties of the incoming ivory caravans, has a 
 judicial tendency to check the intlux of slaves. The Eng- 
 lish, Germans, French, and Belgians, as well as the .Sultan 
 of Zanzibar and some others, have united and pledged 
 themselves by the passage of a law to suppress slave raiding 
 and to free newly made sla\es. 
 
208 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ON TO '1"A V KTA. 
 
 SELESS to mark day by day our 
 progress over a most variable, inter- 
 esting route known to all caravans 
 who hail for Taveta. 
 
 The scenery at times was superb, 
 Lake fipo shone like a copper 
 „/ mirror, and now and ao;ain we 
 :_^^ caught a transitory view oi the 
 snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro, 
 only to lose it in the great sweeping shoals of Huctuating 
 mists. Excitement reigned every time there was a rift in 
 the flufly thick mantle, which would part like a curtain 
 drawn back from the centre, in consequence of the saddle- 
 like cut between the illustrious Ivibo and Mawenzi ; porters 
 shrieked, " Kilimanjaro ! Kilimanjaro ! " Erom van to rear the 
 call would leap from their lusty throats in quick succession. 
 The incomparable grandeur ami limitless expanse offered 
 the fiekl of vision put my heart athrill, and I felt if only 
 for this glorious sight I was more than amply rewarded 
 for all the hardships incumbent upon the undertaking from 
 
ON TO 'lAX'lClA. 
 
 209 
 
 beo-innine to those lurkine alontr the line to the finish. 
 Mountain ranges on both sides of us, behind us, and Kili- 
 manjaro facing us, spaced and frontiered b\- long stretches of 
 plains over which bounded magnificent wild beasts, varied by 
 
 LAKE JIPO. 
 
 ravines, sloping hills, silver lakes, and gushing streams turbu- 
 lent!)' rushing seaward. A defined tree line, the point where 
 vegetation about ceases, the cloud line, and far, far above it 
 all the peerless domain of sun and moon and stars! That 
 picture can never be reproduced b)' word or color. 
 
 Again the Masai scare stirred m)' cowardly Zanzibaris. We 
 reached a point by a dismal pool overshadowed with enormous 
 trees, called Little Lanjaro, where the embers of the fires 
 were still smouldering, and the remnants of a meat feed all 
 
2IO 
 
 SULTAN 'r(J SULTAN. 
 
 betokened the recent presence of the bogy-men, so the por- 
 ters acceded with a degree of alacrity to my command to 
 go a few hours further on to Big Lanjaro, where we could 
 comfortably rest during a day in camp to make a becoming 
 entrance into the forest-locked arcadian Taveta. 
 
 Rain, rain, pelted down upon us with unlooked-for fury. 
 With a howling gasp of wind that drove the rain into our 
 
 ~~ faces, all was o\'er, the sun jjcered 
 
 out behind the clouds and 
 ^J soon j)ut the storm to 
 light. I'^verything 
 fumed and steamed, 
 and the sultriness 
 became almost lui- 
 bearable. The 
 men rushed and 
 
 )lunged into the 
 
 stream, -which 
 ;oursed below our 
 encampment, to cool 
 iselves. 
 
 .ere ascending a hill, 
 A 'JEST OF VALOR. trjiug to liold OUT tootlug on 
 
 a slippery goat-path, w-hen, without a loud spoken word, a 
 dozen porters dashed down their loads, crowded by me, com- 
 pelling me to halt, and at stated distances ahead each man 
 grasped a sapling from the side of the hill above the path 
 
ON TO TA\ETA. 2 I I 
 
 and stood on die very edge of the path overlooknig' a wild, 
 dangerous ravine, muttered a prayer from the Koran, and 
 closed his eyes. A strange rattling of stones, crushing of 
 bushes, and clumps of flying earth came from above, followed 
 by an enormous bowlder, which in the serpentine trend of 
 the path, although I had not seen it, the porters on the out- 
 ward curve of the hill had, and voluntarily were standing 
 awaiting a doom that seemed inevitable to try and sheer the 
 bowlder off of its destructive course, and save me. 
 
 One instant, and the first man must be crushed. He 
 never winced, but stood his ground with feet firmly planted, 
 and his sinews and veins standing out over his entire body 
 like whipcords. My heart sank. I felt I could not endure 
 the sight, and closed my eyes. The ground crunched, some- 
 thing gave way, a man screamed, and there was a new crashing. 
 My eyes flew open in terror, but were greeted with the une.x- 
 pected. Just as the bowlder reached within one foot of the 
 first man, the earth crumbled, and it went swirling to the 
 bottom, and the brave porter lost his footing and was clutch- 
 ing the shrubbery right and left as he rolled down to save 
 himself, which he did, and all the other brave porters went 
 to his assistance. I made a detour to photograph that bowl- 
 der as it lay innocently at the bottom, by the side of which 
 a mountain stream went purling by as if nothing hatl hap- 
 pened. I christened the stone "A Test ot Valor." 
 
 During the da)- I was more than astounded suddenly to 
 e.xperience several shocks of trembling ot the earth, and upon 
 
2 I 2 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 inqiiirj' was informetl these manifestations of suppressed 
 earthquake were far from being unusal in the vicinit\- of 
 
 /eta ; and although then; arc no 
 ■idences ot a recent eruption, 
 tlie volcanic character of the 
 countr\' just bej'onti and the 
 extinct craters of the Kiliman- 
 jaro range would seem to be- 
 token that at some future 
 da\' an eruption might recur, 
 brom those who are learnetl 
 as to the geological character 
 LiviNc; iRF.ii GATES OF -lAVF.iA. of this regiou, I coukl obtain 
 
 no knowledge as to the existence of any fumaroles which might 
 indicate smouldering or latent \-olcanic action. 
 
 Natives are ver\- superstitious about these tremblings, and 
 are always thrown into a panic during their mild manilesta- 
 tions, and seek the shelter of their huts, close the entrances, 
 and revive the fires, as they huddle together in their apprehen- 
 sion. The thunder rumbled in the distance, and the black 
 clouds were cut xiu/asf across the dark heavens b\- blinding 
 lightning dashes, until the cataclysm seems to relieve the 
 surcharged heavens, at the same time gorging the throat of 
 every ra\'ine and water-wa)-. These fierce outlireaks ot the 
 elements fortunately are of short duration, and immediately 
 afterwards the country is smiling and fresh as possible, and 
 t'.ie water has become absorbed by the porous earth and 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 
 
 21' 
 
 rocks ; if storms have not been continuous, soon the earth is 
 dry again, and the sands and rocks have been greatly cooled. 
 
 Haniidi, my headman, came rushing to me one day, 
 pointing to a swirling black cloud in the heavens which 
 seemed to be a centre of magnetic attraction, drawing impetu- 
 ously to itself all other clouds until they rapidly coalesced as 
 one mass, yet the greater part of the heavens was cerulean, 
 fair, and simn\'. 
 
 He exclaimed with considerable agita- 
 tion, " Bebe Bwana, we must set the tent 
 for you; that is a cloud-burst, you'll get 
 drowned with the rain shortl)'." W'ith con- 
 siderable curiosity, I queried what he meant. 
 
 " That cloud will wing its ^j^ 
 \\a.\ tlirecth' over where we are 
 
 now marching and then fall to 
 earth, a solid sheet of water." _ 
 
 As we were just about to Cr v_>' r^' 
 leave a valley, and I saw on all Iv -(2! ^- ■^■ 
 sides the natives lleeing to (f^^'^fdT 
 the hills, and my porters all ^^ • ' ^ - 
 edging up towards the de- 
 clivities, I concluded I should like 
 to experience a cloud-burst, hence 
 refused to have my tent set. In a "•"•" L'-nox i-oii, rxxAMF.n. 
 moment the cloud did burst, and we were standinsr enfrulfed 
 by the downpoiiring to our armpits in water in less than 
 
2 14 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 three minutes, and in less than ten minutes we were able 
 to proceed on our march with no evidence of the transi- 
 tory deluge, save the moist, glossy appearance of the stones 
 and foliage, and the balmy freshness of the atmosphere. 
 This manifestation of the elements is not peculiar to Africa ; 
 but since my return one or two Peruvian travellers have im- 
 parted to me a similar experience. I felt well repaid for my 
 obstinacy, and thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. 
 
 Hamidi informed me, with some hesitation, that it would 
 be impossible to get my Palanquin through the forest gates 
 of Taveta, as they were so low the men would have to push 
 their ordinary compact loads through, then crawl in after them. 
 Here was a dilemma. However, " the Palanquin must go 
 where I 20," that settled it, and it did enter Taveta more 
 than once, despite the gates ; twenty yards of unbleached 
 calico paved the way. 
 
 Wa-Taveta men, women, and children came far on the 
 road as we approached Taveta to bid me welcome, to bring 
 me tributes of all kinds, to say to the ivliiic queen, as they 
 persisted in calling me, that they had looked for me for two 
 moons, and almost despaired that 1 would ever arrive. Then 
 they asked about bioaiia this, and that, and the other who 
 had visited them in years agone. 
 
 Presently we met, at the confines of the forest environing 
 Taveta, a sentinel from the English post, who fired at least a 
 dozen shots in salutation, and informed me that the officer 
 in charge was absent, but had made preparations to entertain 
 
o^ 
 
 a; 
 
 z 
 o 
 
 in 
 
 *^^*. 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 2I5 
 
 m(; in his boiua. How strange this sounded, after haxing, 
 hved in the open under canvas ! 
 
 We began to \\end our waj- through the densest of 
 forest, gloomy, dark, difficult to advance rapidly with the 
 f a 1 1 e n giant trees,' 
 o\'erhanging \ines, 
 and ceneral tano"le 'iaveta i'ink ami whim. liEAu uirdi.e. 
 
 obstructing the wa)', antl in places sogg)' and hideously 
 muddy, after crawling through gates constructed out of living 
 trees which evidently had been trained from their stripling 
 period until their tall, thick, raddled branches and huge 
 trunks in course of years constitute formidable barriers. 
 There are, I was told, thirteen such gates, makino- Taveta 
 impregnable to the attack ol an enemy. The tiny cone- 
 shaped entrance, not three feet high, and about the same in 
 width at the bottom, is blocked b)' rolling huge logs against 
 the gap. Not only is Taveta stockaded thus, but the 
 tortuous maze-like paths diverging in all ways leading up 
 to a stream to be resumed on the other bank, and the 
 scatteretl boiiias, instead of congregations of huts, would 
 perplex, def\-, and frustrate an)- strange invader. 
 
 An awe crept over me. The porters were hushed, as we 
 struggled to threail our wa)-, imtil we attained the splendid 
 plantations of bananas, corn, sugar-cane, and tobacco. Arrayed 
 in brave splendors, the belles and beau.x, the husbands and 
 wives, crowded about us. The porters greeted old acquaint- 
 ances, and were welcomed in return with unmistakable fervor. 
 
2l6 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Almost all the huts and officers' quarters of the English 
 post, which is the market place of the Wa-Taveta, were 
 placed at my service. Great and many preparations had been 
 made by the resident officer, who had sent a letter to await 
 me, sa\ing that he was on the road to Taveta, and would 
 hasten if I sent him word. He arrived, with his assistant 
 and posse of men, in a few hours. 
 
 My caravan was installed under cover, but I declined to 
 accept any shelter apart from my canvas dwelling, although 
 I found the new house of the assistant a convenient 
 storehouse and agreeable to retire to and put up my 
 personal attendants. I was deeply touched at the efforts 
 made in my behalf to beautify and make convenient this 
 little hut. It means more in East Africa than in great 
 centres of civilization, where the refinements and accessories 
 of comfort are easy to obtain. 
 
 Never was woman more indulged and feted than was I 
 during my sojourn. My eye had become greatl)- inflamed, 
 and I was tenderly ministered to by men who did not hesi- 
 tate to administer personally the kibosh to any wayward 
 fellow imder his command, and this care for me was delicate, 
 sympathetic, almost reverential. Gentlemen, I publicly thank 
 you now ; you had not to do with an mgrate. 
 
 Caravans always make a habit of halting at Taveta 
 sufficient time to string their barter beads, in consequence 
 of the abundant growth of rapliia ]>alm, generally known as 
 niioliala ; its fibre is stranded into threads of various thick- 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 
 
 2 17 
 
 nesses. These incomings and outgoings keep the natives 
 in a perpetual state of expectancy and fete, as it were. The 
 market place and camping ground is within the homa of the 
 English post, and in order to collect the duties upon the 
 ivory there existed the somewhat arbitrary and uncomfortable 
 law, when I halted at Taveta, enforcing all caravans bound 
 
 FOUR PO^rBE CUPS. 
 
 for the coast, no matter what their destination or purpose, to 
 camp within the bonia under the immediate inspection of the 
 resident officer and his askari. 
 
 Wa-Taveta raise an excellent quality of tobacco, although 
 a trifle coarse through lack of proper cultivation, which they 
 do not habitually either chew or smoke, but use lavishly as 
 snuff, and the habit is prevalent among the women as well 
 as the men. This is universal among all tribes in East 
 Africa. 
 
 Their snuff-boxes are most varied and highly decorated, 
 often most beautiful. The ceremony of snuff taking quite 
 
2l8 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 outrivals the former court etiquette respecting the same in 
 France and other countries of the last century. When the 
 compliments of the clay and polite salutations are at an 
 end, snuff is proffered and taken all aroiunl. Having been 
 informed of this custom, I had taken a large supply of snuff 
 and tobacco with me. Whenever a snuff-box was presented 
 to me by m}' request or \olimtaril\' by an)' native ot any 
 tribe, every atom of the snuff was patient))' extracted with 
 jealous care before the donor surrendered it to me. 
 
 Their plantations are fertile, owing to the fact that their 
 district never suffers from prolonged droughts. In good truth 
 
 water can be obtained anywhere in 
 this village by using an Abys- 
 sinian pipe, and the stream 
 which cuts through in the 
 woodland part of the settle- 
 ment is reputed always to 
 contain abimdant water. 
 On all sides could be seen 
 in thrift)' condition quantities of 
 sweet corn, — -maize, — wimbe, or 
 millet, pumpkins, tomatoes, sugar-cane, 
 several varieties of bananas, a number 
 TAVETA BEAD COLLAR AND NECKLACE. of edible vlues wliicli arc 
 cooked as greens or eaten as salad, and sweet potatoes 
 that were somewhat fibrous. 
 
 The English officers have placet! a haml-mill within their 
 
ON TO TAVKTA. 2I9 
 
 boma for their own use, but generously accord to the natives 
 the privilege of using it to grind their corn and banana Hour ; 
 this relieves them of the tedious process of pounding the 
 grain and dried fruit in a wooden or stone mortar, with a 
 heavy wooden pestle, — an advantage they evidently seem to 
 highly appreciate, for the mill is never idle all day long. 
 Heretofore the women were allotted the task of pulverizing 
 the corn and bananas to an impalpable flour, and with ma- 
 ternal solicitude strapped their babes upon their l^acks, afraid 
 to put the little ones on the ground on account of the rav- 
 ages of the white ants, and they would be quieted and 
 rocked to sleep by the swaying motion of the mother's body 
 as she monotonously wielded the heavy pestle. 
 
 Honey bees thrive, and the Wa-Taveta manufacture 
 quantities of beehives out of logs ; they are cylindrical in 
 shape, three to four feet long, and a foot and a half in diam- 
 eter, hollowed out and then closed at one end, with a punc- 
 ture at the other to admit the ingress and egress of the 
 bees. 
 
 The honey is rather dark in color, but most delicious in 
 flavor and plentitul. It is put in hide boxes or calabashes. 
 We several times came across dead hollow tree-trunks, branches 
 lopped, standing erect, covered over with a removable piece 
 of hide, punctured to admit the bees, which were used for 
 hives. These primitives are utilitarians by nature. 
 
 Made hives are hung in the trees on the track of the 
 bee ranges, where honey flowers are most abundant. A similar 
 
220 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Utensil to the made beehives is used in which to brew 
 their pombc\ a concoction of sugar-cane, bananas, or cocoanut, 
 wimbe, and corn. When the masli is fresli tlie beverage 
 tastes very much like unfermented mead or beer, but in the 
 course of three days fermentation has reached a point when 
 the brew becomes a subtle intoxicant ; and as it is profusely 
 
 ^J brewed by al- 
 most every na- 
 tive of the tribe, 
 they are during 
 liarvest times in 
 a perpetual state 
 of jollification, 
 and all the un- 
 amiable qualities 
 and propensities 
 I if their natures 
 seem to be 
 strangely affect- 
 ed by this in- 
 toxicant. It is a 
 mistake to say 
 that the Africans 
 have been pollu- 
 ted in this respect by the invasion of white men, because they 
 have always, as far as one can ascertain, used potnbe and tcmbo 
 or other native drinks. 
 
 TIIK WdMAX I IF TAVETA. 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 2 2 I 
 
 At Taveta I met a woman, whom I please to call " The 
 Woman of Taveta," who was in sore trouble. Immediately 
 upon seeing me, if I may use the expression, she adopted 
 me into her confidence, and all her troubles were poured into 
 my ears, and by her earnestness she so engaged my interest 
 
 BEAD KELT PRESENTED KY THE WOMAN OF TAVETA. 
 
 and sympathy it was a delight to try and assist her to 
 some better state of daily existence, which would preclude 
 certain trials she was subjected to. She was a woman 
 of intense feeling, a lover of power, indeed was a leader 
 among women, and the wife of one of the elders. Her 
 word seemed to be beyond dispute with them all. She 
 was eager that I should be a friendly witness to all of 
 the strange customs and habits of her tribe, and she had the 
 power as well as willingness to give me the open sesame to 
 them all. Twice at midnight, when the moon dances of the 
 cl-nioraii, from which women of the tribe are excluded, were 
 in lull swing, she stole to my tent, mysteriously signed me 
 to follow, and silently led me through the forest to a seques- 
 tered spot to be an unseen spectator to the wild, riotous 
 performance of the utterly nude fellows, who were unaware 
 
222 
 
 SULTAN Tf) SULTAN. 
 
 of the presence of an interloper. Thus I was enabled to 
 become familiar with customs forbidden to the presence of 
 white men. How they pranced, gyrated, leaped in the air, 
 squatted on the ground and hooted, shook their long hair 
 and waved branches or brushes made of zebra tails, their 
 faces daubed, Masai fashion, with white chalk and red paint, 
 splotches on their cheeks, chins, and their eyes encircled with 
 broad bantls of color, their bodies shinine with erease under 
 the rays of the moon as the perspiration 
 started from every pore ! 
 
 riirnugh the Woman of Taveta's instru- 
 
 mentalit}', I saw a funeral ceremony in 
 
 which the stift corpse of a chikl was fixed 
 
 in a sitting posture amidst blazing fagots, 
 
 until all the flesh was burnt off from the 
 
 bones. Meanwhile the men formed an 
 
 inner circle arouml the funeral pyre, and 
 
 p^ave vent in a lusjubrious voice to a mo- 
 
 notonous chant, slowly moving in an unbroken 
 
 img round and romiil, whilst the women, form- 
 
 mg an outer circle, moved in a reverse direction, 
 
 and as if in response to the threnody of the men, 
 
 at stated intervals they would make a 
 
 calf's stom.'^ch . , 1 1 -1 1 • 1 1 
 
 sweepmo" salaam, and while; then- heads 
 
 HEAD-DRESS, ORNA- ' =• 
 
 MENTED WITH READS wcre Still bowecl, utter a piercing wail. 
 
 AND CHAINS. ,p, ,. , • n I 1 
 
 1 he little ones tiesh was soon consumed; 
 only the bones remained; the skull was taken and reposed 
 
ox TO TAVETA. 
 
 in a rude pottery urn, then carried to some distance and 
 lowered into a hollow tree containing the skulls of the de- 
 ceased members of the family. The bones were gathered 
 up by several men bedecked in flowing red and white cloths 
 and interspersed through the forest, evidently in places which 
 were already consecrated for the deposition of 
 such revered remnants 
 of the dead, amid the 
 exposed tree-trunks. 
 
 but not under the ground. 
 The)' have a strange idea that the 
 cadaver pollutes the soil, and de- 
 ters the fertility of crops. This habit 
 of disposing of the bones of those who have died normal 
 deaths, and the arboreal vaults with their accumulation of 
 bones, account for the suppositions that there have been 
 massacres committed, or that disease has ravaged the land 
 when found by caravans. There exists another burial custom 
 much more obnoxious. In a selected cleared spot not very 
 remote from their boiuas, well surrounded and hidden by 
 thorn-bushes and trees with dense foliage, beyond the obser- 
 vation of casual passers-by, if it were not for the foul, fetid 
 stench, in rude pottery urns turned up sidewajs are deposited 
 certain parts of the viscera, the heart and the head, and there 
 allowed to fester and decay, until in time nothing is lett 
 but the whitened skull. These burial places are not infre- 
 quently met with in all the villages I \'isited ; they are entered 
 
2 24 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 by a very low squatty opening through the thorn-bushes, 
 compelling those who seek to effect an entrance to get down 
 and crawl through on their hands and knees. 
 
 The idea prevails that by the preservation of the skull the spirit 
 of the departed is saved, and that the congregation in one place 
 of the skulls of a family or tribe guarantees a future reunion. 
 Superstitions concerning death are decidedly obscure and 
 extremely heterogeneous in East Africa, and yet there are 
 little threads which have various origins, running through the 
 tissue of what may be called their religion. 
 They worship the moon and the sun, 
 and revel in sonofs or chants addressed 
 to the rain during planting seasons. 
 The Wa-Duruma near the coast beat 
 drums, but they are the only tribe in 
 the part of East Africa I visited where 
 BRASS WIRE SPRING NECKLACE, they use clrums. 
 
 A decided aversion among all tribes exists in respect to 
 permitting an outsider to know of the death of one of their 
 number ; if a familiar is missed, and an inquiry made concerning 
 the absence of such a one, an answer promptly comes, "He 
 has gone on a safari" — doubtless to the great hereafter. 
 
 Among the Masai the corpses are often tossed into the 
 open, where vultures or wild beasts soon devour them. 
 
 The birth of a first child is quite an event, but not so 
 subsequent births. Children are not numerous in any one 
 family or sections of families. 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 225 
 
 Elders, or the oldish men who formerly, before the 
 occupancy of the English, exercised a dictatorship over 
 their tribe, strut about in a majestic way, with as much 
 sheeting as they can afford, ten, twelve, or fifteen yards of 
 Americana or white or unbleached or clay-stained drill or 
 cotton cloth, varied occasionally by Turkey red, or lasso 
 bandana handkerchiefs, — which trail behind 
 them, fastened over the shoulder, much like 
 a Roman toga ; and they have infinite grace 
 both in manner and speech, which seems 
 
 '■ COTTON CAP MADE 
 
 to marry well with their surroundings. on safari. 
 
 Many wear slung over their shoulders, attached to a 
 leather strap or chain, a little three or four legged stool, 
 which they carry, as they do their bows and arrows, wherever 
 they go, and, when paying a call or chatting in the open 
 with their comrades, they plant it on the ground to comfort- 
 ably sit upon, and take out from the knotted corner of a 
 bit of cloth their bead work, just as might a young white 
 girl engage in fancy work; these effeminate 
 warriors leave the toilsome avocations of 
 
 tilling the ground, and caring for the cattle, 
 COTTON CAP MADE and packing loads, and the duties of the 
 
 ON SAFARI. 1-^1 1 
 
 kitchen to the women. 
 
 Almost every individual, man, woman, and child, in the 
 Taveta community or tribe, carries a pombe cup, made from 
 a gourd, to which is affixed a long handle, sometimes beaded 
 or ornamented with metal rings ; the bowl of the cup usually 
 
226 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 bears numerous effective devices, which make an interesting 
 study to trace their origin. Many ot the designs have been 
 adapted with more or less variation, prompted by the taste 
 of the copyist, from the scroll work on the little cotton caps 
 which porters delight in making and wearing when on safari ; 
 sometimes too they were of Turkish, again even Persian or 
 Egyptian origin. I consider as a great acquisition the pos- 
 session of a pombe cup which bears upon obverse and 
 reverse sides the first attempt I found or heard of to repre- 
 sent the human form divine ; and quaintly enough, the 
 
 white man is distintjuishable bv his feet, 
 
 > . . . 
 
 ^- which are indicated by awkward lines to 
 
 ounterfeit shoes, and a school-child's 
 slate and pencil angular lines to represent 
 European clothing ; whereas, the native 
 iNLAin WOODEN BOWL. Is reprcseutecl with bare feet, and ears 
 stretched out of shape by heavy ear-rings. 
 
 Strange as it niay seem, when shown photographs, natives 
 have as a rule no real conception or appreciation of the 
 photographic semblance of human beings or animals. Sul- 
 tans Mireali, Mandara, and a few others are notable excep- 
 tions to this obtuseness. Photography is regarded as a 
 species of witchcraft or black magic. 
 
 There are certain beans and some sweet grasses made 
 into beads, and bits of horn, amber, iron, wood, animals' teeth 
 and glass beads, musk and xanilla, which are universally worn 
 as charms, alike to ward off evil as for dazva, or medicine, for 
 
ON TO TA\ETA. 
 
 2 2 7 
 
 all maladies. Their possessors are very reluctant to part with 
 these charms, or (^a7va. However, the)' will lend them one to 
 another, when suffering, but always reclaim them when the 
 recipient has been alleviated, or before if personally needed. 
 With some difficulty I procured a string of these beads from 
 a magic doctor who had lost caste, in consequence of his mis- 
 fortune in permitting a man of importance to die during his 
 
 DAWA NECKL.-iCE. 
 
 ministrations, hence he desired to capitalize his stock of 
 charms and bad dazoa, and make haste to the coast, knowing 
 that his own life was in imminent jeopard)-. Peculiar black 
 pine-like needles obtained from a huge forest tree, the name 
 of which I could not ascertain, these are punctured, and when 
 strung resemble the coarse teeth of a large rubber comb, 
 and are much-prized dauia for enceinte women. 
 
 Strange native medical practices were revealed to me 
 
228 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 through the auspices of the Woman of Taveta. The old 
 women are all skilled midwives. Mothers suffer ver)' little 
 during the period of gestation or in the throes ot childbirth. 
 A girl reaches puberty at the infantile age of ten. Youths 
 are circumicised by their own election when they no longer 
 wish to be children, but aspire to the station of cl-moran, as 
 early often as the age of twelve. The custom of circum- 
 cision must have maintained for many decades, for nature 
 frequently simulates it, and the parents boast of an offspring 
 
 m 
 
 ■liii 
 
 TAVATA BEAD BELTS. 
 
 SO pre-eminendy destined to be a warrior, and the favored 
 boy is pointed out as one elect. 
 
 All the natives are most delicate about alluding to any 
 complaints of \h<t\x titniba (abdomen). All seem to possess a 
 minor yet practical knowledge of the use of herbs and 
 roots, and of imported medicaments. Sulphur, cjuinine, blue- 
 stone tlo they beseech the leaders of caravans for. They 
 suffer from itch, ulcers, sore eyes, and fevers. The Woman of 
 Taveta told me of bubbling hot-water ziwis (springs or pools) 
 where those who were afflicted with various diseases, includ- 
 ing smallpox and elephantiasis, made pilgrimages and were 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 
 
 229 
 
 benefited, and of certain clays tliat the W'andorobo knew 
 about and brought down country that possessed curative 
 properties for coughs and stiff joints, a species of rheumatism, 
 and sometimes progressive paralysis caused from excessive 
 drinking and exposure to the ele- 
 ments. This paralysis, with 
 marked and retributive selec- 
 tion, inflicts the sultans and 
 important men of tribes, who 
 are in position to command the 
 largest harems, and indulge 
 themselves like Sybarites. 
 
 Personal decoration at- 
 tains a very great height 
 
 TAVETA STOOL, MADE OUT OF ONE PIECE. 
 
 at Taveta, especially among the 
 young men, who are much given 
 to dressing their hair in a very 
 quaint fashion, drawing it in 
 braided clumps, hanging down 
 sr over the face and divided 
 
 ^S^ in strands made over the 
 back of the head, hanging 
 over the shoulders, which they plaster with grease and red clay, 
 to which they frequently add bead and metal pendants. These 
 young fellows, who represent the Taveta snobs, smear their 
 
 TOP OF STOOL, DESIGNS BUR.NT IN'. 
 
230 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 bodies with grease, and tint tlitniselves with red clay. They 
 are very self-conscious and great posers, the very princes of 
 dawdlers and slaves of fashion. They divide themselves up 
 into little bevies, almost clubs, and they wear as an insignia 
 or badge of fellowship or brotherhood little armlets made of a 
 strip of cowhide, upon which are sewn beads in special 
 devices and chosen colors, which seem to indicate their 
 particular faction or club. They are great dancers and 
 merrymakers. The young fellows gather in groups and 
 dance as though in competition, one with the other; a dar- 
 ing aspirant will dash out from the circle apart from his 
 companions, rush into the middle of a circumscribed space, 
 and scream out, "Wow! wow!" another follows him and 
 screams in the same way; and a third, and so on. These 
 men will dance with their knees almost rigid, jumping into 
 the air faster and faster, until they bound with amazing 
 velocity, and their excitement becomes proportionately 
 greater, and their energy wa.xes more and more spasmodic, 
 leaving the ground frequentl\- fully three feet as they spring 
 into the air. At some of their festivals at which I was a 
 spectator, this dancing was carried to such a pass that I have 
 seen during a crisis a young fellow's muscles quiver from 
 head to foot, and his jaws tremble until his teeth chattered 
 like castanets in playing a tremolo, without any apparent ability 
 on his part to control himself, until he foamed at the mouth, 
 his eyes swimming about, his head wagging idiotically, from 
 his drivelling lips issued moans and shudders, and as one 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 23 1 
 
 drunk finally he fell in a paroxysm upon the ground, to be 
 carried away to a ])lace of retirement by his companions 
 until he resumed his calmness. 
 
 This state of seeking artificial physical excitement bears 
 a singular resemblance to the dances of other people out- 
 side of Africa. I am not purposing to make deductions, but 
 I think there is considerable opportunity to study compari- 
 sons as to the motive which prompts various people to en- 
 gage in this physical excitement. It would seem to emanate 
 from an undefinable species of voluptuousness. 
 
 The women also engaged in dances, ^t^-^y 
 and especially as guests, during wedding '/' 
 
 festivities, bedecked with all their fine ^i!;^,™... ,,_^ 
 
 toggery, they separate themselves from '''••'■'iK^^^^.li'^^'' 
 
 the men and follow in a procession, one ■« \>»~^ 
 
 child's bead fringe 
 after another, with their hands upon girdle. 
 
 each other's shoulders or hips, beating their feet in time, and 
 singing a strange, monotonous plaint, now and then inter- 
 spersed with shouts of laughter when they resume their 
 measured processional steps, jingling all the bells they have 
 about them with a peculiar jerk and lling of their hips and 
 shoulders as they go round and round, threading their way 
 through the forest, back again to the />omc7 of the host of 
 ceremony, drinking and carousing quite as much as the 
 young fellows. A certain amount of dignity is put upon 
 these gayeties by the presence of the elders; however, there 
 seems no viciousness in any of their games and pleasures. 
 
232 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 They have a certain amount of animation and youthful ex- 
 hilaration, which expresses and expends itself in an abandon 
 to muscular exhibits and jocose explosiveness. 
 
 They are very jealous of each other in their attentions to 
 the uiziingu (white man), and seemed especially so respect- 
 ing m)'self; one family would briny me milk and eggs, but 
 seeing that somebod)- had superseded them, would im- 
 mediately commence a tirade as to the bad quality ot the 
 other's eifts, and recommend- j) ing their own with great 
 
 vivacit)-. However, they were 
 so pleased to have the "white 
 queen" with them, there was 
 
 \\ nothing among their posses- 
 ja sions which I really craved in 
 the end they did not give me. 
 FINE CHAIN GIRDLE. Qf coursc, it is wcll uudet- 
 
 stood that these gifts were alwajs reciprocated by me, it not 
 in kind, certainly in excess of value, but that does not in 
 an)' way detract from the fact that they were willing gifts, 
 and i)resented with a free, open hand, without expectation 
 of return, as a tribute to the " white queen." 
 
 Poinding the children very merry, I endeavored to amuse 
 them in every conceivable way. Soap bubbles were failures, 
 tops successful, and huge colored balls great favorites. 
 Masks of animals' heads and grotesque human faces simply 
 threw children and adults into jjaroxysms ot glee, until the 
 fun became rather too boisterous, and my porters overstepped 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 233 
 
 the mark. As it was a gala day, and my four music 
 boxes were playing, it occurred to me a fine opportunity to 
 let fly some large Japanese paper kites, imitating birds 
 and fish, iVom which floated long streamers of bright-colored 
 taes. Takino- the end of the strings of several at once, the brisk 
 breeze inflated and carried them on their aerial flight far and 
 swiftlv into the air. True, the children were attracted, but 
 lo I instead of inspiring the delight I had expected, quick as 
 a flash the alert little chaps whipped 
 their bows from ofi their shoulders, at 
 the same time jerked their arrows from 
 their quivers, and with deadly aim shot 
 my poor kites, with imminent danger to 
 me, as their arrows spattered about very 
 freel}-. The voile)' was not discon- 
 tinued until every winged bird and 
 
 r 1 1 ,1 111 I!ONE .ARMLET. 
 
 nsh was brought low, the breath 
 
 knocked out of it, falling vanquished to the ground, a shabby, 
 shapeless thing, for the youngsters were animated more by the 
 inborn traits of hunter than juvenile play. 
 
 Not so with the adults. The)- queried with deep concern 
 what kept the aerials mid-air, and with much e.xcitement ex- 
 claimed and pointed to them as they floated serenely sky- 
 ward when 1 ran out in the open, free from trees, with my 
 arms outstretched over my head, manoeuvring to keep the 
 strings from becoming entangled. The vandal youngsters 
 were summarily waved away irom my encampment by the 
 
234 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 elders, who evidently thought it the most natural thing- that 
 I would eive vent to g^reat ancer at the wilful destruction 
 of my air birds and fish. 
 
 The children amuse themselves, as do other children, vying 
 with each other shooting at a mark and at birds on wing with 
 their bows and arrows, which they succeed in doing with great 
 dexterity. They have some idea of forming companies and 
 drilling, and accept a leader whom they are disposed to follow. 
 Their education is a rudimentary one of imitation, and not of 
 instruction. They are impressionable and observing. Their 
 reasoning faculties naturally would be quickened and vivified by 
 attrition and calling them into play, although at present they 
 are, at times, somewhat slow to comprehend innovations to 
 their old habits and customs. They are afraid of monkeys, and 
 the lemur makes frequent nocturnal visitations to the settle- 
 ments, to the distress of the people. 
 
 There are, in parts of these woods, the most beautiful 
 butterflies, and some bright-plumaged birds and marvellous 
 beetles. 
 
 Many of the men wear upon their arms jaw-shaped armlets, 
 which are placed upon the arm in )outh before the muscles are 
 developed, and become imbedded in the expanded flesh to such 
 an extent that removal is almost like amputation, so painful and 
 difficult is the operation. Upon the three arms from which I 
 took the armlets I have in my possession, the scars were so 
 pronounceil and disfiguring that the owners of the surrendered 
 ornaments insisted that they should have a substitute of suffi- 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 235 
 
 cient metal armlets to entirely cover the scars. There may be 
 traced a great significance and analogy between these bracelets 
 with the thyrsus of old. I was told by a very intelligent elder 
 that the figures graven on the reverse side of these armlets rep- 
 resented the male and female organs of generation, and the 
 armlet itself was of moon origin; and this was all I could de- 
 duce from them. But considering that the moon — Astaroth — ■ 
 was the goddess of the Phcenicians, and many of the mercenary 
 soldiers who served the Phcjenicians were reputed to be of East 
 African origin, there seems some- 
 thing at least to investigate, 
 wherein a close student may 
 possibly draw some conclusive 
 analogy. Since ofl'ering this 
 idea, I have received from an ^^'^'^ 
 
 American traveller a silver ring, presented to him by the late 
 King Ja-Ja, of Opobo, West Africa, representing, as he was told, 
 a shark's jaw, which is identical in shape with the East African 
 armlet, however, displaying no distinctive ornamentation device, 
 apart from a little rosette or flower form on the articulation of 
 the jaw, with no motive other than decoration; yet it is African. 
 
 With other tribes, they also have a great horror of insects 
 and all creeping things ; and there are constantly being met 
 many small vipers, puff adders, and a few pythons. One of 
 the porters of my own caravan was viciously bitten in the 
 foot by a viper, while cutting grass on the plain. 
 
 They detest rain falling upon their bodies, and use three or 
 
236 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 four broad banana leaves spread out over their heads as arca- 
 dian umbrellas. 
 
 I found they were very eager to possess needles and reels of 
 bright-colored cotton thrcail, which I had liberall)- provided myself 
 with. They had never seen a thimble, and when I showed them 
 those I had brought with me, the)' exclaimed almost immediately, 
 "Finger hives," quick to recognize an analogy between the 
 
 thimble and their hives. 
 Then upon discovering 
 the little indentations, 
 the)' tiu'ned and said, 
 "They have had small- 
 po.x." Scissors and ra- 
 zors and claspd<;nives 
 they were delighted to 
 receive, and hand- mir- 
 rors. In this there was 
 quite a difference be- 
 tween tribes, for I found 
 some who considered 
 the possession of a mir- 
 ror as an ill omen, and 
 woidd retuse to receive 
 jnsKii:, ]]\K iNii.i;i>KF.TKR. them, or if in a moment 
 
 of temptation they had accepted one, lost no time in returning 
 it with some apt excuse. 
 
 I was taken to their bonias in sickness and in their joy, and 
 
ON TO TAVETA. 
 
 237 
 
 although I found it most difficult to breathe witliin these chim- 
 neyless inclosures, with a fire always burning in the centre of 
 the room and their cattle stalled in one part, yet I never refused 
 to enter, in order to show them that I did not spurn becoming 
 acquainted with their habits and customs, and was most inter- 
 ested in everything they did. 
 
 
238 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ARCADIAN TAVETA. 
 
 LINTS of the daily existence of the arcadian 
 Wa-Taveta reveal many charming attri- 
 butes of character, so untrammelled, so 
 natural, that the town dwellers of other 
 countries can but sigh over their own 
 remo\al from a free pastoral life, 
 ^. apart from the perpetual worry and 
 "u labor of money getting, or even bread 
 nning. Although the Taveta dam- 
 sels are very fine in figure, their faces are not so attractive 
 as some of the highland tribes. I came very near being 
 betrayed into supposing that certain scars upon their bodies 
 were the result of tattooing, but after close inspection found 
 that they resulted from cupping, which they resort to ior 
 their headaches and stomach difficulties ; in fact, no matter 
 what malad)- afflicts them, they are great blood letters, and 
 the simple methods the)- employ I adopted with great ser- 
 vice during my caravan clinic. After excoriating the surface 
 with a little knife or a piece of Hint or a piece of wire, they 
 place over it a gazelle horn, with the pointed end cut off, 
 
a; 
 m 
 
 O 
 
ARCADIAiN TAVETA. 239 
 
 when they apply suction by holding the horn, first wet, firmly 
 against the part to be cupped, and then drawing with their 
 lips the blood; and if the malady is serious, they make 
 several applications, on difterent places, drawing as much as 
 an ounce and a half of blood from the sufferer. Some 
 Taveta wives file their teeth ; however, this is not a tribal 
 custom with the Wa-Taveta, but it indicates that the women 
 who do so ha v e 
 been married from 
 other provinces, and 
 the casual observer is often 
 
 WA-IEITA SWEET GRASS NECKLACE. 
 
 misled in supposing it to 
 
 be such. They also often color their teeth, finger nails, 
 and palms of their hands and occasionally their faces 
 with a red stain procured from the dracaene or she- 
 dragon shrub ; but as a rule the pure-blood Tavetas keep 
 their teeth beautifully white and polished with tooth-sticks. 
 These tooth-sticks are cuttings from small branches of a 
 saponaceous shrub, and are al.so universally used by Arabs 
 and Swahali. 
 
 Caravans bring up froni the coast nutmegs, which are 
 disposed of to the natives by the porters as charms against 
 disease, and taken internally to allay fever ; they form one of 
 the important stock medicines every ncpara, or headman, 
 carries. 
 
 Natives eat as a medicine, as a condiment, and as a 
 stomachic great quantities of red peppers, which grow indi- 
 
240 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 genously and abundantly. They are fond of raw plum 
 tomatoes, which I discovered to be delicious, and identical in 
 flavor to the cultivated tomato, perhaps a trifle more tart. 
 Ears of corn or maize are spiked about their fireplaces, 
 which consist of three stones canted inward so as to touch 
 at the top, or placed upright, under which the fire is built, 
 where they roast, bake, or boil the maize, which is most lus- 
 cious. They also eat maize raw, and so did we before too 
 ripe, when it is palatable and nutritious, full of sweet milky 
 
 VIEW OF KILIMANJARO. 
 
 juice which slakes the thirst. When they cannot obtain pure 
 salt, which tliey always crave, and is an appreciated article 
 of barter, they use chumvi-stone, which has a brackish, alka- 
 line flavor, and answers ver\^ well as a substitute. Salt is 
 found in great abundance in some of these highland districts, 
 according to good authority. Butter they churn by rolling 
 across their boma grounds or by shaking large calabashes, or 
 oblong wooden dug-out cylinders, like their honey boxes, 
 filled with milk. Rutter made of cow's milk is very white 
 
ARCADIAN TAVETA. 
 
 241 
 
 and waxy in appearance, strongly 
 flavored with banana, for the, 
 cattle are fed during the rainy 
 season on banana leaves and the 
 fruit that is unfit to keep or 
 exceeds the native's wants. The taste 
 for this butter I fancy must be acquired 
 by a foreigner. They also make goat's 
 butter, called gee, oily, strongly fla\'ored, 
 erous as the goat itself. This product is 
 in the cookery of native gormands, and 
 caravans, but to my taste it was decidedly 
 Mutton obtained from sheep of the fat- 
 is very strong, as is also that of the 
 beef is more or less tough. The chickens, 
 enough called kii-kus, are very tiny and 
 tives frequently sell a hen that is laying, 
 viso that the eggs laid for four days, or 
 arrangement, should be theirs. It is a 
 custom to string these chickens upon the 
 by the cook's mate, with pots and pans, 
 pouch is kept fastened under the hen, so 
 on the march, the egg is preserved; and 
 make sure that the purchaser will not 
 seller, the latter sends some boy of the 
 the caravan three or four days, in order 
 product on the spot. 
 
 milk 
 
 and odorif- 
 used largely 
 adopted b }' 
 obnoxious, 
 tailed species 
 goats. The 
 ij strangely 
 sinew)'. Na- 
 with the pro- 
 
 acco 
 
 rdinc 
 
 to 
 
 ver)' quaint 
 pole carried 
 and a cloth 
 that if she lays 
 in order to 
 defraud the 
 li tribe to follow 
 to take the 
 
 r. 
 
242 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Africans all have a particular taste and decided prefer- 
 ence for rotten eggs. It has been often cited that as a 
 reward for some act of l<indness on the part of white men to 
 natives, that the women, under the guise of gratitude, have 
 brouo;ht as thank-offerinos, e^ors — rotten eCTgrs ! Could thev 
 do more ? Even then* gratitude has been impugned by 
 almost every explorer and traveller, simply because the 
 
 natives' expression of this senti- 
 ment is at variance with 
 the white man's concep- 
 tion of what it 
 should be. They 
 gave what they 
 valued most, yet this 
 has been attributed 
 to a mean trait of 
 deception in their 
 natures, which are 
 judged so utterly de- 
 void of gratitude. The 
 civilized man is, after all, a 
 thorough Procrustean, intol- 
 erant ot the natural diversities of human nature, unjust and 
 illiberal once he departs from the limitations of his own 
 studied environments. He deliberately makes his reason 
 impervious to new truths by a heterogeneous composite of 
 principles and his own accepted theories. 
 
 'lAVETA PEOPLE. 
 
ARCADIAN TAVETA. 
 
 243 
 
 Domesticated and wild animals' hides they tan in a very 
 admirable and sometimes unique manner. They put aloe 
 juice upon the surface after having shaved off the hair, and 
 the hides are hung up or spread out to dry in the sun, first 
 carefully rasping from the inside all 
 the fat and fibre. To obtain 
 variety sometimes they cut or 
 shave the skins, leaving 
 
 BEBE BVVANA S CANVAS VILLA. 
 
 lozenge-shaped squares ^,. ' 
 
 as decoration, 
 
 which are re- .yfeftvi '' 
 
 J' 
 lieved by the bare 
 
 patches. This 
 style is much affected by the " smart " cl-inoran. They also 
 make a species of chamois leather from goatskins, which they 
 soften by friction and working in a large amount of grease. 
 Domestic and wild animals yield them a large quantity of fat, 
 or as they call it iiiafiita, which is valued highly; and, with 
 a little instruction, they could soon be taught to make soap, 
 candles, and especially ointments, lor they much need medica- 
 ment for ulcers and wounds. 
 
 The cowhides and other hides are used for making loin- 
 cloths, and togas for men and women, and shields and little 
 three-cornered flaps which they sling across the dorsal part 
 ot the back, with no apparent purpose if not to brighten 
 and whet the edge of their knives upon, e.xcepting that of 
 decoration ; although some writers assume they are to sit 
 
244 SUI.TAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 upon, — a thing impossible in tlie anatomical structure of those 
 whom I saw wearing the article. These they embellish with 
 little rows of delicate beads, and sometimes metal chains. 
 The lads carry wooden spears, artistically modelled after, in 
 fact a perfect counterfeit of, the fine IMasai metal weapons, 
 and these youths are always posing as prospective warriors. 
 They are e.xperts in the use of bows and arrows, shoot birds 
 and fish and at a mark in games of competition. 
 
 Men, women, and children are all equally good swimmers, 
 but use very little water to keep their persons clean ; in 
 truth, in some East African regions, they suppose the white 
 man's ablutions are part of a religious preparation before 
 prayer. They substitute, instead of water, grease, yet with all 
 of its nutritive and cleansing properties, by the aggregation 
 of the red clay they universally affect, the decomposition ot 
 the oil, never prime even when fresh, renders them rather 
 odorous, when stale it becomes foul and rancid. 
 
 Women shave their heads like the men, with the e.xcep- 
 tion that they often retain a small cushion or clump on the 
 crown, from which they allow to grow one or two long strands, 
 on which the)' string beads ; and even at times the)' strand in 
 little pigtails the entire unshaven clump of wool with beads. 
 The men frequently disport head-dresses made ot cows' or 
 calves' stomachs, stretched into shape upon their heads whilst 
 warm and pliant, soon after the animal has been slaughtered ; 
 these hang down over their shoulders from their foreheads, 
 completely covering their heads, and are variously garnished 
 
ARCADIAN TAVETA. 
 
 H5 
 
 with beads and delicate metal fringes and dangling diamond- 
 shaped or round glints of tin. The men are dandies of the 
 most effeminate order. 
 
 Most of the bead work is done by the men, and it is 
 not a rare sight to see an cl-nwran moving about in his 
 own or a friend's boma with a leather scabbard upon which 
 he works a glass bead or 
 namentation, or a wo 
 man's loin-cloth, 
 leather bracelet 
 belt, armlets, 
 anklets, for 
 some one 
 upon whom 
 he may 
 have 
 smiled, if 
 not, in fact, 
 for his lordship's 
 self. The regula- 
 tions ot conven- 
 tionality in the dif- 
 ferent regions seem to 
 be so set that various a quiet siesta in my palanquin. 
 
 shapes of beads lend a clannish caste to many ornaments and 
 personality to the panic of each tribe. An expert looks at an 
 approaching native, and at once he proclaims the newcomer 
 
246 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 to be either "Rombo"; "Taveta"; " Kikoro " ; "Kiboso"; 
 "Masai"; or "Kimangelia: aye, aye!" He seldom fails in 
 the speedy classification he denotes. 
 
 Apropos to this, a camp story was current to the effect 
 that Mandara, the Sultan ot Moschi, detected among his 
 women some Kiboso beads, the country of his dire enemy, 
 Sina, and forthwith accused them of infidelity, and of having 
 leagued against him, betraying his future plan of action to 
 his eneni)'. Forthwith he stripped them of their bawbles, 
 ducked them in the stream, daubed their heads with cow's 
 dung, and threw them as bait for prowling animals in the 
 forest, proscribing succor to them on penalty of similar 
 treatment to the violator of his command. 
 
 Certainl)- the Wa-Taveta are most extravagant if not even 
 luxurious in their love of decoration. Noticeably they, as 
 most of tlie Chaga tribes do also, wear great heavy pewter 
 armlets and leglets and necklaces, several at a time if they 
 are fortunate possessors of a number. All the women wear 
 a beaded belt of a set pattern, and those classed as the 
 wealthy disport quantities of various colored beaded fringes 
 as a cincture and fillets from which hang long strands of 
 Chaga metal beads, or chains of copper, iron, and brass. 
 
 Polygamy exists. It seems almost as a necessity more 
 than licentiousness, considering the environments. A man 
 accumulates more land or more cattle than his first wife 
 can attend ; he purchases another wife, and so on. The wives 
 are far from being jealous of each other ; in truth, are 
 
ARCADIAN TAVETA. 
 
 24; 
 
 delighted to welcome a new wife, and make great prep- 
 arations for her. Each wife has her own hut, if indeed 
 not her own boma. She has control of her own plantations, 
 and has the supreme right to her children. Her moral 
 standard is exacth' the same as her husband's. A woman 
 is only declassed when she holds liaisons with porters 
 in a caravan or with the enemy of her husband. Marriage 
 is b)' purchase ; the wile is bought 
 from her parents b)' cows, land, 
 spears, etc.; then the marriage cere- 
 mony is consummated by capture. 
 Her marital aspirant, with four or 
 five ot his comrades, pursues her, and 
 after capture she is secluded four or '^ 
 five days ; meanwhile the husband's 
 friends have been permitted certain 
 privileges before the husband claims 
 her. This is simply atrocious. The wedding feast is held 
 with great pomp and ceremony to every one but the bride, 
 who is secluded and presumably undergoing a preparatory 
 schooling in the hands of her husband's mother. 
 
 The established wives are full of merriment, and inter- 
 change many pleasantries with their lord and master, feeling 
 that their daily toil will be lightened. 
 
 Frequently the Woman of Taveta would bring a man or 
 woman to me and say, "This is my brother by m}' father, 
 but not the same mother," and "This is my sister by the 
 
 BEAD AND CHAIN 
 EMBBOIDERED LOIN-CLOTH. 
 
2A8 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 cl-moran my mother lived with before she married," or 
 "This is my brother by the same father and the same 
 mother." 
 
 A Wa-Taveta elder, or nizia, requested me to visit the 
 infant of one of his new wives and take my dawa saudiiki 
 
 (medicine box) with me. I went 
 out the medicine, knowing that if 
 worse, or perchance died, I 
 be accused of black art, 
 possibly arouse the 
 retaliation which would 
 barrassment. Within 
 congregated other 
 the sick child. 
 
 with him with- 
 the child grew 
 naturally would 
 tabooed, and 
 natix'es to some 
 e.\pose me at least to em- 
 the arena of the boiua were 
 of his wives than the mother of 
 The infant was held in the 
 arms of his maternal 
 grandmother. A throng 
 s.NUFF-Box. ^'*^^^ ^ °f intimates were sitting 
 
 and standing about, who ^^^^ had flocked there as 
 much to see Bebe Bwana, as out of sympathy for the dis- 
 tressed parents, or to lend assistance. 
 
 The little one was a victim to a malignant form of dys- 
 entery, and I knew from the pallor of his visage that his 
 doom was irrevocably sealed. Mercy would ha\e dictated 
 that the sufferer should be comforted in every way, most 
 certainly not violently forced to take nauseous nostrums. 
 The parents were not of the same opinion, for they deter- 
 mined without delay to administer another dose to the 
 
ARCADIAN TAVETA. 
 
 249 
 
 screaming, struggling cliild, who was on tlie verge of con- 
 vulsions in his wild efforts to resist his tormentors. Tears 
 suffused the mother's piteous eyes ; her stoicism evidently 
 was waning. The brave warrior father, seeing her falter, 
 came to the fore, addressed a few peremptory and not very 
 refined words to the grandmother, turned to me and .said, 
 
 NAllVli MAIL CARRIERS WITH DESPATCHKS lUUM HUiME. 
 
 " Bebe Bwana, this may make you sick ; it is not nice, but 
 it must be done." 
 
 Curiosity prompted me to protest that I did not object, 
 for I was in a quandary to know what he proposed to do. 
 The father took from his wife's hands a small gourd dish, 
 stepped to the fire, filled his hands with the white ashes 
 and mixed with a little water, thoroughly cleansed the 
 
250 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 vessel, then smeared honey on Its edge, before putting 
 into it the medicinal decoction, wliich emitted very strong 
 herbaceous fumes ; lie held this to the child's lips to no 
 purpose ; despite the honey bait, the little one kicked and 
 struggled. However, the relentless father concluded that 
 the child must be overcome ; the time for coaxingf had 
 passed. At a glance from him, the grandmother grappled 
 the child and crushed him, plunging and yelling. Mat upon her 
 lap; two of the lookers-on clutched the little martyr's feet 
 and hands, and the grandmother pinched his nose between 
 the thumb and forefinger. I confess experiencing alarm 
 lest I should, by my presence, be aiding and abetting a 
 murder. The dusky father held the gourd to the self- 
 sacrificing grandmother's lips. She took, with real abnega- 
 tion, a large mouthful; it bulged her cheeks out. Ha! there 
 was to be some vicarious cure. No, no. The infant scion 
 of this African house of distinction must take his own physic. 
 Soon the grandmother, without relaxing her grip of the 
 child's nose, in order to force open his mouth, bent over 
 him, and after fixing her lips against his, as he gasped for 
 breath, scjuirted into his mouth, out of her own, the noxious 
 dose. 
 
 Of all medicinal processes, antl I have seen some strange 
 ones, 1 never witnessed any to equal this in novelt\- and 
 expedienc)', for the spluttering youngster had to swallow 
 the dose or be suflbcated on the instant. 
 
 The deed done, the panting child subsided; then fell 
 
ARCADIAN TAVETA. 
 
 251 
 
 into a sleep of happy unconsciousness. No one seemed 
 touclied, even witli pity. One must naturally deduce that 
 there is no puerile nonsense among African families of 
 good standing. 
 
 Possibly the sequel to this may be of interest. The 
 child died. 
 
 Childhood's limit is very brief with the African children ; 
 in good truth, it seemed to me there were no real children 
 
 1.1 I.^Al \t 
 
 A FIRE DCRIMG A COl-li H.W. 
 
 after six or eight years of age. That is, they engaged in the 
 pursuits of, and mingled freely with, the adults, in so far as 
 their physical strength and adolescence would admit. They 
 seemed also to be perfectly acquainted with the existent rela- 
 tionships held by their seniors, even to the extent of passing 
 
252 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 comments upon certain customs, and avowing their future 
 intentions to follow or abandon a similar course when they 
 should have become cl-moran (young man) or en-ditto (a 
 marriageable young woman). This fact comes from the 
 mediocre limitations of the native adult mind, hence the 
 liiiJ":.'.-' children's accession to the same is compar- 
 atively rapid, although I must disclaim 
 that it evinces precocity. 
 
 I heard a boy of about six 
 say to a little girl no more than 
 five years of age as he strode 
 about, facing her, while he flour- 
 ished his wooden spear, full of 
 pride and impetuosity: "When 
 1 shall be cl-inoran and thou 
 cti-ditto, I shall win and wear the 
 bearded collar, and thou wilt be my 
 w ife, aye ! Thou shall have more 
 BEARDED MASAI warrior's bcads than all of Endella's wives 
 
 COLLAR, WON WHEN TWELVE 1 I TVT 
 
 FOES HAVE BEEN KILLED. put together. I liavc spoken! Now 
 walk with me and show to m)' fellows how a sultana 
 should look." And the two midgets, with all the pom- 
 posity imaginable, made a circle round about the young 
 people gathered in the market place, to become the 
 object of merriment and joke, but good-naturedly they 
 gesticulated and returned the pleasantries of the different 
 groups, and seemingly had their own little fun and glory 
 by thus emphasizing their rosy prospects. 
 
ARCADIAN TAVETA. 253 
 
 This bearded collar is worn by the Masai warrior who 
 has twelve times " plunged to the heart of twelve foes his 
 spear." Hence the ambitious, bellicose youngster proffered 
 to his young Dulcinea no mean outlook, if his boast met 
 with realization. 
 
 Throughout the section of East Africa I journeyed, I 
 was in a constant state of wonderment over the happy, 
 merry dispositions of the children, full of song and sport, 
 like arboreal sprites. The region can well be called, as is 
 Japan, the Paradise of Children. 
 Archery clubs are formed among the 
 youngsters and under the command of 
 a leader, selected, or who asserts himself, 
 because of his skill. They practise .shoot- '^laid g urd. 
 ing at a mark, and vie with one another with a pardonable 
 zest. They participate in games of running, become com- 
 petitors in swimming, diving, and dancing. In imitation 
 of adult blacksmiths, they make wooden spears, the precise 
 counterfeits of the metal ones. They are venders of all 
 sorts of produce at the markets, especially of chickens 
 and eggs. 
 
 Soon as they attain an age and have strength to en- 
 dure journeys, they are sent as couriers, and, when expe- 
 rienced, as guides. Their early exi.stence is spent in a per- 
 petual sort of rudimentary kindergarten and their education 
 is acquired by observation, imitation, and object lessons. 
 Like all aborigines, and animals, left to their own re- 
 
254 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 sources, they are constantly on the alert, more or less 
 wary, even to a degree of suspicion. In their primitive 
 condition they affect the mannerisms, adopt the customs, 
 and aspire to the estate ot their seniors, as have and 
 do the children of all nations. 
 
 The fact of the natives' simplicity, despite their detract- 
 ors, fills me with an abiding hope that if at the outset these 
 particular, amiable, and amenable tribes of East Africa have 
 sagacious, peaceful, fair treatment, and their natures are en- 
 ^ larged and they are led at a gradual pace to accept the 
 ways of civilization, there is much to hope for in their 
 intellectual unfoldment. Every move, every gesture, every 
 word, is scrutinized by these natives, and this habit of con- 
 centration imparts a contemplative seriousness which char- 
 acterizes the expression of their eyes. Strange, too, a 
 traveller among them soon takes on the same e.xpression, 
 in the endeavor to fully interpret the natives' eloquent 
 sign language, with which they vivify and supplement 
 their circumscribed vocal utterances. With a vocab- 
 ulary of two hundretl and fifty Swahali words it has been 
 affirmed that an observing person could travel, with a 
 dialect interpreter, all over Africa. As Emerson has truly 
 written : — 
 
 "The eyes of men converse as much as their tongues, 
 with the advantage that the ocular dialect needs no dic- 
 ti<)nar\', but is understood all the world over." 
 
 WAKKIUK'.S 
 
 spiiAK. Several ostriches belonging to the officer of the English 
 
z 
 
 u 
 
 D 
 
 o 
 
 X 
 'J 
 
ARCADIAN TA\-ETA. 255 
 
 post flourished at Taveta, to the natives' great annoyance. 
 Apparently the natives never became used to them, although 
 they saw them dozens of times during the day, as they 
 passed through the bonia bent on work 
 or pleasure. If the gawky birds flapped 
 their wings or made a rush, they would 
 scatter, yelling, and striving to make a 
 speedy exit, in clamorous terror. These 
 birds with the iamous stomachs would 
 
 CATHERINE WHEEL 
 
 swallow with impunity cartridges, old double trass ear-ring. 
 shoes, and all sorts of rubbish tendered them. An ostrich 
 breeding farm could be advantageously maintained there- 
 abouts, and stocked from the wild birds that haunt the 
 countr)' in great flocks. We encountered a number whilst 
 on the march. 
 
 They dry fish and jerk beef, which they cure by hanging 
 in their huts, e.xposed freely to the smoke of their fires. 
 Everything they possess, even their bodies and hair, smell 
 strongly of smoke. 
 
 An elder of imexcelled intelligence and standing among 
 his tribe told me that the fires were never allowed to go out; 
 that is, in the village ; a single family fire might become ex- 
 tinct, but this could be resupplied or reignited by getting a 
 blazing fagot from some friend's fire. But in the history of the 
 tribe, as far as he knew, the)' had always vigilantly preserved 
 the fire, as doubtless did their prehistoric ancestors. On a 
 march or when hunting or visiting from tribe to tribe, they carry 
 
^56 
 
 SULTAN TO SUl.TAN. 
 
 with them fire-sticks, which they deftly use by twirling rapidly 
 in the hollow of a bit of hard wood in which is placed dried 
 fibre until the friction. They also are acquainted with the 
 use of flint, and by scraping the fibre from the viwliala or 
 other fibrous trees they make a pulp which is quite as in- 
 flammable as tow. 
 
 ^^ 1 
 
 7>-^X. 
 
 »■>>. 
 
 * 
 
 ,, ,S. 
 
 m 
 
 tS*" 
 
 A FUTURE WARRUlR. 
 
 The children are very skillul in the use of bows and 
 arrows, and when I presented them with fish-hooks and 
 lines, to please me they would use them at the end of a 
 reed pole ; but no sooner was m)- back turned than they 
 would resume their old practice of obtaining fish by shoot- 
 ing them with wooden arrows in the water, or by using 
 weirs. 
 
ARCADIAN TAVETA. 257 
 
 Taveta's grand forest as well as its mountain, and its 
 reatl)' access to the plain, or hara, give the Wa-Taveta ample 
 security from invaders and scope for their plantations and 
 orass land for fodder for their stall-fed cattle, making theirs 
 almost an independent province ; and altliough it is said they 
 are of Masai origin, they are so gentle, pastoral, and peace- 
 loving I could but doubt the supposition, always going back 
 to the fact that their environment showed a long line ot an- 
 tecedents of like ilk. During the period of my sojourn in 
 East Africa there was considerable friction between the young 
 dandies, or cl-inoraii, and the elders, in Taveta, on the matter 
 of lumgo, or tribute exacted trom caravans passing through 
 their country. This has been abolished by the English gov- 
 ernment throughout in their protectorate, also by the Germans 
 in theirs, but it is evaded in an ingenious manner by the 
 natives, -who impress the newcomer with the Idea that 
 they will receive certain advantages and suret}' from moles- 
 tations in giving them presents ; and in former days the 
 elders received this toll, and made distribution as it suited 
 them. Now the young men personall)' desire to receive 
 this tribute, whenever they are able to e.xact it, and they are 
 continually holding palavers between themselves to determine 
 what effectual course to pursue. However, this exaction 
 must be short-lived ; the government will doubtless succeed 
 in totally abolishing it as an imposition and an indignity. 
 However, I did not pay Iioiigo to any tribe during m)' 
 safari. When approached respecting this, I said, " I am jour 
 
258 SUl.TAN TO SUl.TAN. 
 
 guest ; I am as a white queen coming to you. Would you 
 ask lioneo of the sultan of such and such a tribe should he 
 visit you?" and it successfully relieved me from further parley 
 or exaction. 
 
 They are very tenacious as to the qLiality of the cloths 
 the)- receive ; and although they are verj' much attracted by 
 bright colors, you will see them take a piece ot cloth and 
 hold it up to the light, to test its texture, and if it is too 
 thin they do not want it ; and the old habit of forcing upon 
 the native any trash as good enough for the negro, at least 
 in East Africa, does not at present answer. 
 
 They are kind to their children ; however, I found no 
 children in act or intention in any tribe I \isited in East Africa, 
 after the age of six ; they were little men and little women, 
 who, of their own accord, daily trudged to the noonday market 
 with a load upon their heads, happy and delighted to be in 
 the swim with their parents ; and the only child I heard cry 
 during my expedition, who was not an ill bab)', was a little 
 one who was restrained from going to market, and he 
 howled, and kicked, and yelled in such a fashion, alarmed, 1 
 paused to inquire the cause of his uproarious distress. 
 
 The utter freedom with which the men and women mix 
 together, and the homely intercourse between parents and 
 children, reveal a trait of their social life that is most eenial 
 and certainly not looked for. Possibly this leads to a certain 
 amount ot familiarit)' with matters and things in ci\'ilization 
 removed from the knowledge of the youth and the maid; 
 
ARCADIAN TAVETA. 
 
 259 
 
 but then one must admit that natives are naturals, and that 
 ignorance with them concerning natural things is as much of 
 a crime as innocence is a virtue in civilization. Although 
 they are not purists by any manner of means, let me sa)' I 
 savi^ in Taveta no manifestation of licentiousness, excepting 
 the matter of their dances. In talking with them as to the 
 English occupancy in their country and the benefits to 
 accrue therefrom, they would answer rather dubiously, " Aie, 
 aie ; yoh, yoh," and I fain discovered a tinge of regret, and 
 in their hearts I believe they would be content to go on in 
 their happy, pastoral wa)', without bothering their brains 
 about education, government, and all the confusing principles 
 of civilization. They live to enjoy, and enjoy to live, and 
 are as idyllic in their native waj-s as any people I ever 
 encountered. 
 
26o 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF LAKE CHALA. 
 
 ^jpt. HILST thti majority of my 
 JjvM- caravan were busy stringing 
 barter beads for poslio at Ta- 
 veta, I sought the opportunity 
 ot starting" on a little tour. .Ac- 
 companied by the resident Eng- 
 ih officer, Mr. Anstruther, but at 
 y own expense exclusively, with 
 my own selected corps of fifty porters, 
 solely as m\' own prixate expedition, 
 the last ot .\pril, 1S91, I made my first visit to the crater 
 Lake Chala, and descended to the water's edge. Under 
 the .same circumstances, en route to Kimangelia, a fortnight 
 later, with my entire caravan, we returned, and on May g, 
 1891, circumna\igatcd this lake. Through the courtesy of 
 the Germans, Mr. .\. was the lortimate possessor ot two 
 sections of a copper pontoon, which were the original prop- 
 erty ot Count Teleke, and abandoned by him as cumbersome 
 iinpcclhiicnla. These were conveyed between ten and twelve 
 
CIRCUiMNAVKiATION OK LAKE CHALA. 
 
 261 
 
 miles on the shoulders of ni)- porters, the distance from 
 Taveta to Lake Chala, in order to make the venture. 
 
 I feel prompted to offer an explicit statement of certain 
 facts, to exonerate Mr. Anstruther from criticism of having- in 
 
 l.AKK (JHALA. 
 
 SOU'I HWKSTF.RN VIEW. 
 
 an)' way violated the covenants of his legal and moral f)bli- 
 gations imder his iron-clad official commission with the Ibea 
 Compan) . 
 
 Finally, it will be well to state that absolutely in no in- 
 stance was m\' rule and order of command relinquished to 
 
262 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 any temporary guest or friendly escort iluring m\' entire ex- 
 pedition, nor in any way have I to acknowledge the success- 
 ful carrying forward or completion of my expedition to the 
 auspices or patronage of an\' European resident in East 
 Africa, however grateful I may be for certain courtesies. At 
 this period I owe to Dr. Baxter, formerly of Moschi, hearty 
 thanks for surgical care given to my eye, and tor the medical 
 supervision he bestowed upon the unfortunate fever-stricken 
 invalid of the caravan. Every time a white man chanced to be 
 with us, my porters were discontented and at times positively 
 sullen ; they seemed somewhat apprehensive lest the white 
 men might be installed in my place as leader. Like children 
 they would tlock about me to express their delight over the 
 departure of a guest. This spirit of displeasure was likewi.se 
 evinced by many natives, who seemed to have a latent sus- 
 picion that the white man would make some demands upon 
 them, or might be desirous of subjugating them, or fighting 
 with them. .So it was proved disadvantageous for me to 
 entertain or to be joined, when on the march, b;,' white men, 
 no matter who they might be. 
 
 Leaving Taveta during a great downpour about three r. m., 
 the ten or twelve miles' march was a great hardship to all 
 of the men, who were more or less demoralized and out of 
 condition in consequence of the long encampment. Night 
 overtook those who were in tlie rear, and after delays and 
 tumbles into animal pits, tliose belated straggled in camp at 
 all hours until after davlight. Wood for fuel was scarce, as 
 
CTRri'MNAVICATION OF LAKE CHAI.A. 263 
 
 there was nothing growing immediately about the ston)' place 
 of our encampment, close beside the rim of the lake, but 
 thorn-bushes, and the rain had soaked everything. It was a 
 night of discomfort ami anxiety, for we were in the immediate 
 haunts ot wild animals and the so-called fierce Rombos. 
 
 The gradual ascent from Taveta to the rim of th(- crater 
 lake on the western side is only a little above the level of 
 the plain, and on the southwestern end there are abrupt 
 peaks two himdred to four hundred feet high ; the level of 
 the water, as shown by our aneroid, attained a level of one 
 hundred and ninety-five feet below the encampment, and 
 about tour hundred and forty-seven feet above Taveta. And 
 the temperature of the water near the surface was only one 
 and one half degrees lower than the atmosphere registration. 
 The lake is near the western side of the stream Mfuro, or, 
 in the Masai lano^uagfe, Naromosha, but accordin"' to some 
 travellers misnamed the Lumi. We find Lake Chala north 
 ol Taveta on the northeastern side oi Kilimanjaro, about 
 3'-"' 22' south latitude, 37° 17' east longitude, over three 
 thousand feet abo\-e the sea level. 
 
 The crater's crest rises above the surface of the lake 
 eight hundred feet at its highest point, and at its lowest two 
 hundred and fifty feet. The lake, roughly estimated, is two 
 and one half miles across at its widest point, and from si.x 
 and a halt to eight miles in circumference. It is environed 
 by massive blocks ot perpendicular rough rocks, which e.xtend 
 like a subterranean wall far beneath the level of the water. 
 
264 SUI.TAN TO SULTAX. 
 
 Interminable vines and thickl\- gnnvn forest trees present a 
 forbidding appearance on all sides. 
 
 The late missionar\' New \vas the first white person to give 
 an account of this lake and ot his difficult descent to the 
 water's edge in 1S71. Ho\ve\'er, the explorer Thompson 
 writes of this lake with reference to its inaccessibility: "1 
 went all around it; and although I am not deficient in enter- 
 prise or nerve, I saw no place that I dared descend, not even 
 if I could ha\'e swung trom creeper to creeper like a monkey." 
 
 .Standing on the crest of the rim of this crater, looking 
 down upon tlie cr\stal water which was cupped therein, at 
 first 1 \vas well impressed with the impossibility of descending 
 to the water's edge, unless some means could be devised as 
 a substitute for fl\ ing. Nevertheless, on the assurance of Mr. 
 A. of Ta\'eta, who had some months pre\-iously descended to 
 the lake edge, nothing tlaunted, 1 determined to make the 
 venture. There was a Aveirtl attractiveness overhanging tliis 
 place that overawetl even the natives. All accounts I could 
 glean about it were so vague that I wanted to taste ot the 
 forbitlden irult m\sell. With an ach'ance guard of onh" two 
 men, alone, for Mr. A. remained at the top to direct the 
 pontoon bearers, I fouml myself attempting to j)enetrate 
 through a girdle of primexal forest trees, tossed, as it were, 
 b\' some \-olcanic action against the rock base, and seemingly 
 as impenetrable as any stockade. With bill-hooks and knixcs 
 they cleared a slight opening through which I managed to 
 squeeze, on emerging to fintl mjself standing on a bowlder, 
 
CIKCl'MXAXK. \IIoN I )F LAKE CHALA. 
 
 265 
 
 \vhicli was balancetl upon another bowlder, antl ever)' mo- 
 ment's tarriance seemed U> imperil m\' ecjuilibrium ; antl as I 
 dared to Aentiire on other uncertain surlaces which presented 
 a footin;^-, it n'ljuired cat-like ag'ilit\" to crawl or slide down, 
 
 LAKE CHALA. NORTHF.ASTF.RN VIEW. 
 
 sometimes landing' in a bed of lea\'es, which must have been 
 the accumulations of centuries, and into which I lre(}uentl\' 
 .sank up to m)- armpits, and had to be hauled out b\' niain 
 force by m\' men; and then bv clinoim'' and clutching to the 
 branches of overhanging trees, after great eftort and consid- 
 
266 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 erable peril, succeeded in laboriously attainintr some odier 
 foothold, step by step advancing, again and again to be 
 opposed by gigantic trunks of trees, which, lightning-smitten, 
 had fallen as a barricade, or through some potent eruptive 
 force had been uprooted and turned themselves top down in 
 solemn humiliation. .Anon, a bowlder, loosened from its scant 
 earth)- holdings, would come crashing matlly down from the 
 top and shiver into fragments the white skeletons of these 
 trees. The weirdness of the scene was intensified by the 
 strange whirring of birds frightened unceremoniously from 
 their hitherto undesecrated homes, and the whisking ot myr- 
 iads of monkeys as the)' leaped from branch to branch with- 
 out emitting a chatter in their fright. A whistling eagle beat 
 the air with its wings directly over my head, scattering its 
 feathers like storm-flawn flowers in its wild flight, and white- 
 hooded owls peered out from sequestered nooks and twoo- 
 hooed in solemn amazement. The e.vtreme sheerness of the 
 rocks made the descent hazardous, tortuous, and very tedious. 
 Constantly obliged to turn back on my path, searching and 
 groping, creeping on my hands and knees through tangles ot 
 interwoven tissues of rubber-vines, and so was compelled to 
 cautiousl)- feel with m\- feet, and be content with the greatest 
 slowness. The danger attending e\-er)- movement and the 
 spectral weirdness of the place inspired me and even affected 
 my men with awe. M)' advance guard woidtl sometimes 
 whisper words of warning, afraid to utter a sound, and e.x- 
 tended his hand (jr arm to prevent my plunging headlong to 
 
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF LAKE CHALA. 267 
 
 thi! bottom. All this filled me with an excitement and imparted 
 fresh courage, anci re-enforced my determination to overcome 
 the difficulties of the uncann\- spot, cost what it might, so 
 long as 1 shoukl be able to climb, or crawl, or slide, or step, 
 or simply let myself go with utter blindness, and risk the 
 incumbent results; for the goal bewitched me in anticipation. 
 Through gaps in the massed trees, through which 
 the sun could scarcely filter, the arboreal darkness was 
 pierced b}- a radiant gleam of light, and the flashing lake 
 greeted my e.xpectant eyes. There arose a general shout 
 from the men, "Chala!" " Chala ! " and behold! I found my- 
 self rewarded by being upon a rugged, rough tangle of 
 prostrate trees and wild tumble of white and gray rocks, 
 whilst the limpid, restless waters were laughing and dashing 
 themselves into a jubilant foam at my feet. The scene was 
 one of which I became enamoured. It was truly overcast 
 with a sublime sense of a holy sanctuary. Losing myself in 
 the spectacle, I forgot that Mr. A. and porters, with the two 
 sections of pontoons we had taken the precaution to bring, 
 were waiting eagerly for me to give the signal agreed upon 
 when once I should be safe at the bottom on the lake 
 shore. After a moment's revery, recovering myself, I 
 sounded the whistle. Then the deafening crash and )ell and 
 rush commenced, as the porters struggled valorously with 
 their precious burden down the narrow, serpentine, rugged 
 figment of a path, which we in the van had essayed to 
 make. 
 
268 SULTAN TO SUI.TAN. 
 
 The marvellous ingenuity whh which these porters manoeu- 
 vred their metal loads, and the stoical way, when they would 
 slip and their burden fall upon their shoulders, and cruelly 
 dig out chunks of flesh, the blood trickling from their wounds, 
 they would struggle to their feet and go on without com- 
 plaint, called forth from their comrades screams of applause, 
 whilst the leaders sung a wild, weird strain full of rhythm, just 
 as we find men who are moving heavy loads always instinc- 
 tively do in order to keep time with each other's movements. 
 
 Finally the two copper sections of the pontoon were in 
 the water. The)' were immediatel)' e.xamined to see if there 
 had been any puncture made through the thin metal sides 
 in their difficult transit. They were scarcely large enough, 
 when lashed together and covered with a vizvhala door, 
 which had been converted into a platform, to hold 
 m\self and men, and presented to the onlooker a most un- 
 safe maritime structure. The moment came to embark, and 
 on demanding, "Where are the men who are to accompany 
 us?" not one would respond ior the first excursion; subse- 
 quently Joseie and a headman were perfectl)' willing if not eager 
 to distinguish themselves by going. Pre.sently they murmured 
 amonp- themselves, " No, no ; we will not eo on Devil's 
 water. Just see the crocodiles, and hear the monkeys, and 
 look at the breath of the devil. luslialla (God willing), we 
 will remain with our feet under us on shore," as they 
 pointeLl to the water which was in some considerable com- 
 motion, revealing here and there its amphibious denizens. 
 
CIRCUMNAVIGAriON OF LAKE CHAI.A. 269 
 
 After going through tlie usual process ot calling them 
 goats, and cowards, and jungle-men, m\' interpreter, [osele, 
 who was somewhat of a darede\il, and ready for an adven- 
 ture, stepped torwanl, saluted me, antl saitl (juite gallantly, 
 " Bebe Bwana, at your service." So Mr. A., Josefe, and 
 myself, with our giuis and photographic instruments, em- 
 barked upon the bobbing pontoon with two long improviseil 
 paddles. We pushed carefully out from the shore, amid the 
 shouts ot the bewildered porters, who eagerly watched the 
 performance, fully persuaded in their own minds that it must 
 end disastrously, having taken the precaution to attach a 
 haw.ser several hundred feet in length to the uncouth craft 
 in case of accident. The crocodiles were very curious, not 
 knowing w-hat to make o( the invasion of their haunt, and 
 came in close proximity to our uderpinnings, as with one 
 paddle I man(cuvreil to guide the craft and Josefe awkwardly 
 propelled with the other, whilst my guest kept a sharp look- 
 out for the obtrusive aquatic creatures. After moving the 
 lencrth of the hawser, we found the craft was manageable, and 
 cut loose, to the horror ol the men grouped on the rocks. 
 
 At ever)- turn there arose from the midst of the crater 
 forest great flocks of birds, which had all the appearance of 
 being ducks, but which have since been named by the late 
 Mr. Bates, Plialacrocorax Africauus and Phalacrocorax carho, 
 a species of cormorant but edible. They cawed and screamed 
 and whirred about, making a great commotion, and, u[)on our 
 ajDproach, would dive into the water, when the crocodiles 
 
270 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 would immediately give them chase, which was obvious on 
 account of the extreme limpidness of the lake. I was enabled 
 to bring back several specimens, shot from my craft on the 
 lake, as well as a specimen of monkey which has as yet not 
 been named. 
 
 Gazing up at the steep cliffs on all sides, the vines hang- 
 ing In theatrical festoons, and the weird, weird beauty of the 
 
 various foliaije contrasting- with 
 
 the grand trunks of whited 
 
 trees, the strange murmur 
 
 of the waters, the remarkable out- 
 
 PHALACROCORAX "£>■ 
 
 AFRicANus. _»w»»*^ break of waves crested with foam, the 
 
 small circle of sky as I looked up, and the mad tumble of 
 rocks, all contributed to make it seem as though I was in 
 some phantom land. 
 
 Everything was most eldritch and immense. At the firing 
 of a gun the reverberations came back like a thunder-clap — 
 sharp, crashing. I should not have been surprised to have 
 seen the whole lake covered with some imcanny creatures, or 
 to have seen the apparition of some mammoth forest king 
 issue forth and assert himself as monarch of all we surveyed, 
 and crush us out of existence as invaders. The hours spent 
 upon this lake at different times held me in a thraldom of 
 wonder. There was little said, very much thought, and 
 imagination thrilled my brain with the ineffable pleasure 
 which 1 had craved and sought for years, of being the first to 
 visit a place undefiled by the presence of man before. 
 
1 
 
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF LAKE CHALA. 27 1 
 
 The thing which surprised me most was the fact that when 
 I pkinged my paddle two or three feet imder the water at 
 various points, the suction was so great it would be drawn 
 away from me, and only with difficulty could I recover it and 
 resume control ; and at other points it would be drawn beneath 
 the float, and again I would have to tug lustily to pull it 
 back. At the same time the entire lake was in agitation ; it 
 was bubbling almost like a hot spring, and yet there was no 
 rift in the rim of the crest through which currents of wind 
 could sweep down and cause this commotion. 
 After trying to make a sounding with a 
 plummet and line ol two hundred and^^ 
 fifty feet, without success, I determined that it 
 
 PHALACROCORAX 
 
 was the reservoir for the meltings of the snow carbo. 
 
 from Kilimanjaro, and that these under-currents and counter- 
 currents were due to subterranean in-takes and outlets, and that 
 this body of water fed the streams of the plains, and was a water- 
 shed subsidiary to Kibo and Alawenzi. Another remarkable 
 thing, although the dashing of the water at different times must 
 have reached a greater height than its level when I was afloat 
 thereon, as shown by the moisture upon the boundary rocks, they 
 were unstained by decayed vegetation and uncolored by mineral 
 deposit. It was perfectly clear and clean, as evidenced by 
 the specimens of rock I took the pains to bring home for 
 analysis. The water to the taste was not disagreeable, but 
 was sott and sweet, a trifle warm, 72°, whereas the atmospheric 
 mean temperature was 74°. As we cast about the margin of 
 
272 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 this lake, with its seductive little insects making unrevealed 
 bays, until one was fairly upon the turn of the margin, it was so 
 exquisite and beautiful ! and as far as the water scene and the 
 surrounding forest of vegetation, I could scarcely believe it pos- 
 sible such beauty could be encompassed within the precincts of 
 the crater lake, nor have I ever heard or read of a parallel crater. 
 Although this is doubtless one of the last evidences of a 
 volcanic eruption in this region, it has survived the memory 
 of the people. The fabulous tradition concerning it is that 
 
 KILIMANJARO. 
 
 when the sun sank into the mouth of Mawenzi, the Masai 
 village which was located upon the site of the lake when Chala 
 was a mountain was tossed into the air, and crreat rush of 
 water rose, filling up the .space and making the present lake, 
 and hatl swallowetl the i)eop]e ; and that the strange murmur, 
 which is almost unaccountable, is caused by the spirits of those 
 unhappy wretches, and the soughing of the trees is the lowing 
 of the cattle and bleating of the sheep, and the clapping of the 
 
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF LAKE CIIALA. 273 
 
 reeds is the cackling of the fowl. Another version of this 
 tradition is that the people of the Ma?ai village that was once 
 located here had committed so many depredations against 
 other tribes, became arrogant and ungrateful, and refused to 
 pay tribute for years to Kibo and Mawenzi ; so the angry God 
 of the Mountains inundated their village, and swept them far 
 away out of existence. 
 
 "What length of far-famed ages, billowed high 
 \\'ith human agitation, roll along 
 In unsubstantial images of air !" 
 
 Capt. Sir John C. Willoughby says : " Making a slight 
 detour, by climbing the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro, which 
 enabled us to visit the curious Lake Cala [Chala], no 
 sooner had we ascended the low hills encircling its eastern 
 shore than we were rewarded b)- a glorious view. At least a 
 thousand feet below us nestled the lovely lake, somewhat 
 triangular in shape, and from one to two and a half miles in 
 its widest diameter, completely embedded among hills and 
 cliffs, — a basin in which the great Masai Mountain God could 
 always wash his hands. From our position its shores appeared 
 inaccessible, but the natives declared a descent was practi- 
 cable." Notwithstanding this statement, I was not enabled to 
 find that any of my porters had heard of any one descending 
 to the surface of the lake, or to meet any native who had gone 
 to the water's edee or who could be induced to descend " 
 thereto ; and instead of being the subject of curiosity, which 
 I had apprehended and was desirous to avoid, when the natives 
 
2 74 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 knew I intended to descend, and witnessed my preparations, 
 they flew back, terror stricken, into their mountain villages, and 
 not one intrusive eye would gaze upon the white woman on the 
 Devil's water. 
 
 Bewitched by Lake Chala, I made several descents at 
 different times, and floated my little American flag from the 
 pontoon craft during its circumnavigation. To facilitate matters 
 at some future day, when I hoped to return, the historic little 
 craft named for me was buried in a bed of leaves, and I re- 
 tained a key describing its secret hiding-place. Several slabs 
 loom up at various intersections of the lake margin, defiled by 
 red paint, which emblazon my name and the date of this exploit. 
 
 Having completed for the time being my explorations of 
 Lake Chala, I turned my attention to the people who inhabit 
 that section of Africa. 
 
 My ears had been filled with warning as to the hostilities 
 of the Rombos, consisting, in four or five provincial divisions, 
 of a tribe known respectively under the names of Rombo, 
 Rombo Chini, Rombo of the Bara, Rombo Colis, inhabiting 
 the plain and hills between Lake Chala and Kilimanjaro ; so 
 with justifiable precaution my men were well armed, albeit I 
 was fully determined, unless the most desperate events should 
 compel defence, under no pretext to use firearms, and had 
 impressed this upon my porters before making the venture, 
 giving strict orders to my headman to punish any porter 
 severely who violated my command, and under no circumstances 
 to fire at natives, or even the wild animals haunting this region,^ 
 
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF LAKE CHALA. 2/5 
 
 without word of command from either myself or himself. My 
 first impression of the physical aspect of their domain environ- 
 ing Lake Chala was most inauspicious, presenting great gloomy 
 hill slopes, with basaltic formation and rotted lava stones inter- 
 spersed with thorn-bushes, although overshadowed by the majes- 
 tic twin peaks of Kilimanjaro, — snow-capped Kibo, crenelated 
 Mawenzi, — which certainly lent a scenic splendor to the horizon. 
 The plantations, which are unquestionably fertile, were so far re- 
 moved from my line of march that they were scarcely discernible. 
 A succession of animal pits ranged immediately below the 
 point where we were to encamp, which were set by the Rombo 
 
 ROlMBO SPEAR. 
 
 people, who are trap hunters rather than hunters of chase. 
 The curious construction of these animal pits is worthy a 
 word. The Rombos and other native trap hunters dig a pit 
 of about four feet wide, six to ten feet longf, si.\ to eigfht or 
 ten feet deep. This is covered over with brush, and presents 
 no appearance of a trap to the casual eye. They are spaced 
 at the distance of say a foot between, ten or twelve in a row, 
 so as to intersect a path to a water course or water pool. 
 These traps are baited or not, and the Rombos beat the bush 
 and jungle thereabouts, and drive the animals who are seeking 
 water or prowling for food into them, and afterwards kill 
 their prey with spears or arrows. However, they frequently 
 leave the traps undisturbed, and withdraw to their hillside 
 
276 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 bomas, and await the chance of the animals straying unto- 
 wardly into them. These are used for elephants, lions, and all 
 other big game. Mischief not infrequently befalls an unwary 
 traveller or a caravan passing through the country during the 
 night, who may fall into these pits and become seriously 
 injured; and there are credible accounts that men have tum- 
 bled into the very jaws of lions which had already become 
 victims. Another method ot making a trap, especially for 
 elephants, is by excavating a large pit on the usual caravan 
 route, covered with an ingenious intertwining of vines, upon 
 the top of which is placed a covering of sod and sand, to all 
 appearances no different from the rest of the path. These 
 are excessively dangerous, because interspersed beneath the 
 outer covering are sharp spikes, made of tusks or spear-heads, 
 or even giant thorns, to step upon which is most injurious 
 and painful. These are incidental disadvantages to pleasant 
 promenades, and can be warded against b)' the judicious em- 
 ployment of native guides, when one desires to jaass through 
 regions known to be habited by natix'e hunters. 
 
 To reiterate, the Rombos living in this region have ever 
 been deemed a very ferocious people, tricky in their dealings 
 with other natives, and the marauders of passing caravans. 
 Some of their villages have been closed even against the 
 Arabs, and they bring their products to barter down upon the 
 hara, or plain, rather than admit strangers into their kraals. 
 With the warnings which I had received, I felt imbued with 
 a sense of precaution and unwillingness to enter their villages 
 
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF LAKE CIIALA. 
 
 277 
 
 until I could decide from their manifest attitude 
 likelihood of their looting my caravan 
 and probably murdering me. He 
 ever, after being beset with ear 
 nestness by the prime minister ot 
 one of the sultans, I concluded 
 to go and see for myself; and 
 at an hour when the men were 
 all resting and I could safely 
 leave the camp without obser- 
 vation, I selected four of m\ 
 most trusty headmen and an 
 interpreter, and visited one of 
 the Rombo villages, to find the 
 delighted people most civil, and 
 eager to do Bebe Bwana hom- 
 age. They were neither un- 
 couth nor unkind nor ungen- 
 erous, and certainly far from 
 being hostile. They loaded me 
 with gifts of beautiful furs and 
 such other of their worldly pos- 
 sessions that I chanced to 
 admire. Although, with few 
 exceptions, men, women, and 
 children were in an absolute, state 
 of nudity, the men carr>-ing shields romb^ 
 
 as to 
 
 BO SHIELD. OUTSIDE. 
 
278 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 made of hippopotamus hide three feet long and a foot wide, 
 bossed and with pressed designs, they brandished spears, the 
 blade end not a foot loner and narrow, carried bows and arrows, 
 their deportment was as manly as one would naturally expect 
 from civilized people. When they were presented b}- me with 
 cloth (and this I wish to explain fully, because I have been very 
 much misquoted on the subject), they looked about and saw in 
 what manner my porters were bedecked. However, instead of 
 putting their cloth on from a sense of prudery or 
 ''^ shame, they were as likely to hang a piece of four 
 or five yards trailing from their shoulder, or try 
 to twist it about their heads as a turban, or 
 tie it on to their arm or leg, as much so as 
 they were disposed to use it as loin-cloths 
 or surround their bodies. The idea which 
 evidently prevailed with them, as in lact it 
 I does the world over, was simply to follow 
 i .1 fashion, and to imitate what they thought 
 was fine in some one else. They have no 
 consciousness of their nakedness. They 
 bore themselves with so much dignity, and 
 1 o-rew to regard their color as abundant 
 ROMBo sHiKi.ii. INSIDE, clothing for them in their primitive simpli- 
 city. Truly they were clothed with io^-a virilis, a robe 
 of manhood unfashioned by any mode of civilization, but 
 inborn. 
 
 In passing, as an illustration of the effect of superstition 
 
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF LAKE CHALA. 279 
 
 upon these people, which reduces them to a timorous, suspi- 
 cious state, the following may be interesting. 
 
 By the suggestion of a man who had gone from coast to 
 coast of Africa, subsequently spending a year in East Africa, 
 holding a position which should have given hini full insight, 
 one would suppose, into the habits and tastes of the natives, 
 and who should have known what would have .^s? 
 amused them, I took a dozen bright feather toy 
 birds, which, by means of a rubber bulb and x^ t,.,. — -v- 
 tube, are made to hop about with great anima- toy bird. 
 tion. The dull day came when, quite at my wit's ends to amuse 
 some visitors from one of the tribes of Rombo, suddenly I recol- 
 lected the birds. The case containing them was opened, and 
 with great flourish I wound up my music box and set the birds 
 to gambol before the wide-open-eyed guests, as they squatted 
 expectant on their heels around my tent. 
 
 Presto ! in two seconds that robust vision of dusky war- 
 riors, yelling at the top of their voices, presented nothing 
 but heels. They ran like the rushing wind, terrified by the 
 innocent toys, and as il pursued by his Satanic majesty. 
 
 The next morning, through the prime minister of the 
 tribe, they indignantly requested us to leave their sultanate. 
 Unwittingl)' I had actually betrayed my entire caravan to 
 imminent peril, as the performance was looked upon as 
 black art. 
 
 Nothing more of these natives was seen ; and after 
 exhausting every resource in my efforts to induce them to 
 
2 8o 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 return and accept of our amity, they persistently refused, and 
 I was unable to procure food for my men. This threw us 
 into a very sorry dilemma ; for we were quite depending 
 upon reprovisioning the caravan at this village, for food was 
 scarce and cattle d)ing off rapidly several marches beyond 
 this point of our journc\-. 
 
 HOSTILE ROMBOS. 
 
 Having to submit to the folly of my experiment, so inno- 
 cently made, it opened up a new field of consideration as to 
 a characteristic in their nature of which I had previously 
 been entirely ignorant. 
 
 This recalls another incident which shows the importance 
 of striving to understand the peculiar characteristics of 
 different tribes, in order to know what impression they are 
 likely to receive when experimented upon. 
 
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OK LAKE CIIALA. 
 
 281 
 
 ROMBOS. VICTIMS OF GERMAN GUNS. 
 
282 SULTAN TO SUI.TAN. 
 
 Observing a bevy of young warriors and girls hovering 
 about one of my tents, I took a hand-mirror and through 
 the ventilator of my personal tent, unseen by them, I caught 
 the sun's rays and threw the reflection upon the group, 
 never for a moment thinking of the cross-lacing in front ot 
 the opening. This made the reflection fall in checkers or 
 squares. An instant sufficed. They scrambled pellmell 
 away, thinking it was a devil's tattoo that I was directing 
 against them, to enslave or put them under a magic spell. 
 
 In connection with this I must add, these little traits of 
 character, based upon superstition, are like stepping-stones 
 to the index of their character ; and one who is careless in 
 the study of what may on the surface appear to be frivolous 
 and unimportant, will miss the finest points in the individu- 
 ality of any people. 
 
 Whereas these natives, with the cited exception, treated 
 me with so much courtesy and gentleness, I still recall the 
 circumstance which has been blazoned throughout the world, 
 that when six weeks after I had safely traversed that coun- 
 try as a lone woman, the celebrated Dr. Carl Peters, in 
 order to pass safely with himself and armed soldiers through 
 this district, felt obliged to turn his guns on these Rombos, 
 armed in their simple fashion, and kill a hundred and twenty 
 before breakfast one morning. It makes one's blood boil 
 with indignation ! This, then, is how Germany proposes to 
 civilize and colonize Africa. 
 
 I am constrained to say either there must have been some 
 
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF LAKE CHALA. 283 
 
 peculiar power vested in me of a quality almost superhuman 
 to have enabled me to subdue these so-called hostile 
 Rombos, or else Dr. Peters's methods are simply brutal, 
 atrocious, and unnecessary. 
 
 This distinguished man reveals his belief in despotic 
 measures throughout Africa. The following citation from his 
 " New Light on Dark Africa," respecting his manner of pro- 
 ceeding in Uganda, is a satire on the title: "As I well knew 
 that in case of possible Arab enterprise I should have to rely 
 principally on moral impressions, I had taken care that our 
 reputation should precede us, and had been careful, above all, 
 to bring with me from Usoga a band of war drums, which should 
 send the signal of war resounding before us over the far- 
 spreading heights. Three drums tuned in fifths on which the 
 roll was beaten, and the bigf drum coming in between, the 
 whole produced a solemn and threatening effect." 
 
 If an alien provokes by coercive measures the native in his 
 own land and develops all of the worst propensities latent in his 
 nature, it is not fair to lay the blame upon the poor untutored 
 native and call him " savage." 
 
>S4 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XI 11. 
 
 VULCANS OF CHAGA. 
 
 ULCANS, fiiiidis, or craftsmen in 
 metal work, have attained a great 
 degree of skill and perfection 
 ,. througliout Cha^a land. The re- 
 
 \ i ( 1/ nowned blacksmiths all have been 
 [i]"/ or are celebrated chiefs or sultans, 
 whose deftness In the forging of 
 spears, knives, pipes, agricultural imple- 
 ments, tools, bells and most delicate little charms, necklaces, 
 armlets and leglets, as well as various metal ornaments, has 
 given them a distinctive prestige in other spheres of tribal 
 significance. 
 
 Mireali of Marungu, and Mandara of MoschI, have held 
 their own, generally speaking, with the belligerent Masai in 
 consideration of the fact that, although great warriors, they 
 are dependent upon the skill of these two sultans for their 
 spears. 
 
 Mandara does not now personally forge any weapons, in 
 consequence of his physical disablement ; those made in his 
 sultanate, however, are practically his ware, and bear the stamp 
 
VULCANS OF CHAGA. 
 
 285 
 
 of his original skill, temper, and patterns. He has rendered 
 the metal work ol Chaga land the envy of other districts, as 
 well as the wonder of white men. 
 
 The simplicity and poverty of the native tools make their 
 skill all the more remarkable. One of their finest spears, 
 with its blade three and a half feet long and four inches wide 
 at the broadest point, and an inch-square 
 metal pike about four feet long joined with a 
 wooden rod from one to three feet long, 
 requires forty rings of iron the thickness of 
 telegraph wire. The texture of the metal 
 becomes fine and durable as it is heated, 
 in order to weld, in charcoal fires, and neces- 
 sarily wrought very slowl)', hence it is the 
 gradual process, coalescing the iron wire 
 into a mass, and its carbonizing- makes the 
 temper very fine, and converts the metal into ■ 
 an admirable semblance of steel. In lieu of 
 an anvil, the metal is forged upon a piece of 
 
 . . BRASS AND IRON BELL 
 
 close-gramed ironstone by a heavy stone or ear-rings. 
 
 iron hammer. The hot iron is grasped and manipulated 
 with a rude pair of long-handled pincers ; the fire is kept 
 alive by a pair of native bellows alternately inflated with 
 and expressing the air as operated by a man sitting between 
 them on the ground opposite the fire. The nozzles of the bel- 
 lows are made of pottery, and are plunged into a small clay 
 oven ; the charcoal is doled out in small quantities, and treated 
 
286 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 sparingly as something- precious ; in lact, a long roll of grass, 
 neatly disposed, contains the fuel, opened at one end, from 
 which an attendant picks out with his hands, lump by lump, 
 or in handfuls the black diamonds to revive the fire ; his 
 
 miserly care impresses the onlooker 
 with the idea that he is dealing with 
 an article oi great price, as in fact it 
 in consequence of the primitive man- 
 ner it is charred on the mountain. A 
 tree is fired about si.\ feet from the 
 ground, and wet grass plastered in a 
 hummock over the l)urning portion to 
 smother the flames. When the smoul- 
 dering trunk is charred, the tree topples 
 over, and when a fresh supply of charcoal 
 was required, the body and branches were 
 treated in the same method. 
 
 A ptndi is an autocrat, accounted and 
 recognized to be a great man ; he bears an 
 imperious mien, and is always attended b}' a 
 coterie of followers and henchmen who do his 
 slightest biddine, as he bends over his work 
 and fashions the articles of his craft ; thirsty, 
 some one gives him a drink oi pombc ; tired 
 or hungry, he pauses, even betakes himself away for refresh- 
 ment. No one presumes to suggest aught to him ; no one 
 dares to gainsay him. He is master of his craft ; he realizes 
 
 NATIVE CALFSKIN 
 BELLOWS. 
 
VULCANS OF CHAGA. 
 
 287 
 
 his own power ; he exercises his prerogative of superiority 
 upon every trivial occasion. Tlien, too, he has certain privi- 
 leges and perquisites not accorded even to the chiefs who 
 are not also fiutdis. 
 
 During an evening's chat a fundi said to one of my 
 interpreters, " Come now, good man, where would the war- 
 riors be, if it 
 were not for / 
 
 the spears and 
 knives that 
 \\\Q. fundi make ? ' 
 
 The interpre- 
 ter queried, " Do 
 you fight?" 
 
 " Fight, boy? 
 Me fight? No, I make spears, 
 so that cl-viorau (warriors) native calfskin bellows. 
 
 fight in the right waj- ; fight to kill." 
 
 At this he seized by the middle the wooden part of a 
 spear which he had stuck in the ground erect in front of 
 himself when he had squatted down before the crackling 
 camp-fire to chat. 
 
 " See ! see, boy ! " He cleverly balanced the double 
 weapon, spear-head one end, pike the other, plunging for- 
 ward with an upward sweep the fire-flashed metal, describing 
 a broad arc, yet he did not let go of the wooden centre, 
 but rushed ahead until it had reached its limit, then whirled 
 
288 SULTAX TO SULTAN. 
 
 A 
 
 the weapon out, and vaulting backward forcibly drove the 
 
 pike into the ground behind him, when, with a glow of 
 satisfaction over his own prank, he exclaimed, " See, boy ! 
 see ! " quickly uprooting the quivering weapon, again vio- 
 lently swirling it from right to left in the same wild manner, 
 leaping sideways with agility as if parrying a blow; "this, 
 boy, this is the way I, the great fundi ot Fimbosa, teach 
 the warriors ; they may kill a foe in an eye-look with my 
 beautiful spears." Poising the heavy weapon on the fore- 
 finger of his right hand until it gently swung like a pendu- 
 lum, he sauntered away, evidently loath to remain in the 
 presence of Zanzibari who was ignorant of his noble calling 
 and of the brave fabrications thereof. 
 
 In good truth, to be a spear or sword fujidi requires 
 admirable skill and practice alike of eye and hand, in order 
 to shape, balance, set, edge, and polish the blades, much 
 more so certainly than is required to make their agricultural 
 implements and small knives, although they are more or 
 less all made according to tribal conventional shapes, gauged 
 by the recjuirements ot utilit)'. 
 
 Still more delicate and nimble, but not so masterful, 
 must be the fingers of those who are the jewellers among.st 
 the fundi s, for the fine wire the)- make by repeatedly and 
 laboriously drawing when heated with long, slender pincers 
 through the cJiambiwo or perforated metal or stone screens of 
 various sizes in order to reduce to a delicate size to make 
 
 MASAI 
 
 SPEAK, the slender link chains which are so pliant and marvellously 
 

 3.- ' 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 ■~'^". 
 
 
 < 
 
 O 
 
VULCANS OF CHAGA. 
 
 289 
 
 dainty, and the many sizes of metal beads they manufacture 
 by cutting from a wire cubes of certain length, then, by beating 
 them thin and flat, turn them into little cylinders, pressing 
 the edges so close 
 the union is 
 scarcely noticea- 
 ble, at the same 
 time keeping them 
 round. Some 
 square dice- 
 shaped metal 
 beads are also 
 made by them. 
 
 It occurs to 
 me that if cara- 
 vans would carr)- 
 for barter suitable 
 tubings of differ- 
 ent metal and 
 different sizes, it 
 would vastly re- 
 duce the labor of 
 the native metal 
 workers; although 
 it is questionable 
 if more accurate and symmetrical forms of machine-made tubing 
 would lend beauty to their present fabrications. They have 
 
 METAL CHAIN EAR-RINGS, BRASS, COPPER, AND IRUX HEADS. 
 
290 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 an odd habit of placing around a staff rings of iron wire, and 
 stringing together links of chains to be used when required. 
 The only crucibles I could discover in the 
 regions I visited were stones hollowed out and 
 a fire built all around them, inside and out, 
 until they became white hot, when the inside 
 was brushed out and iron, brass, copper, and 
 solder put in, then kept hot by the surrounding 
 fire until it melted, when they would pour 
 the liquefied metal into a wooden mould 
 the shape of the bracelet or necklet required, 
 which they had previously soaked until 
 thoroughly saturated, first in grease, then 
 in water ; but this method is not held desira- 
 ble. The native connoisseurs prefer the 
 hand-forged articles of jewelry, in the same 
 manner as do civilized folk prefer anything 
 hand wrought to that which is cast or 
 machine made. I am not speaking of the 
 people far up on the mountain, who use 
 great furnaces and smelt native iron, but 
 of the people of Chaga land, whom I was 
 privileged to see at work. Hence I hope 
 I will not be understood as assuming there 
 are no furnaces in East .Africa. 
 
 Their graving tools are very primitive, 
 
 REAL SIZE SMALLEST CHAGA 
 
 BRASS BEADS. generally consisting of a piece of iron they 
 
VULCANS OF CHAGA. 
 
 291 
 
 have welded, having a narrow chisel edge with which they cut 
 into the articles, much as do the artisans in civilized countries, 
 by tapping the instrument with a metal or stone hammer when 
 held on the article to be embellished, and follow the pattern, 
 thus graving out the design intended. All of their processes 
 are slow, requiring great patience, — a quality patent to native 
 peoples the world over. They insert or incn 
 bits of silver, gold, and other metals, bits of 
 ivory, bone, beads, into wooden vessels and 
 gourds most cleverly. This is done in a style 
 durable, finished, and artistic, far from being 
 trumpery, and certainly not slipshod. They 
 finish off with spiral rings of fine copper or 
 brass wire or dainty rows of beads the ends 
 of all objects, or where there are two parts 
 joined, or one material used for embellish- 
 ment or it merges into another for lack of 
 quantity, or prompted by the selection of 
 taste, displays the trait of perfection which 
 is the acme of all crafts. Ear-rings five 
 inches in diameter, of double circles of 
 brass wire, like Catharine rings, are most perfectly shaped 
 and highly polished ; and this without any tools except pincers 
 or hammers, pieces of flint and pumice stone, and perchance 
 when they are fortunate enough to possess a file procured 
 trom some Arab caravan. The art of buffing or polishing, 
 smoothing oft and brightening, is effectually done in the 
 
 ME'lAL EAR-R1N(;S. 
 
292 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 first place with pumice stone, in which this volcanic region 
 abounds, wood ashes, using as buffers goat, sheep, and cow 
 skins, as well as the palms of the hands well moistened. 
 If you will take the trouble to watch a group of this 
 dusky people before a fire which has burned long and 
 the ashes accumulated, you may .see some of their number 
 spitting into the palms of their hands, which they dip into 
 the ashes and afterwards vigorously rub their bracelets or 
 anklets, and the brightness and glitter which their orna- 
 ments preserve, although coated with grease and clay, I 
 
 have never been able to procure with- 
 out using burnishing irons and pumice 
 powder mi.xed with kerosene or lye. 
 Ornamentation appears as a species 
 of religion with them, and they never 
 seem to be content with their possessions to 
 the point that they cease to strive to accumu- 
 late more. 
 
 Vanity and love of finery, in Africa at least, are free from 
 being exclusively feminine, for the men are quite as prone 
 to indulge in personal bedeckment as the women, if not more 
 so, and amongst some tribes the warriors and patcrfamtlias 
 do all the strutting about and fancy work, whilst the women 
 toil, till the plantations, carry wood, carry the fodder for the 
 cattle, care for the stall-fed creatures. They stick with marked 
 tenacity to a mode in decorations, and seemingly avoid exer- 
 cising originality in design, in order to follow a fashion. Very 
 
 NATIVE SEME AND 
 SCABBARD. 
 
VUI.CANS OF CHAGA. 
 
 293 
 
 true, this fashion may change or become diversified when the 
 people of various tribes mingle in friendly association, and 
 possibly exchange, present, or barter their trinkets to some 
 •enterprising youth or girl. Anon, frequently when they can- 
 not get what they crave in gewgaws, they will not refuse 
 what is proffered, unless it is in lieu of a purchase; 
 then they will not as a rule be swayed, save by 
 their own will. To their native metal work they 
 frequently subjoin charms, c/awa, or medicine beads, 
 animals' teeth, which are worn for various complaints, 
 and frequently loaned by members of a family one 
 to the other. Their bells have various uses and 
 various significance, beside that of ornamenta- 
 tion. A warrior's bell, six inches long, turned 
 over in shape, with a metal bullet or metal 
 piece within, is attached to a leather beaded 
 band, which is worn below the knee by the 
 Masai during times of war. A little iron bell, 
 
 IKON BELL WORN 
 
 three inches long and two in diameter, with by a woman. 
 a long bar-shaped tongue, constructed somewhat after the 
 pattern of a lily, is worn by a woman during her first preg- 
 nancy. It serves as a warning to those who approach her : 
 the herders driving home the cattle, and youths dancing, and 
 all those who might suddenly frighten her, take heed of the 
 warning tinkle, are silenced, and let her pass unmolested. 
 Then the majority if not all of the people in most of the tribes 
 wear little jingling bells, affixed to thongs strapped around 
 
294 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 their ankles or arms ; and in the tribes on the mountain, if a 
 woman or man is found at night outside the boiiia without 
 these bells, they are supposed to be on some evil errand, and 
 must suffer accordingly. Then they wear little bells, like 
 turnover pies, in their ears, around their arms, around their 
 dancing wands. They put bells around the necks of one or 
 two of their cattle in a herd, when they are grazing in the 
 open, and hang them about the fringes of their bead orna- 
 ments ; and they all have a peculiar sound of their own. 
 They use a circlet of bells to teach the children 
 how to walk. 
 
 Catching sight of and hearing the 
 %/ jingle of a string of cowrie-shaped small 
 -*\ iron bells attached to a leather strap around 
 the ankles of a mere toddler, and observing 
 the little one constantly looking down to her 
 feet striving to see them, apparently to the 
 great danger of her equilibrium every time 
 they tinkled, I asked her mother why she allowed the child 
 to wear them, at the risk of having her fall. 
 "To make her walk," was her prompt reply. 
 Then she pointed to the little feet, and 1 watched the 
 child's performance only a minute to be convinced of the 
 cleverness of the maternal trick. The little one would move 
 a foot In an undecided, unsteady way to put It to the 
 ground, when the bells would tinkle, and with frantic efforts 
 she would wriggle her body in every direction to see where 
 
 BELLS WORN BY 
 INFA.NIS. 
 
VULCANS OF CHAGA. 295 
 
 the noise came from, and half losing her equipoise, up 
 would fly the other foot, then she would hear another sound 
 of bells ; and so on indefinitely going through with the same 
 performance, one foot and the other alternately, until she 
 had crossed the broad ground of the boma. 
 
 By a happy chance I had a large supply of table and 
 call bells and small sleigh bells, which were received 
 with delicjht as shifts, and the natives were even 
 
 o o 
 
 anxious to barter for. 
 
 Their knives are sometimes oddly shaped, some- 
 times rude enough, again works of artistic cutlery. / / /\ 
 Frequently they wear them on their arms in /^4^ 
 a leather band, with little tubes of arrow / 
 poison strung on to them by delicate metal 
 chains or strips of leather ; they also thrust 
 them into their belts for convenience in 
 
 MEDICINE MAN'S KNIFE 
 
 case of defence, as well as to be able on and poison tubes. 
 the instant to cut the thorns, bananas, corn, grass, and to 
 dig out their wooden utensils. 
 
 Banana knives are rough, heavy blades, set in short, 
 straight wooden handles, sharpened on the inner groove, so 
 that they hook them around the stalk of a bunch of bananas 
 and deftly with one sweep detach it from the main branch. 
 
 Rings and bracelets, leglets and neck ornaments, in the 
 case of the Masai women, consist of great coils like ex- 
 aggerated multifold continuous bangles or car springs, finished 
 off with other metals; the body of the ornament, which is 
 
296 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 usually iron, garnished with copper and brass by way of con- 
 trast, always with the idea of accentuating display. Almost 
 every man understands in an amateurish way something of 
 metal work. He makes for himself, his sweetheart, or wives 
 rings and bracelets and anklets, but he is not a master, not 
 a fundi. 
 
 They showed me the source from which they pattern the 
 splendid Masai spears, and I was delighted to find it was the 
 
 ORNAMENTS WORN BY A MASAI WOMAN. IRON COILS FINISHED WITH 
 BR.4SS AND COPPER. 
 
 leaf of the same species of cactus as the Spanish sword bayonet, 
 indigenous to various tropical regions, and when a leaf of this 
 cactus was held beside their implement, the accuracy of their 
 eyes and gift of reproduction were evidenced, for the shape 
 was a complete copy, even as to the little peculiar roundness 
 of the point, and the ridge running through the centre of 
 the spear, which puts the stamp of grace upon a master- 
 piece ; and their smaller spears, that are used by the Rombo 
 
VULCANS OF CHAGA. 297 
 
 and other tribes, are imitations of rubber and magnolia 
 leaves. 
 
 They make crude bullets and spoons, arrowheads, rude 
 razors. This latter is not to be wondered at, as it seems to 
 be one of the traditional coat-of-arms of all negroes. How- 
 ever, their razors have no wings; they do notj 
 fly, as in America. 
 
 The way in which they turn 
 to account every bit of 
 shining metal is some- 
 times amusing. Ever) 
 tin can, when emptied, is 
 carefully pre- 
 served to pre- 
 sent to them by 
 the porters, who make 
 efforts to win a smile, obtain a favor, or procure a tidbit for 
 their pot they could not otherwise afford. One day after dis- 
 carding the metal tube upon which had been rolled surgical 
 plaster, spindle shaped, with circular ends colored bright red, 
 I was pleased to see a pretentious young warrior sally about 
 the camp with the article thrust into his ears. The tops of 
 the cans they would convert into dangling dice, scalloped, 
 diamond shaped, round, square, to add a lustre to their own 
 finery. Watch and clock wheels are likewise e.xtracted from 
 timekeepers to mark the rapid pace of fashion in ornamen- 
 tation. 
 
 warrior's bell. 
 
298 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Soda-water bottles were pounced on with avidity, and the 
 men would squabble until blows ensued for their possession. 
 They liked to have the bottles to carry water or milk for 
 their own use, as well as to barter with the natives. In 
 sauntered on a village palaver ground a native, in truth a so- 
 called crown prince, with twelve soda-water bottles attached 
 to a leather girdle ; the dozen represented his accumulation 
 of possibly years, but this moment in my presence he 
 
 thought the proper occa- 
 L sion to disport his soi- 
 1 i^isan/ treasure. For 
 this delicate tribute I 
 held a full-dress reception, 
 attired in my court gown and 
 all the splendors of my jewel 
 box and portable wardrobe. As 
 usual, the function was a very dis- 
 tinguished social success, and exalted 
 me far above mortals of common clay 
 in the estimation of sultan, crown prince, courtiers, and ple- 
 beians. All the world over tailors and dressmakers hold a 
 rule and reign wherever civilization dares stride. Decency 
 and style with the enlightened, the spirit of monkey-like 
 imitation with the untutored primitives, make votaries to the 
 tyrant Fashion. 
 
 Soon after a splendid Masai spear had been received by 
 me, the chief of camp story-telling made it the occasion to 
 
 DANCING BELL. 
 
VULCANS OF CHAGA. 
 
 299 
 
 flourish before his comrades, after scornfully listening to a 
 green porter's yarn about some cruelty practised by the Somali, 
 burst out vehemently : — 
 
 "What! you call that worth the telling, man? Come now, 
 listen to a true story. It will put warmth into your blood, 
 and make you sleep with your e\'es open. When I first 
 
 NATIVE VULCAN S BRACELETS. 
 
 came to Masai country, aye, before you had stopped tugging 
 at your mother's breasts, coming from the winter's sun-bed, 
 we saw two men carrying — " 
 
 He turned and darted a fierce glance of defiance on the 
 group of porters certainly uncalled for, as they sat mutely 
 engrossed in the progress of his story, never vouchsafing to 
 lisp one word. "Do you know what?" he said to one; 
 
?oo 
 
 SULTAX TO SULTAN. 
 
 "or you? or you? or you?" and he pointed with his knob 
 Kerry stick rapidly from one of his followers to another, 
 never expecting an answer. "Ha! ha! I might have known 
 you couldn't guess. Well, mark you! keep your ears open 
 as the day. Upon a spear — a spear like this!" — and he took 
 up a large Masai spear — "two Masai carried between them, 
 upon which swung the bodies of three Rombos, spitted like 
 fish to bake ! rigfht throuoh the middle, on the same haft ! 
 Hey ! who dares gainsay that ? Vou see, lads, I have travelled. 
 A man must travel to see and to tell." 
 
 And he swaggered on down through the camp, quite 
 satisfied with the horror he had inspired ; and it occurred to 
 me that a white woman must travel at the head of a caravan 
 to hear such yarns. 
 
PRIMITIVE KI.MANGEUA. 
 
 ;oi 
 
 <.\>; \ 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ; PRIMITIVE KIMANGELIA. 
 
 IMANGELIA, at the height of four thou- 
 sand seven hundred feet above the sea 
 level, in the mountain forests on the 
 ortheastern slope of Kilimanjaro, be- 
 tween the second and third decree 
 south of the equator, forms the 
 frontier of Masai land, was the objec- 
 tive point of a two or more days' 
 ■■■*-' march. It became necessary to re- 
 
 pose considerable confidence in a native guide bearing the 
 geographical appellation of Mombasa of Taveta, — a perfect 
 dandy in his make up, handsome and self-conscious, faithful 
 and inoffensive. He had been born at Useri, but lived at 
 Taveta. The hue of his complexion betokened the inter- 
 mingling of w'hite blood in his veins. Mombasa of Taveta 
 insisted, and was riofht, too, that the forest village was above 
 Useri on the mountain, whereas an English official, desirous 
 of floating the English flag and enter a first claim in behalf 
 of the English, recognizing the established fact that all terri- 
 tory above the plains must be German, and having sited in 
 
302 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 the distance from Lake Chala the jjlantations of Kimangelia, 
 had concluded that it must be below the lake region, uhich 
 was a theme of dispute then, but since has been admitted to 
 be German. He had laid out another route, by following 
 which, in spite of Mombasa's protests, the caravan was com- 
 pelled to make a long tedious detour. 
 
 Lake Chala was then debatable grounds in consequence of 
 the gradual slope of the plain from Taveta to the lake 
 ^ which is so gentle that the rim of the crater ap- 
 proached from Taveta seems almost on a level with 
 the plain. Dr. Myer has expressed an opinion that 
 even Taveta should legitimately belong to the Germans. 
 There is much striving to encroach on all sides in the 
 establishment of territorial lines throughout Africa, 
 which demonstrates the importance attached to Afri- 
 can possessions, especially in this particular section 
 Y of East Africa. The Chaga language is almost uni- 
 versally spoken after leaving Taveta on the slopes of 
 LEGLET. Kilimanjaro, and I was informed throughout Masai 
 country. The agreed governmental plan of allotting the 
 highlands and mountain of Kilimanjaro to the Germans, 
 and the plains and all territory to the east to the English, it 
 would seem cannot be consistently adhered to, for the reasons 
 that the highland habitants must have access to the grassy 
 plains for fodder and to hunt, whereas the habitants of the 
 plains should have recourse to the highlands for their planta- 
 tions, hence with strictly maintained dividing lines there must 
 
PRIMITIVE KIMANGELIA. 
 
 303 
 
 constantly arise friction and worse ; for it can hardly be ex- 
 pected that either the English or the Germans will complacently 
 submit to the rigid enforcement of territorial lines, or the 
 collection of imposts in these primitne re ■^jsj^, 
 gions, with mainly a native constitu- .^ ,\ .^mtmwi^^^r 
 
 ency to levy upon. ^.^H' * W^^'',- 
 
 ^« 1' rrni ftj. . --Si 
 From this point I took guides from 
 
 the tribes, with the idea that I would 
 
 hold these ouides, in case of attack -> V^% ^ 
 
 or hostility, as hostages, and the 
 
 instant the first tribe made an 
 
 assault on me or my caravan, I i//-*^^ 
 
 would punish these guides in ,.-'-'-y ■. 
 
 some unmistakable manner that 
 
 would stand as a warning to all 
 
 further aggressors. They were 
 
 also useful to point out difficulties, #/■, '■• 
 
 avoid traps, and show the most acces- ^i'''-^ 
 
 sible paths. Before I got through with 
 
 OSIRICH KEAIHER 
 
 m)- journe\-, I had attached to ni)' little masai mask. 
 army forty of these half-prisoner guides, who were perfectly 
 happy, in their unconsciousness of the motive which actuated 
 me, to jog along day after day enjoying the fellowship of 
 the porters. 
 
 The people of Useri were somewhat disturbed in their 
 minds upon the appearance of the white woman's caravan. 
 They were under German protection, flying the German flag, 
 
304 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 and hesitated in giving to me the welcome othet" tribes had 
 extended. I sent two messengers to the Sultan Malimia's 
 boma, saying we would await him half an hour, or, as they 
 quaintly say, " until the sun is there," pointing to a special 
 place in the heavens; and while I was waiting it gave me a 
 little opportunity to study the people. 
 
 The women were decorated very much after the fashion of 
 the Wa-Taveta, with the exception that they wore from a 
 clumped piece of hair on the centre of their forehead little 
 circular bone ornaments, terminating in metal fringes, which 
 hung down over the nose; and some of them wore metal 
 chains around their heads, which hung lil<e fringed veils to 
 their eyebrows ; and their ears were pierced at every point 
 possible, into which were thrust beads and pods, and long 
 ivory or bone pendent rings. The men were shy and had a 
 hang-dog look about their faces, which might have arisen 
 from their recent subjugation by treaty of the Germans, and 
 the presence of German soldiers in their midst; they seemed 
 uneasy and on the lookout for a surprise. 
 
 Sultan Malimia did not make his appearance at the stated 
 time, so we proceeded on our journey to be overtaken, when 
 five minutes beyond the confines of his province, by a message 
 through his prime minister to say that if Bebe Bwana would 
 only return he would receive her, and he had some fine 
 presents. I promptly said, " Bebe Bwana never returns. If 
 the Sultan of Useri wishes to see her, let him follow her to 
 the next encampment." This resulted in his sending after me 
 
PRIMITIVE KIMANGELIA. 
 
 305 
 
 a meagre quantity of presents, -which I did not accept. In any 
 country but Africa this would assume the appearance of surli- 
 ness or contempt on a traveller's part, but in Africa the prestige 
 of the white man or woman must be maintained through certain 
 current conventions, which are well known with all the natives. 
 
 We passed the fountains of Useri, which are more in the 
 name than in fact, and more like pools than fountains. 
 
 From this point, passing through many villages and 
 small tribes, we directed our course to Kimangelia 
 
 Wart hogs and other rather wild beasts 
 abounded, and the fresh spoor of rhinoceros, the 
 occasional bellow of buffalo, and the crushed grass 
 showing evidences of beds just forsaken by recent 
 denizens, made our march somewhat anxious. 
 Every one was on the alert, and not one dare 
 say he could complacently encounter a buffalo 
 My personal mishaps became stupidly frequent, 
 succession I tumbled into three deep holes, newly excavated 
 by the wart hogs, never profiting by a first tumble on 
 account of the tanofle of grrass that covered them. 
 
 Then the caravan parted, and it was a long time before 
 the stragglers were reunited, one of the porters broke his 
 shin bone, another had a chunk of flesh gouged out of his 
 shoulder through a tin box slipping off from his head and 
 cruelly striking him in its tumble ; fever prevailed, and for 
 some time all sorts of trying incidents flocked unceasingly 
 like birds of ill omen. 
 
 USERI HEAD 
 ORNAMENT. 
 
 In quick 
 
3o6 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 A Masai woman's corpse was nosed out in tlie bush, 
 
 with all her armor of iron wire leglets and armlets upon her 
 
 stark stiff body untouched, however much coveted, through 
 
 superstition. Personally I nerved myself to the removal of 
 
 ^,-.\\ her leglets, which had become so imbedded into 
 
 {iafc->- > ■ the flesh and muscles ot her legs, amputation 
 
 was necessary. Josefe only was ready 
 ,,' to assist me to perform the un- 
 pleasant business. Certainly I 
 could have commanded any of 
 ■^^: my porters to attend to this 
 matter, but they were possessed 
 by nameless superstitions; and 
 such an exaction on my part 
 would ha\e put a damper on 
 their exalted estimation of me 
 ,' for so outraging their senti- 
 ments. I endeavored to main- 
 tain a policy of harmony when 
 consistent. 
 
 M\ \i II MMi.'Ax. Dail)' the temperature was 
 
 so alterable that it was with difficulty the porters could keep 
 warm at night, although sweltering under the direct tropical 
 rays of the sun in the noonda)-. Towards three or four 
 o'clock 1'. M. the hot air would suddenly ascend to the moun- 
 tain region, and be displaced by a rush of cold air, and a 
 constant atmospheric current swept over the country. The 
 
w 
 a; 
 p 
 
 u 
 
 o 
 z 
 
 2 
 w 
 
 H 
 Z 
 
 w 
 
PRIMITIVE KIMANGELIA. 
 
 j^/ 
 
 regularity of these breezes suggested the idea that windmills 
 might be profitably established, which could be used for irri- 
 gation and cistern purposes. Although the natives have 
 ingeniously and methodically constructed ditches and erected 
 irrigation troughs, made by digging out tree trunks, with 
 which they surround their plantations on the top of some of 
 the mountains, and on all sides could be heard the purling 
 of the water, sometimes hidden beneath the vines or by the 
 dracaena hedges that divided the plantations by lanes. The 
 recent downfall of rain had converted the ground of these 
 lanes into very tenacious, slippery mud, and often we would 
 sink up to our knees in a black, pudding-like mixture, and 
 the suction offered great resistance to rapid progress; or 
 in descending a slight slant with feet together every one 
 would slide down, or in ascending we were forced to cut 
 foot-holes and clutch frantically to the shrubbery to ward 
 against backsliding, and avoid being washed along in the 
 resistless current of an unspent swift gush of gurgling water 
 that would bound down over rocky beds, seeking the bottom 
 of the cations, or leap and tumble into cascades to join 
 swirling rapids seaward bent. 
 
 Tlie moisture which rises from the oround at nieht makes 
 a singular phosphorescent mist, which carries sufficient dew 
 to bathe and nourish all vegetation and, in fact, the land 
 around, to bring about certain results which are almost 
 phenomenal considered from an agricultural point of view. 
 It is from these heavy dews that most of the nous-iiiioas, or 
 
;o8 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Stone reservoirs, are kept supplied. It is one of the great dis- 
 advantages to the traveller in Africa, subjecting him to much 
 discomfort and rendering him liable to fevers, if the greatest 
 care is not observed to ward against the insidious dampness. 
 The moisture causes to exhale from the shrubs, flowers, and 
 grasses a sweetish odor, which at times becomes stifling, 
 
 and it is no uncommon thing 
 to find almost every man in a 
 caravan afflicted with asthma, 
 and as he marches along his 
 snorting, wheezino breath is 
 very perceptible. 
 
 In countries of such a cli- 
 mate the usual practice sug- 
 gested by all good military 
 B tacticians, of surrounding a tent 
 with a ditch, in case of rain, 
 MASAI i:l-moka\. is a great mistake, excepting 
 
 when absolutely necessary. Making personal observations on 
 this point, in the hope of ameliorating my personal condi- 
 tion, — being a victim to chronic asthma, — I fountl that the 
 newly upturned earth at night would emit a phosphorescent 
 p^low which would hano- and hover about the little trench as 
 it reluctant to part from its maternal source ; and all sorts 
 of crawling things would issue forth and revel in the un- 
 healthy place. Another strange manifestation of these mists 
 was evidenced in passing my hands through the thick, wavy veil 
 
PRIMITIVE KIMANGELIA. 3O9 
 
 and rubbing the palms together in a dark spot removed from 
 the trench, they would glow with phosphorus as if I had 
 dipped them in fire ; and when one of the porters stepped 
 out of these trenches he would leave his fiery footprint on the 
 solid ground for some minutes after walking thereon. Such a 
 miasmatic condition certainly cannot be conducive to the well- 
 being of human creatures. I have also seen mists in Africa 
 which were luminous and had certain powers of refracting the 
 rays of the moon, which became iridescent and full of prismatic 
 sheets and gleams. The effect was very much like a terres- 
 trial aurora borealis, and the foliage would stand out bright, 
 glistening, and green, as if the sunlight had fallen upon them 
 after a rain. The appearance is very weird, and I inferred of 
 common occurrence, as none of the men in the caravan 
 noted it with any degree of surprise, which would indicate 
 that they were accustomed to it. It had a very strange 
 effect upon my eyesight, and I discovered that the porters 
 in moving about at night would always hold their hands over 
 their eyes, as one naturally does to avoid the sun's glare. 
 A certain amount of superstition affixes to this strange mani- 
 festation, which perhaps may account for the porters reluctance 
 to speak of it, and I only noticed it in Chaga land, and not 
 on the plains or in the jungle. Sometimes when a man 
 would come rapidly through the mist, which would float and 
 settle down in a vacillating way without any apparent reason, 
 here and there his garments would be illumed with spots and 
 flecks of the phosphorescent particles, making him look as 
 
lO 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 if clad in spangled armor ; upon observing the effect upon 
 his own garment, he would shake his cloths and kanzii, 
 causing the particles to dart off in globules, leaving behind 
 them streaks of shimmering light through the air. This same 
 mist betrayed me into numerous absurdities ; for at first, 
 not realizing how vagrant was its course, and seeing strange 
 
 lights in the woods, I would insist on 
 one of my guards accompanying me 
 ither to make closer observation, 
 id althougrh I would find something 
 similar to a will-o'-the-wisp, it was 
 different, inasmuch as the light 
 would be in sheets. Josefe, who 
 BUFFALO BULL. '^^ was always ready for a game, 
 once placed around his staff a wad of cotton, which he took 
 the precaution to wet, sallied into the midst of one of these 
 mists, twirled his staff about as if to accumulate the phospho- 
 rescent qualities, and stood out in the clear, dark atmosphere 
 whirling his staff rapidly around until it displayed a succession 
 of fiery circles that lasted for an instant, then faded into 
 nothingness. 
 
 Observations made by me in East Africa at night were 
 most unusual it not unique, and made me acquainted with 
 certain peculiar revelations which nature seems to keep 
 mysteriously concealed during the day. Creeping things, 
 prowling animals, were ever on the alert just outside of the 
 encampment, deterred from coming in by the numerous fires 
 
PRIMITIVE KI.MANGELIA. 3II 
 
 and the sentinels on watch. One night, experiencing great 
 fatigue, I fell in a profound slumber lying in my Palanquin 
 within my tent, when suddenly I awoke with a shuddering 
 apprehension of danger, and possessed by an instinctive feel- 
 ing of the presence of some harmful thing ; involuntarily 
 seizing my knife and pistol I cried out, "Who is there?" No 
 answer. Then I called out for the askaid on guard, at the 
 same time tried to penetrate the darkness surrounding me, 
 when I became aware, through the atmospheric conditions, 
 that a cold, clammy, moving object was above me, in truth 
 almost touching me, on the top of my Palanquin, the rattans 
 of which were cracking as if under the pressure of a mangle. 
 I was struggling to slide out of the Palanquin without rising 
 from my recumbent position to avoid touching the thing, when 
 the alarmed askari entered, carrying a lantern, to my abject 
 horror revealing to me the object I had intuitively dreaded. 
 My blood fairly seemed to congeal in my veins at the spectacle : 
 it was an enormous python, about fifteen feet long, which had 
 coiled around the top of the Palanquin, and at that moment 
 was ramping and thrusting its head out, searching for some 
 attainable projection around which to coil its great, shiny, 
 loathsome length of body. Seeing the python, the askari 
 immediately yelled wildly out for help, and in a moment, a 
 dozen stalwart porters pitched in a merciless way with their 
 knives upon the reptile, slashing and cutting its writhing 
 body into inch bits. I am not ashamed to confess it was 
 the supreme fear of my life, and almost paralyzed me. I 
 
312 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 came very near collapsing- and relinquishing myself to the 
 nervous shock; but there was no time for such an indulgence 
 
 PALANQUIN AND PYTHON. 
 
 of weakness ; there were other sequences to be considered. 
 However, during my safari in East Africa, I only saw one 
 other live python, wrestling inconsequently with all of its might 
 
PRIMITI\'E KIMANGEI.IA. 
 
 with one of the invincible dead giants of the forest, without 
 any visible success, as the majestic, unyielding tree gave no 
 evidence of weakness under the pressing coils of the mad- 
 dened monster, which was being overtaken by the realization 
 that all was futile, and in the end it must be 
 thwarted and admit defeat. 
 
 We encountered some small water and , 
 
 land serpents, a few puff adders, but with ^'gV^Sp 
 
 few exceptions were never molested, barring ^v' -^|* 
 the fact that occasionally we missed a goat ^f&Up.&'A 
 or sheep, and they might have been the 
 prey of audacious hyenas and jackals, onl)' 
 for the reason that we heard no commo- 
 tion in the temporary sheds where the 
 animals were stalled, which indicated the 
 work of reptile garroters. 
 
 Reaching Klmangelia on the plains, ' 
 the natives swarmed down from the moun- 
 tain fastness and urged us to visit their 
 mountain village, previously never entered by niziuiga. 
 Difficulties arose ; there was no cut or road through the forest 
 environments ; the porters could not force a way through. 
 This was soon overcome, the)' assisted cutting a way through 
 the gigantic trees, and as we plunged into the depths of a 
 foliage-twilighted thicket, the hippopotamuses grunted and 
 shambled awa)\ disturbed for the first time by a paleface 
 or the commotion of a caravan. 
 
 
 CHACA CHAIN FILET. 
 
314 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 The sultan was a victim to his own debaucheries, and was 
 paralyzed and unable to meet or personally welcome Bebe 
 Bwana, but he had placed at my disposal his great circular 
 palaver grounds cleared in the centre of a primeval forest, and 
 overlooking Masai land on the north and the lonof stretch of 
 
 CAMPING GROUND, KIMANGELIA. 
 
 country we had passed over, and beyond, overhead, grand 
 Kilimanjaro. 
 
 Their habits and customs, in matters of dress, superstition, 
 marriage, rites, fetes, and pursuits were a cross between the 
 Chaga people and the Masai. At that particular time they 
 were disturbed, not knowing whether the Germans or Encrlish 
 
PRIMITIVE KIMANGELIA. 3 I 5 
 
 were going to claim them, and inclined towards the English, 
 having been prejudiced against the Germans by the accounts 
 given by the Masai. 
 
 In consequence of the cold blasts which swept down from 
 Kilimanjaro, the women wore, as do the Masai women, cow- 
 hides around their waists and over their shoulders, and the 
 great masses of iron and brass coils about their necks, arms, 
 and legs that the Masai do. Their plantations are thrifty, 
 and their /u/idi's do 
 splendid chain 
 work ; live stock ' 
 was kept very scarce 
 by the Masai. Honey anc 
 poinbc were almost poured down 
 upon us ; and the heads of the tribe chaga snuff box. 
 ordered dances, and as the moon shone, ventured to sally from 
 their huts and pay nighdy visits to the encampment. Greek 
 fire delighted them, and a volley of musketry gave them a 
 foretaste of real paradise. As usual, a full-dress reception 
 was in vogue ; their admiration surpassed anything of the 
 kind I had ever been the recipient of. And as for the itiusic 
 box, they wagged their heads and addressed barbaric prayers, 
 called it n^^ai, and called me ugai, their equivalant for God, 
 as in fact everything mysterious is to them, ngai. 
 
 Masai women flocked to see me, and secret messengers 
 were sent to ask Bebe Bwana to visit a certain village not 
 remote. The import cf this was to say that I would accom- 
 
i6 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 pany them alone about a distance not exceeding five miles, 
 I would be shown something that no 7nztcnga had ever seen. 
 These envoys were not of Kimangelia, but from another tribe. 
 W^hilst a couple of guests I had for a short time with me were 
 indulging in an afternoon nap, I accompanied the natives, 
 escorted by Josefe and Hamidi. Arriving at the place of 
 destination, with a display of great secrecy I was shown by 
 
 the chief, after all 
 but two of his 
 own attendants 
 had been dis- 
 missed, a stone 
 spear-head, the ex- 
 act size and shape of a 
 Masai spear, which was kejDt 
 secretly buried and unknown 
 
 CHAIN AND BEAD GIRDLE. ^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^J^^ ^l^J^f ^^J 
 
 two or three of his confidants, including his prime minister, 
 and which he told me passed in line of descent from chief 
 to son for decades. I asked him how long it had been in 
 the possession of his tribe. " Since the sun made day and 
 the moon lig-hted the nigrht." 
 
 "Was it before Kilimanjaro spit fire?" 
 
 " Oh, long before that," he replied, " when the streams 
 run fire." 
 
 He begged me not to reveal the place of concealment, or 
 the name of his province or his tribe, as he said the " Dutch" 
 
Q 
 Z 
 
 D 
 
 O 
 
 < 
 
 O 
 
 u 
 
PRIMITIVE KIMAXGELIA. 3 I 7 
 
 would take it from him. It illustrated a very important point 
 in the history of the origin of these people. 
 
 Another day, quite inadvertentl)', while my men were halted 
 eating, smoking, singing, and talking at the top of their voices, 
 according to ni)' habit I was strolling about hard by to get 
 away from the din and confusion, seeing what I could discover 
 or taking photographs ; after reaching a point about half a 
 mile from my caravan, I stepped 
 what seemed a firm surface and 
 tumbled amidst a perfect screen 
 of vines and shrubbery into a 
 cave. I brought away pieces of 
 the stone which made the body 
 of the cave, and a small piece of a 
 stone mortar which I unearthed, fo 
 it stood in one corner concealed by 
 cover of moss and lichens, so long had metal bead necklace. 
 it been undisturbed. The cave was an irregular oven shape ; 
 part had been artificially made and part was a natural cave, and 
 it undermined the surface of the earth above it, which came 
 over sharp to the edge, wherefrom the vines fell as a pent 
 and down to the ground, trailing in long lengths be)-ond and 
 obscuring the entrance. It was about four feet square and five 
 and a half in height, and evidently had been a smith's workshop, 
 a primitive vulcan's forge. There were several stones standing 
 up against the wall, upon the floor, which seemed to have 
 served as forms to work upon, and what must have been used 
 
i8 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 as an an\il bore the abrasions caused by wieldincr heavy blows 
 that spent their extra force upon the stone and -was much 
 discolored with smoke. jealous of my discovery, and eager 
 not to be surprised by my porters in this cave, I hastily with- 
 drew, fully intending some clay to make fuller investigation, 
 as well as to search elsewhere for similar evidences of the 
 Stone Age or of the Cave Dwellers. Just here allow me to 
 digress and call attention to the excavations at the foot of 
 the hill upon which Mandara's boma is founded, and which I 
 subsequently entered only to be summoned back without time 
 to make a full investigation by the warning of my headman 
 who stated it was a death's trap to be shunned. 
 
MASAI. 
 
 319 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 MASAI. 
 
 LUSTERERS that the Masai are, 
 
 they cannot be seriously looked upon 
 
 as true warriors, or as possessing 
 
 real bravery ; but rather as African 
 
 Jack Shepherds. Their vocation is 
 
 cattle stealine, freebootine, and raid- 
 er o 
 
 %^ ing their neighbors, after terrorizing 
 y, them by their merciless onslaught. 
 With theatrical make-up and hostile 
 manner, they succeed in creating a panic wherever they list to 
 carry a high hand, not only in the hearts of natives, but by 
 compelling Germans and English to defence, and are soon 
 put to rout by gunpowder. 
 
 They recognize no law but capture and victory. They have 
 frequently attacked the arcadian Wa-Taveta with a fierce 
 hatred, although the W^a-Taveta are deputed to have descended 
 from the Masai. 
 
 They will not work; they have not the pride of tlie Wa- 
 Chaga in forging their own spears, but depend upon the 
 vulcans of Chaga for their fine Aveapons and almost all of their 
 
320 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 metal work. Donkey breeding seems to be their only legiti- 
 mate labor. They make demands upon the services of the 
 Wandurobo, a semi-subject nomadic tribe, which, although 
 servile and subjugated by the Masai, is not actually in slavery. 
 They hunt and engage in agricultural pursuits only to the 
 extent of barely supplying necessities which the Masai cannot 
 loot from other tribes, who, in return, give the Wandurobo their 
 protection, and secure to them an immunity from their own 
 persecution. These people are most insignificant in appear- 
 ance, low of stature, almost dwarf. " Du- 
 robo" signifies stumpy. Among those 
 we met there was no man who attained 
 a height of over four feet and 
 a few inches, and some were 
 considerably shorter. 
 
 ARMOR FOR NECK. Jl^^ ^J^^^j j^^^.g ^ ^^,^;^^ ^^.^^. 
 
 of forbidding passage through their territory. They place in 
 the middle of a path likely to be traversed by an individual 
 or a caravan, a bullet, over which they cross two twigs 
 stripped of foliage, with the exception of a tassellccl brush 
 at the top. The first person trespassing beyond this barrier 
 is usually speared or shot without hesitation by some warder 
 who is in ambush. Not knowing of this custom, inadver- 
 tently coming to such a forbiddance, I kicked it aside. In 
 consternation one oi my headmen sprang forward, urging 
 me to pause if I valued my life, for the moment I put foot 
 beyond that point 1 most likely would be assassinated. 
 
MASAI. 
 
 321 
 
 Before he had conckided his words of warPxing, about thirty 
 
 Masai warriors abruptly made their appearance in a great state 
 
 of agitation, with uphfted spears, frantically gesticulating, as 
 
 they ordered us to halt, and demanded from me the payment 
 
 of a large amount of hongo for the depredation committed. 
 
 Every porter in my caravan was terror-stricken and quite ready 
 
 to drop his load and take to his heels. However, the fierce 
 
 Masai were soon appeased with a few lumps of bluestone, 
 
 which they prize as highly as they 
 
 do donkeys or cattle. These 
 
 were given as a present, and 
 
 not admittedly as a penalty, 
 
 for I felt to recognize, even 
 
 in such a slight matter, their 
 
 arbitrary right in prohibiting a 
 
 passage through a tract of country 
 
 not actually theirs, might in the 
 
 end result disastrously not only to myself, but to other 
 
 caravan leaders who might follow. 
 
 Their costumes and habits have the most distinctive 
 personality of all the tribes I met. The women paint their 
 faces with white and red splotches, and often wear a close- 
 fitting cowhide hood, embellished on the margins with iron 
 and blue or green glass rings, which covers their foreheads and 
 chins, exposing their ears with their heavy brass Catherine 
 wheel ear rings, and falls down over the back ot their heads 
 upon their necks and shoulders, beneath their ponderous 
 
 MASAI BRASS BRACELET. 
 
322 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 brass or iron coil collars. They present a most hideous 
 appearance. The men, also, indulge, upon occasions more 
 or less frivolous, in paint, decorating their bodies by daubing 
 on masses of color. 
 
 The women are not well made, and are far from being 
 up to the standard of physical comeliness of the women of 
 other tribes, but rather taller, even more so than the men. 
 They wear quantities of ponderous iron coils like greaves 
 about their legs and also their arms, weighing as much as 
 fifty pounds. These are placed on before the bones and 
 muscles have attained full growth, and naturally the enormous 
 weight and constant pressure of the ponderous metal orna- 
 ments retard the normal development alike of bones, muscles, 
 and flesh, hence the women are angular, lank, sinewy, and 
 yet fleet as deer, and very strong. 
 
 Grass used as a truce with the Masai is more general 
 than with other tribes, possibly on account of the exigencies 
 which are the outcome of their belligerent habits ; and 
 an essential part of the attire of the Masai women, who act 
 as purveyors between tribes, and move about generally 
 unmolested among even hostile tribes, seems to be a bunch 
 of grass, which they fasten to their cowhide belts, or tie 
 to some of their iron coils, in order to have convenient 
 when as occasion arises, wherewith to manifest amity. It 
 is one of the most significant and delicate symbols univer- 
 sally recognized through Chaga land, to ignore which must 
 naturally curtail any traveller's opportunities to see and to be 
 
< 
 
 u 
 
 
MASAI. 
 
 trustingly welcomed ; the adoption of which proved most 
 serviceable to me at almost every turn, for frequently I stepped 
 apart from my caravan to parley with natives, holding in my 
 hands and extending towards them a bunch of grass without 
 any flowers intermingled, always to meet with a genuine wel- 
 come, albeit the natives might have at first evinced a measure 
 of suspicion and over-caution, if indeed they were not abso- 
 lutely inimical. When several Masai women approached me 
 
 with their upheld 
 hands f u 1 1 of 
 grass, clutching 
 in the middle 
 the stems, which 
 were turned from 
 both sides tow- 
 ard the centre, 
 and the heads 
 
 MASAI WOMEN CALLERS. of the g^rass wav- 
 
 es 
 
 ing outward, I thought it one of the daintiest exhibitions of 
 symbolical friendliness I had ever witnessed. Grass is like- 
 wise used as a prayer for mercy when an offence has been 
 committed. Anon, when the cross-paths are perplexing and 
 a leader desires to forfend against the chance of his caravan 
 going astray, grass is thrown across the divergent path. 
 
 The Masai also use salt stone, cliumvi, and tobacco stone 
 as peace offerings. I brought back with me quite a quantity 
 of both sorts, which had been presented to me at various times, 
 
324 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 and have had diem analyzed at the Royal College of Science, 
 London, through the joint courtesy of Professor Judd and 
 Professor T. E. Thorpe, February 22, 1S92. 
 
 Analysis of Salt Stone. 
 
 Carbon dioxide 3947 
 
 Soda (Nag.°) 39.95 
 
 Ferric oxide 1.59 
 
 Common salt A trace. 
 
 Water 18.99 
 
 100.00 
 
 Salt stone is simply a hydrated sesquicarbonate of soda 
 
 or fona (2 Na, O3W3432 O), containing a trace of common 
 
 salt and oxide of iron. 
 
 (Signed) T. E. Thorpe. 
 
 Analysis of Tobacco Stone. 
 
 Soda (Nag.°) 29.92 
 
 Carbon dioxide 30.48 
 
 Magnesia 2.28 
 
 Lime 1.52 
 
 Alumina and ferric oxide 1.97 
 
 Chlorine 1.S3 
 
 Water 15 -3' 
 
 Clay 16.69 
 
 100.00 
 The substance is mainly fona, or hydrated sesquicarbonate 
 of soda mixed with the carbonate of lime and magnesia, a 
 trace of common salt and clay. 
 
 (Signed) T. E. Thorpe. 
 
MASAI. 
 
 325 
 
 Tobacco stone they mix with tlieir tobacco and snuft ; it 
 is also ad\antageously bartered to caravans for the same 
 purpose. Salt stone, called c/iituii'i, is not a bad substitute 
 for pure salt ; however, pure salt is abundant throughout 
 portions of Masai land, and man)' contests and 
 battles have grown out of the fact that 
 various other tribes have been dis 
 covered by the Masai in the act of 
 looting their salt fields. Some of 
 the lagoons or pools are decid 
 
 edlv brackish, and an incrustation \ , _ 
 
 ^"^' \\ 
 of salt, caused by evaporation ^^* 
 
 forms on the surface of the stones V^-*^- 
 
 about the water's edge. Th 
 
 1 .1 . f ^ 
 
 renders the water 01 numerous -^^ -. 
 
 pools unfit to drink. The wild ^'^ 
 
 animals naturally seek the water '^^^ 
 
 ways and the salt fields, and can 
 
 be readily tracked by hunters to theii 
 
 lairs, as well as reveal to the observ- "'''' "'^^ "'''''• 
 
 ant individual where to find both water and salt. 
 
 A Masai woman's regulation dress consists of four metal 
 
 spiral coils for the legs, four similar coils for the arms, 
 
 and a metal coil collar supplemented by brass and pewter 
 
 collars or necklets representing an average weight of forty 
 
 to fifty pounds, to which is added several pounds in metal 
 
 and other beads. Usually they wear a cowhide as a skirt, 
 
326 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 and a second one as a cloak over their shoulders ; even some- 
 times disport for this purpose fine Hyrax furs, monkey and 
 goat skins, and sheep fleeces to protect themselves against 
 the diurnal winds. Their shrewdness has been developed 
 
 VULTURE FEATHER KL'FF, PART OF MASAI WAR UNIFORM. 
 
 in a marked degree. Doubtless this is due to the fact that 
 the men, with their freebooter propensities, are constantly 
 embroiled with other tribes and luiropeans. However, whilst 
 war is proceeding, the women have free, unmolested access be- 
 
MASAI. 327 
 
 tween the combatants, and constitute the bearers of despatches 
 as well as are the purveyors, unless the attack is to capture 
 women and children to sell to slave dealers to transport to 
 the coast, when the traditional neutrality for woman is totally 
 disregarded. And I heard many pitiful tales of such captures. 
 The Masai men frequently sell their own women into captivity, 
 or barter them awa)-, which is the equivalent. The men are 
 exceedingly crafty and are great braggarts, indulging in bluster 
 and threats that can be put to rout by fearless use of the same 
 measures by one conversant with their characteristics ; totally 
 deficient in any tender traits, never exhibiting any signs of 
 affection, and keep their women under foot. They are laugh- 
 terless, mirthless, having no songs but those of war. They 
 are die heavy tragedians of Africa, full of theatrical display 
 in manner and personal get up. When a plain intervenes 
 between the Masai occupancy and other provinces, contention 
 occurs over the pasturage nature so abundantly provides, 
 which is above the necessity ot cultivation, and coveted by 
 those who are too indolent or possess no ambition to indulge 
 in a pastoral, peaceful lite. For some unknown reason the 
 Masai lay claim upon all the land and all of its products, 
 wherever they list to set foot. They are most brutal and 
 more licentious than the Chaga mountaineers. Prompted by 
 sheer wantonness, they capture women from tribes the)- have 
 accepted truce with, to bestow as a mark of favoritism if not 
 to sell as slaves upon some of their comrades or subjects 
 when they have personally wearied of the poor creatures. 
 
SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Their numbers and overruling spirit of despotism and cruelty 
 put fear into the hearts of all lesser tribes within the radius 
 of their excursive periodic raids. However, the)- have met 
 their match in the Germans, and must either 
 accept subjugation or stand a chance of 
 being annihilated. 
 
 Contrary to most of the other tribes I 
 met, who live as a rule upon vegetable and 
 fish diet, the Masai are meat eaters, and will 
 pounce upon an animal yet in the throes of 
 leath when being slaughtered, and hack chunks 
 of flesh out of its quivering bod)-, and devour 
 raw, or cut the throats of cattle and drink the 
 hot flowine blood. When meat is scarce and 
 the)- are about to enter battle, they go so far 
 as to make an incision in their own arms and 
 suck the blood. With all this there is no trace, 
 no tradition, that they have ever been addicted 
 to cannibalism pure and simple. I partook ot 
 blood brotherhood with them when a white goat 
 was the sacrificed bond. The)' engage in no 
 industries, have no avocation but fighting. 
 
 Masai warriors were sent in deputations to 
 
 MASAI 
 
 NECKLACE, wam me of the belligerent, disturbed condition of 
 their territor)', and I was afforded the extraordinary oppor- 
 tunity of seeing over one thousand Masai armed and ready 
 to enter battle, having as an objective point Arusha-jue in 
 
MASAI. 
 
 329 
 
 the German territory which they had but recently been forced 
 to evacuate by the Germans. The sight was certainly a 
 magnificent spectacle, equipped, armed, and adorned with 
 their picturesque paraphernalia, faces daubed with paint, 
 splendid masks matle of masses of ostrich and vulture 
 feathers, plumed at the top with fine sweeping feathers, lions' 
 manes, and white bits of Colobus monkey hair; huge vulture 
 feather rufis about their necks, and even encircling their 
 faces, and enormous feather 
 panniers around their thighs; 
 here and there a warrior with 
 an entire Colobus monkey-skin, 
 slit in the centre, through 
 which he had thrust his head, 
 and the tail and long hair blow- 
 ing- straight out in the wind; 
 from his shoulders wildly floated 
 in the breezes a ncbara made ^'asai nebara, white and red cotton. 
 of stripes or figured red and white cotton cloth, and a long 
 hyena tail decorated with a lion's mane, and Colobus monkey 
 tails swinging from his shoulders as an emblem of war, — 
 forsooth the African shoulder chip ! About the warriors 
 waists was strapped goats' hides, into which they thrust their 
 knives ; below their knees, and over long oval iron bells a 
 strip of Colobus monkey-skin, with the long white hair stand- 
 ing straight out like a pennant, and similar adornments on 
 their ankles ; and the leaders wore strapped across their 
 
SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 shoulders a leather quiver, containing a supply of ostrich 
 feathers to refurbish their masks : they all carried a long 
 fine Masai spear, which they never throw like Asagai, but run 
 antl thrust at their victims, always retaining the weapon in 
 their gras]) ; and use to parr)' blows splendid 
 cowhide elliptical shields from three to four 
 feet high and a foot and a half broad, 
 embellished with archaic designs ■ some- 
 what varied, but the colors em- 
 ployed are invariably white, 
 
 ^T dark red, and black. 
 The bells jangle as 
 the yelling, fierce men 
 dash and manoeuvre. 
 With all their ferocity 
 there is, as I hax^e said, 
 a great deal of sham 
 and bluster about the Masai. Al- 
 though considered the bog)-men of Africa, I am of the 
 opinion that any leader of nerve and self-possession need 
 have no fear when the)' threaten an immediate attack. A 
 warrior, hideously bedecked in his war paint and war tog- 
 gery, having heard that I refused to pa\' Invigo to the 
 Masai who tried to e.xact it from me whilst at Kimangelia, 
 and not in Masai land, came rushing up to me brandish- 
 ing his spear violently, then uplifted It as though he aimed 
 to cleave me in two, plantetl it into the ground before me, 
 
< 
 
MASAI. 
 
 331 
 
 yelled in a deafening tone as he bounded high in the air, 
 "Wow! wow! wow!" Quick as a llash, I reached behind me 
 and seized my gun, rushed forward with it, pointing the 
 muzzle towards him, and in tium j-elled, "Wow! wow! wow!" 
 discharging it in the air. Suffice it to contess, [ own that 
 spear. It was never called for. 
 It cannot be denomi- 
 nated as either a gift, 
 or a find, or a cap- 
 ture. 
 
 At this moment 1 
 became greatly excited 
 in my desire to take photo- 
 graphs, and betrayed myself into 
 a ridiculous situation. From a lurking 
 place where I sought to evade observa- 
 tion, for more than all other tribes the 
 Masai have a dread of a camera, sud- 
 denly a large body of warriors, all accoutred, passed in 
 full view. Impulsively I turned, seized what I presumed 
 was my camera, pulled oft the supposed cap, and lo and 
 behold ! it was tlie stopper of my water bottle ! I was per- 
 fectly deluged with the contents, and the only picture I could 
 claim was an aquarelle. So much for blind zeal ! 
 
 Spitting on gifts and upon faces and at people is carried to 
 a great pass among the jNIasai. They are polygamists ; their 
 religion is fetish. They indulge copiously in the wassail 
 
 MASAI WO^rEN. 
 
SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 bowl, however; intoxicated or otherwise they are aggressive, 
 quarrelsome belligerents, quite in contrast to their arcadian 
 neighbors. Their leatures m-e not specially negroid, and 
 their color is variable ; hands and feet small. But on the 
 ■whole rather an impossible, barbaric people to effect mucii b)' 
 way of civilization upon, for a long time to come, meanwhile 
 they may be annihilated. 
 
 Masai women have not the privileges or rights that exist 
 
 among the more pas- 
 toral tribes, ex- 
 cept as spies 
 and purveyors. 
 They own no 
 proj^ert)' what- 
 ever, where- 
 MASAi liiiAss COLLAR. as the Chaga and 
 
 Taveta women hold and keep their own propert)' ami may 
 acquire more. So disregarded are women, that in some 
 Masai districts five large pigeon eggs, blue or white, green 
 or amber colored glass beads will purchase a woman, whereas 
 it takes ten of the same beads to purchase a cow ! They 
 milk cows and goats in the dark. They avoid catching the 
 last glance of a dying person's eye, alleging that, it they do, 
 after death the spirit of the departed will hold the un- 
 fortunate victim under a spell for evermore. 
 
 My full-dress reception, among the Masai, came very near 
 attaining the proportions of a calamity, as it incited some of the 
 
MASAI. 333 
 
 audacious young- warriors with a desire to carry me off, and they 
 had made a plan which was secretly imparted to me by a Masai 
 woman, who hail taken a ijreat likinsf to me. Hence the little 
 unpleasantness was averted in good time. The annexation 
 was not effected. 
 
 The greetings and salutations are somewhat more poetic 
 than that of other tribes. A niziinga is met, a woman cries out, 
 " Good morninor, son of a good mother, father ol orood sons"; 
 and to me they said, " Good morning, mother of good sons." 
 
 All the Wa-Chaga have a poetic way of measuring time. 
 When they speak of noon it is, " When the sun is as a 
 brother," meaning thera is no shadow ; morningr is, " when 
 sun flies as an arrow to there," pointing over head, and when 
 the sun is sinkin"' and one walks towards it, it is designated 
 as " an enemy skulking at one's heels." All tribes mark 
 time by pointing when the sun shall have or has reached a 
 certain part oi the heaven. A messenger replied to mj' 
 demand to know how soon we should reach a certain point, 
 " To-morrow and the to-morrow of to-morrow and the night 
 of another morrow you will get there." 
 
334 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 HEROIC HAMIDI AND OTHERS. 
 
 ^EPARA HAMIDI BIN ALI, my head- 
 man of headmen, a freeman, born, I 
 believe, at Pemba Island, near Zanzibar, 
 a Mohammedan, endowed with amaz- 
 ing attributes of refinement and in- 
 telligence, upright, strict, possessed 
 of just the right order of qualities to 
 manage the affairs reposed in him, a 
 man who never shirked duty or dan- 
 ger, whereas he never injudiciously 
 courted the latter. The Sultan of Zanzibar particularly recom- 
 mended this man to me as faithful anel far above the averagfe 
 headmen. He had by his thrift accumulated considerable 
 wealth, and was generally accounted to be among the Zanzi- 
 baris a mzai, or wise man, a hiur^ia, or master. Although I 
 made a rule not to commit even to Hamidi my real object in 
 visiting Africa, other than the safari was destined for Masai 
 land, I was obliged every night or every morning to inform 
 him what I aimed to accomplish during the next twenty-four 
 hours, in order to secure harmony in the caravan and have 
 
 -f-»s,-." - 
 
HEROIC IIAMIDI AND OTHERS. 335 
 
 him second my orders, and he could distribute these orders as 
 he saw fit to the subordinate headmen and all of the porters. 
 
 I had many evidences of his pronounced tact ami admirable 
 manaeement of Zanzibaris, and found him most obedient to my 
 slightest wish, until we were in Masai land, when, to my sur- 
 prise, after saying, " Hamidi, to-morrow we will make such and 
 such a safari beyond the frontier," in a measure simply to feel 
 m)' wa\- and see if he had heeded certain rumors 
 bruited about respecting the turbulent state '^ 
 in which the Masai then were, he turned 
 and said, " Bebe Bwana, I will not conduct 
 you thither ; the danger is too great." 
 
 " Then, Hamidi, do )-ou mean to say that ^^ 
 you disobey my orders ? " 
 
 He turned round and faced me, looking 
 square into my eyes without hesitation, and .masai mask. 
 replied, " Bebe Bwana, I swore to the Sultan of Zanzibar and 
 to Bwana Mackenzie to protect )'ou as far as I could from 
 all danger, and to pive you m\- life rather than harm should 
 come to you. Bebe P>wana, take these pistols," and he 
 drew his revolvers from his belt; "kill me, but I will not go." 
 
 There was a heroic majesty about the man ; I took the 
 proffered pistols, and whether he misinterpreted ni)- movement 
 I know not ; he opened his kaiisic without demur, and stood 
 stoically with his breast bared before me. 
 
 " I am ready, Bebe Bwana." 
 
 " Hamidi, go, or I shall be tempted to do something rash. 
 
336 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Let me think it over, and whether 
 yon go or not I yo into Masai 
 land, ^'on and the rest of )our 
 goats ma)' stay behind. I go into 
 Masai land at sun-up to-morrow 
 morning." 
 Before da)break I heard Hamidi's 
 voice without ni)- tent, saying pathet- 
 ically, " Bebe Bwana, I must speak 
 to you." 
 
 " Well, Hamidi, what is it?" 
 
 " I am sorr)' to have 
 ve.xed }'ou, Bebe Bwana; 
 if you go into Masai 
 land, I will go too. 
 I might as well be 
 killed one place as 
 another." And this 
 fine man, as heroic 
 ,' and chivalrous and 
 loyal as any white 
 defender of a leader 
 could possibly have 
 MASAI SPEAKS AND SHIELDS, been uudcr the cir- 
 cumstances, succeeded in dissuading 
 me from what wcnild have been not 
 onl)' a most hazardous undertaking, 
 
HEROIC HA.MIDI AND OTHERS. 
 
 00/ 
 
 but wcnikl tloiibtlt'ss havt; rcsultccl in the entire lootiny of 
 m)' caraxan and annihilation of the Zanzibaris, no matter 
 what might have happened to me. 
 
 Another word about this noble fellow. \\'ht;n I would have 
 the men ranged in line and file, assorted in groups, such and 
 such men with ulcers, those with stomachic difficulties, those 
 affected with sunstroke, etc., in making my daily round to ad- 
 minister to their maladies, Hamidi would walk beside me, and 
 when he came to 
 a man who care- /sf^. 
 lessly extended \,(^" 
 a dirt)' loot cov- 
 ered with mud, he "^«->''jSm 
 would seize him by 
 the neck and exclaim, «»; 
 
 " You toad ! o'o to the water; 
 
 o 
 
 don't )ou know better than to 
 put a foot like that before Bebe Bwana ? " He always evinced 
 the desire to compel, when necessary, certain respectful hom- 
 age from the porters, which proved most grateful to me. 
 
 Hamidi called my attention to the fact that many of the 
 married women of Chaga and Ta\eta wear a leather loin- 
 cloth which covers the hips antl falls half-way to the knees, 
 with a long, sash-like pendant at the side, embroidered and 
 loaded down with glass and metal beads and chains, the 
 leather colored with yellow clays, avowing he could not pro- 
 cure one. There is a certain superstition connected with these 
 
 CHAGA MEIAL CHAIN UIRDLE. 
 
33S SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 leather cloths which has a very strange import as revealing an 
 innate idea of faithfulness, if not of tenderness, according to their 
 conception of such a quality on the part of the women for the 
 men w'ith whom they are associated by marriage. The)' have 
 never been known to sell, give, or barter one of these cloths 
 after having worn it, until I procured the one in my posses- 
 sion. The reason for this is very rational from their stand- 
 point, considering the people from whom it emanates ; the 
 idea that if they should give to anj- mzunga such a cloth, or 
 he should obtain it in any way, the woman would be under 
 some sexual subjection to this man ; that he could throw over 
 her a spell at any time, wherever she might be, however 
 unwilling the woman should feel ; he could take her from her 
 husband and tribe to the ends of the earth. 
 
 When 1 argued with the women that 1 was a woman, a 
 bcbc like themselves, that I could not possibl)- work such 
 magic over them, and that it would be a graceful thing for 
 one woman to give to another woman such an evidence of 
 her friendship, they argued and protested at first, always 
 refusing to comply with my request ; then as I made firmer 
 friendship with them, bestowing gifts and kindnesses upon 
 them, possibly administering to them medically if they 
 chanced to be overtaken with illness, the heart of one 
 woman softened towards me and she professed that she was 
 willing to give me her cloth if her husband would only con- 
 sent, for which fa\or 1 avowed my willingness to give her 
 sufficient material and beads to make two others. Yet she 
 
HEROIC HAMIDI AND OTHERS. 
 
 339 
 
 kept settling back in wonderment over the peculiarity of my 
 request, and that I, a woman, and the master of a great 
 caravan, could possess her cloth and yet not care to possess 
 her. However, after the lapse of many clays and recurrent 
 consultations with her husband, and all manner of blandish- 
 ments on m}- part, she followed my safari over fifty miles, 
 
 LARGE MASAI NEBARA. 
 
 and finally came and tossed it into my tent, exclaiming, 
 " Bebe Bwana, take it, take it; you are my sister, take it!" 
 This episode goes far to evidence how much superior in 
 some ways is the position of a woman going among this 
 tribe over that of any man, however crafty and savant he 
 might be, and it is only illustrative of many other occur- 
 rences during my safari, revealing to me the habits and 
 
340 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 customs and the family life and relationships of the natives. 
 These leather cloths once worn never change ownership, 
 even amongf women of the same tribe, but are burned or 
 buried with the wearer upon death. As have other travellers, 
 so have I two or more perfectly new samples of these cloths. 
 The Wa-Kahe cling with great fidelity to a marvellous 
 superstition quite Egyptian in its doctrine of transmigration 
 in connection with the Colobus monkey which inhabits their 
 forests, to which, however, no other tribe gives credence. 
 They believe that the spirits of their ancestors transmigrate 
 and possess the bodies of these white and sable creatures, 
 hence, under no circumstances whatever, will a native of 
 Kahe kill or consciously permit one of these beautiful sim- 
 ians to be killed, and on approaching the forest where they 
 abide in great numbers, the WaT<ahe observe an ominous 
 silence and cast furtive glances as they pick their steps with 
 precaution and hesitation that would seem to indicate verita- 
 ble belief in their superstition. 
 
 Leaping from branch to branch of the tall trees the 
 Colobus monkey presents a beautiful apparition ; their bodies 
 when fully grown are two feet long from muzzle to root of 
 tail, and covered with a very thick, long growth of soft silky 
 hair, jet black on the back and belly, and silvery white on 
 the sides. Their tails are from two and a half to three and a 
 half feet long, and perfect plumes from root to tip of spot- 
 less white hair. The Masai and other tribes, to the horror 
 of the Wa-Kahe, hunt these monkeys, considering their 
 
HEROIC HAMim AND OTHERS. 
 
 341 
 
 beautiful pelts as great troijhies, and desirable trophies and 
 effective accessories for personal adornment. 
 
 Wa-Kahe use bows and arrows and spears when they can 
 procure them. They cultivate fine plantations and possess 
 vast bee ranges, which incite maurauders : thev hunt and 
 engage in minor blacksmith work. 
 Various furs, the principal being the 
 H)Tax, are used to protect them 
 from the icy breath of Kibo, and 
 their huts were rather on a 
 better order and of more 
 artistic shape than those pre- 
 viously seen by me. Gran- 
 aries are placed on stilt-like 
 supports, and resemble huge modern 
 beehives, made of heavy braided or 
 roped grasses. Many tribes hang ^ 
 up their produce and harvest inside 
 the slanting roofs of their huts, and 
 the appearance is much the same as 
 a farmer's barn or garret in ci\'ilized 
 countries, prompted measurably by leather beaded loin-cloth. 
 the same necessities. Tree granaries differ in no wa)' from 
 similar granaries in other lands, excepting the use of the 
 raphia palm leaves, which frequenth" attain a growth of 
 thirty feet in length, and constitute an admirable thatching 
 which sheds the water over the grarnered harvest when once 
 
342 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 suspended from the branches of the selected trees. Utility 
 is marked on all sides. Many strange and multicolored 
 mosses bearded the trees, presenting the guise of the be- 
 mossed trees of a Florida swamp. There were gray parrots, 
 but not in any great numbers. The ornaments of the 
 Wa-Kahe very much resemble those of the \\'a-Ta\eta, 
 varied with an occasional string of Masai beads or trinkets, 
 and beads from other tribes. 
 
 By tying together the ends of a large waterproof sheet, and 
 suspending it between trees or poles, I had instituted the habit 
 of catching rain water. Natives witnessing this would always 
 examine the fabric in wonderment, and would essay to do the 
 same thing with pieces of cotton cloth they procured from 
 the porters, going through with similar arrangements ; but, in 
 consequence of the thinness ot the cloth, the result was gen- 
 erally unsatisfactory. In passing, these trifling circumstances 
 are mentioned in evidence of the natives' susceptibility in 
 appropriation of useful ideas, and it shows that their brains 
 have the same receptiveness one looks lor in children. 
 Failing, they naturally concluded tliat there was a peculiar 
 charm about the "imperia" of Bebe Bwana, and one covetous 
 sultan was inciteil to command a )outh to steal the water- 
 proof sheet of my Palanquin. He was discovered in the act 
 and captured, and brought by Mamidi as a prisoner one long 
 day's march after me. His family had sent, as ransom for the 
 boy, after returning the stolen cloth, a cow, two goats, four 
 sheep, anil a (juantity of fruit. Unfortunately, I was pro- 
 
o 
 z; 
 
 
HEROIC HAMTDI AND OTHERS. 343 
 
 hibited from acting in accordance with the dictates of my own 
 feelings, being in German territory; hence there was nothing 
 left for me but to hand the boy over to the resident officers 
 at the first station, and enter a plea for leniency and mercy. 
 I was prompted to make a personal aftair of it by the touch- 
 ing display of anguish of the boy's aged mother, fearful that 
 her son would be consigned to death, as well as by the boy's 
 own contrition. He was freed after a day's make-believe 
 incarceration and five sticks, and his promises for good deport- 
 ment in the future. He came rushing to me full of gratitude, 
 prostrated himself fiat on the ground, spat upon my toes, 
 arose and tossed at me armfuls of grass furnished by his 
 mother, and quite voluntarily offered to carry a load for a day 
 or more. I cite this to show that these natives are capable 
 of feelings of contrition, as well as of oratitude. 
 
 In attestation on the side of their sentimental nature, a 
 little Kilema maiden, seeing that 1 had no rings upon my 
 hands, murmured very deploringly, "Poor Bebe Bwana ! no 
 rings!" Then, with a sudden and spontaneous accession of 
 generosity, she slipped from her own fingers her numerous 
 metal rings, exclaimed as she proffered them to me and as 
 I was about to place them on m\' fingers, " Bebe m'zuria 
 Sana!" — lady very beautiful! — and settled back upon her 
 heels, admiringly gazing at me with her own denuded hands 
 clasped across her equally nude abdomen. Luckily 1 suc- 
 ceeded in taking a photograph ot her at this juncture, which 
 is expressive of the situation. 
 
344 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 One day, when we had just started out, I said to Hamidi, 
 "Look you, man. I cannot talk to these black tellows in this 
 wa}' ; they crowd too close to me. 1 must have something to 
 stand on." He immediately issued an order that every porter 
 who desires henceforth to speak to Bebe Bwana must first init 
 down his sanditki (box) for Bebe Bwana to stand upon, and 
 
 FOUR HEADMEN. 
 
 this was maintained throughout the entire journe)-. When 
 I saw a porter during camp hours coming towards me bearing- 
 one box or two, according to his height, upon his head, 1 knew 
 he had some com|)laint or request to pour into ni)' ears ; and he 
 woukl |)ut down one box, and say, "There!" anil put down 
 another and repeat, "There! " and wait until 1 had mounted on 
 the extemporized tlais. Then he would begin his complaint. 
 It was the source of a "reat deal of amusement to the officers of 
 
HEROIC HAMIDI AND OTHERS. 345 
 
 various stations, as I passed through sections where the Ger- 
 mans or Enghsh were established, to witness this httle by-play. 
 Presently the natives were likewise inoculated with the idea 
 that I must not be spoken to unless I occupied some point of 
 eminence ; so they would indicate with their tongues or with 
 their spears a stone or a hummock, and say, " There ! " and 
 when I would mount upon it, they would make a salaam and 
 proceed with their business. One day, standing upon a stone, 
 while the men were taking their noonday smoke and rest, 
 surrounded by fifty or sixty young warriors and young girls, 
 in Kilemi, I tried to engage the attention of the natives; 
 and to a young girl, whose eyes were riveted in amazement 
 upon me, and who nervously kept pursing up her mouth, I 
 said, " Do this," and I whistled. With the erreatest elee 
 and merriment all the girls commenced to whistle, and one 
 buxom fellow who stood well to the fore among the group, 
 otherwise he would never have taken the liberty, com- 
 menced to whistle. The girl turned round and eave him 
 a smart slap on the face and said, "You are not a girl," 
 thenceforth he was the butt of .so much merriment that he 
 was obliged to retire to a remote spot for refuge. 
 
 To return to Hamidi. If there was any curious thing 
 that he chanced to discover, article of wearing apparel or 
 ornament, or a fine spear, he at once managed to have 
 its possessor come to me, and whilst standing apart, unseen 
 by the native, with a significant glance at the article 
 and at me he would quietly say, " Ha-penda, hi?" (do 
 
546 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 you like it?) If 1 would nod or say, "Yes," he would reply, 
 " \'er)' well, you shall have it," and in due course, whether 
 as a gift from the individual, or whether it was paid for by 
 me or by him, the coveted article became mine. 
 
 1 was surprised one day to have Hamidi enter m\- tent, 
 aying, " Bebe Bwana, that thing must be 
 left." What "that thing" was my looks 
 revealed I ielt in some doubt. He touched 
 a chameleon, which I had carried because 
 the little thing seemed to have attached itself 
 to me in the course oi my march, and upon 
 incjuiry, "W'h)?" he said, "The men think 
 that it pertains to witchcraft." I found 
 my porters throughout the caravan full 
 of abhorrence oi all crawlino- thinus, and 
 reluctant to have such tolerated by me ; 
 so 111)' little pet was abandoned, and I was tor- 
 mented by swarms of flies and mosquitoes it 
 had protected me against. 
 
 As my readers have discovered, another 
 ORYX BEisA BULL, charactcr in the cara\-an was Josefe, m)' head 
 interpreter. He was the wag and life of the camp. He 
 spoke twenty-seven dialects, English particularly well, and 
 had been emplojed so constantly upon war-ships going to 
 different ports, that he had all the mannerisms of a laddie of 
 the sea; and when I would call, "Josefe!" he would immedi- 
 ately straighten himself up, pull his coat together, touch his 
 
HEROIC HAMIDI AND OTHERS. 347 
 
 head with his hand and say, "Aye, aye, sir." I announced 
 to my Zanzibaris, "When [osefe tells you what I say, it 
 is as if I spoke"; he was afterwards dubbed "the trumpet 
 of Bebe," not before me or in my supposed hearing; 
 but time out of number I heard merriment rinof throueh- 
 out the encampment when Josefe would circulate about 
 giving utterance to an order. He was personally full 
 of curiosity and interest to see and hear everything con- 
 cerning the natives whom we visited, as it was his first 
 commission, as he called it, in these parts, anel was ever 
 on the alert to keep me informed as to what was going 
 on, and from time to time narrated to me many of the 
 stories which were current, many only of topical interest, 
 requiring their own setting to carry any wit or meaning. 
 He seemed very much pleased with his position of gcntlc- 
 man in attoidance. His vanities I himiored as best I could 
 by giving him white and blue yachting coats to wear, and 
 by having extra gold-band decorations sewn on his cap to 
 identify him from others, and was ne.xt to Hamidi in impor- 
 tance. I confess I rather revelled in his swao-pferine manner 
 and braggadocio speech and assumption of dignit)', but found 
 him a capital elbow man. 
 
 The habit of regarding me as a man, and not being quite 
 able to reconcile my office witli that of a woman, was shown 
 throughout my safari by the men who were my personal 
 attaches. I would open my tent-flap and say, "Boy!" Back 
 would come the answer, " Sabe ! " (sir); and they never got 
 
348 
 
 SULTAN TO SUI.TAN. 
 
 over it. If I addressed a porter he would respond, " Dio, 
 Bwana " (yes, master). 
 
 My body servant, gun-bearer, and cook had been with 
 .some of the most distinguished travellers on extensive safaris. 
 
 exil,ui;us m on kiiN -.skins. 
 
 and were experienced and inured to caravan lile and hard- 
 ships, and knew the country fairly well from actual knowledge 
 or throuoh hearsay. Their raam/cr of the different charac- 
 teristics of the iiiznnga whom the)- had ser\-ed, revealed too 
 often the old saying that a man is never a hero to his valet, 
 nor above the scrutiny or criticism of those whom he com- 
 
HEROIC HAMIDI AND OTHERS. 349 
 
 mands. They are very close observers of actions and words, 
 and make some \er)- astute deductions. When they are 
 favored by the Inoaiia of a caravan, the)' become jealous of 
 any one who invades their legitimate or self-imposed duties, 
 and are guilty of man\- little spiteful acts to regain their lost 
 empire, and lose no chance to depreciate the invader. For 
 example: my boy, Ramezan, could not endure the thought 
 that I would allow an)- one to make my bed or brush my 
 clothes but he : and my other boy, Baraka, who assisted in 
 serving my meals, was equally jealous ot his function as but- 
 ler. But these two lads throughout my safari served me with 
 as great and efificient attention and cleanliness as if they had 
 been trained under the most exacting teachers in a European 
 household. I have previously written I never sat down in the 
 open on a box, using the top of its duplicate for a table to 
 eat from, but they put a dainty little tablecloth over it, 
 and laid the cover with a certain amount of style and pomp, 
 serving my meagre meals in courses. I think travellers 
 who are deprived of these refined evidences of civilization 
 in making long safaris are likewise deprived of an intimate 
 knowledge of the capabilities and adaptabilities of the blacks 
 about them. Besides, it all tends towards maintaining self- 
 respect, and accentuates personal prestige, which is so sig- 
 nificant in the eyes of the African, whether he is a porter 
 or a free and independent native. 
 
 When we were in camp for a da)' there would be a gen- 
 eral washing of all of the clothing of the caravan, which 
 
350 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 would be taken by them to a stream or pool and washed, 
 and their tent covers cleansed, and all of my soiled clothing, 
 although it never was allowed to accumulate, washed by the 
 women. The little tricks resorted to in order to obtain soap 
 from me were certainly amusing. Although my stores suf- 
 fered in consequence of these inroads upon them, I feigned 
 indifference, knowing I had plenty. The Swahali, as a rule, 
 are very clean about their persons and clothing, and never 
 lose an opportunity of taking a bath (or washing) on safai'i. 
 They usually carry one or two changes of clothing. Rame- 
 zan, my bo)-, said one day, speaking ot some natives who 
 were not cleanly, " Bebe Bwana no likee ; smellee badly; 
 Ramezan cleanee; Ramezan sweetee. Bebe, give Ramezan 
 some soapee. Ramezan washee, makee sweetee." I gave 
 him a piece of soap, going through the formula ol request- 
 ing him to return the remnant, which he seldom did. As it 
 was his duty to wash the napkins and tablecloths, I had 
 great difficulty in supervising economy on this score, for I 
 had charged him never to serve a meal with soiled linen. 
 Soap, in Ramezan's hands, seemed to melt into nothingness 
 in a moment, the secret of which, of course, was that he 
 used it for his personal bathing purposes, and to whiten his 
 own clothes. He was fastidiously neat and clean. This fact 
 conduced largel\' to my comfort. 
 
 Although I had been strongly advised to take women 
 porters and women to wash and for other duties, I toimd the 
 few I had a perpetual nuisance. They were always inciting 
 
HEROIC HAMIDI AND OTHERS. 351 
 
 disputes among' the porters, and resorted to all sorts of meas- 
 ures to win from them portions of food and other things 
 which they coveted. One little woman, who happened to be 
 m admirable cook, would volunteer her services to groups of 
 porters who messed together, was like a fatted pig at the 
 end of the safari, having received in payment for her ser- 
 vices as cook the pick of their rations. This little woman, 
 who carried her full load 
 daily, frequently was in 
 danger of being swept 
 down the torrential 
 streams, which we had 
 to ford or swim, and I 
 found it necessary to de- 
 tail a strong, tall porter j 
 as life preserver to get 
 her safely across. How- an old masai warning me. 
 
 ever, I have this to say of the women porters, they com- 
 pared admirably with the men both in staying qualities and 
 strength, doing their day's march with no more complaining, 
 besides having superficial duties either incumbent upon them 
 or volunteered, which the men had not. Certainly I was 
 personally deprived of their aid in consequence of the des- 
 perate and helpless illness of one I took to serve me, to 
 whom I had to relegate every woman to nurse, besides 
 detail a dozen or more porters to carry and guard when 
 encamped against the intrusion of natives. 
 
352 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 It was a constant source of amazement to see what the 
 porters would from time to time produce from their mats in 
 the way of varieties of beads and other trifles, and the way 
 in which they converted their ration-cloth into garments or 
 transformed a turban into tents. Needles were always in 
 demand. They sewed with thread drawn from the woof of 
 cotton cloth when that they had brought on reels was used. 
 Not only do they sew neatly but with rapidity; and upon 
 occasions where needles were given out to string m)- trade 
 beads, which were counted before distribution and again on 
 their return, out of one hundred possibly ten might be 
 returned, the missing number were always lost. Then I 
 would say to the porters, "Let me examine your hair"; and 
 often I have found ten or twelve needles secreted in the 
 thick woolly pad surmounting their heads. I discovered 
 that they put for safe keeping all of their little treasures 
 under this clump of wool until they were needed or could 
 be bartered to each other or to the natives. After a stated 
 time, when the heat became oppressive, and their wool too 
 long and burdened with vermin, every head in the caravan 
 was shaved smooth. Several men among the porters who 
 were good barbers were employed by the others at a nom- 
 inal fee to perform this office. This naturally ended the 
 needle pilfering, and simplified the characteristic search for 
 vermin, which seems indigenous to Africa, and meets the 
 eye on all sides. The few rupees they carried from the 
 coast, and the beads received for posho, would be tied 
 
HEROIC HAMIDI AND OTHERS. 353 
 
 in the corner of their cloths, or deposited with one of the 
 headmen, until required by them. 
 
 The headmen, askari, antl interpreters never carrj' loads 
 excepting during times of emergency ; and when there are 
 any sick who must be carried, if the caravan is small and 
 porters scarce because of desertion or illness, the askari 
 and others are detailed as carriers. 
 
 The manner in which a turban, worn by a porter to 
 ease the weight of the loatl from his head, will be whipped 
 oft in a moment when a camping ground is reached, is 
 interesting. Then, with two or three forked sticks cut from 
 the immediate bushes or trees, he makes a dainty little tent, 
 and carefully sweeps the ground within with a bush besom, 
 and lays down clean grass, puts his belongings inside, and 
 joins a group of porters with whom he messes. Then the 
 cooking commences, and he rushes off — if he is not per- 
 sonally attending the pot — to gather more wood or, perhaps, 
 in answer to mj- call, to fetch fuel for my fires. He changes 
 his body-cloths, puts on a little white cap, which he has 
 perhaps not yet finished, and the threads may be hanging 
 loose, and takes up his position to sing or talk in a loud 
 voice, telling — if he has visited the place before — what 
 happened when Bwana So-and-so was encamped here last 
 year, or ten years before. Their minds seem to have 
 marvellous retentive powers. Things may be exaggerated 
 somewhat by their imagination, but, on the whole, I found 
 that many of their stories were quite accurate, and had 
 
354 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 been vividly impressed upon their minds by certain incidents 
 known to more than one porter in the caravan, and would 
 fairly coincide and corroborate each other. 
 
 Their trifling manifestations of vanity amused me immensely. 
 Every porter carried a mirror. When in camp he would seek 
 out a quiet corner and pull out his mirror, take his tooth- 
 sticks, and, while admiringly gazing at himself, would polish 
 his teeth and make some little arrangement of toilet, comb 
 his hair, or polish his scalp, and cant his cap in a coquettish 
 way a little over one ear, and then, with great satisfaction, 
 pull himself together and meander up and down through 
 the passages between the tents, assuming the air of a 
 dandy who was thoroughly satisfied with himself. 
 
 The picking of the mimosa thorns from their cloths, which 
 would sometimes form a perfect nap over the entire face of 
 the cloth, and the jabbing out of their flesh thorns, which 
 they do in an almost merciless manner, occupied much atten- 
 tion. These thorns, and also bits of flint which had become 
 imbedded in their feet during a day's march, are usually 
 gouged out — in a three-cornered piece of flesh embodying the 
 thorn or flint — either by their own hands or the kind offices 
 of a friend, and they never flinch or seem to mind the 
 operation. But when I got a thorn in my foot, they made 
 delicate arrancrements for its removal. Two or three boxes 
 were laid down, with rugs upon them ; then I was ceremoni- 
 ously requested to be seated, and to bare my foot. The 
 porter who had assumed the duty of removing it, having 
 
HEROIC HAMIDI AND OTHERS. 355 
 
 washed his mouth and polished his teeth, asked me for 
 "sweetee water" — which was cologne — and copiously bathed 
 his face all over with it, rinsed out his mouth, and then put 
 on his clean kansti. He then lay fiat on his stomach on the 
 ground at the end of the box on which my foot rested, with 
 his hands stretched on each side so as to avoid touching me, 
 and saying, " Inshallah, Bebe," which is equivalent to " With 
 your permission, lady," with his lips parted and his teeth 
 thrust forward as far as possible, and pressing steadily and 
 forcibly about the thorn until he had it well clinched between 
 them, he pulled it slowly but firmly out and held it in his 
 teeth, and came and dropped it by my side for my inspec- 
 tion. As a master of surgery, he asked for a piece of cotton 
 wool, and after dipping this in grease, he daintily bandaged 
 my foot. This important ministration ended, he would start 
 on a dead run to his tent to tell with boast and flourish to 
 his comrades the service he had rendered Bebe Bwana. 
 
 With great ceremony Josefe informed me that a boiite- 
 sale was to take place among the porters. This aftair was 
 a general auction of all superfluous articles, bottles, and 
 curios. The fun they provoked by the bidding was irresisti- 
 bly contagious. 
 
356 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN . 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 SULTAN MIREALI. 
 
 -jS we approached Marungu, Sultan Mi- 
 reali's province, had crossed the 
 last ravine, and were ascendins,'' the 
 last hill to his bonia, a very stony, 
 difficult pull for my weary porters, 
 there could be heard the buzz and 
 hum of distant voices, occasionally 
 a strident tone would override the 
 others, and on searching; for a solution of the hubbub, I de- 
 scried at the crest of the hill, roughl\- estimated, two or three 
 thousand people, making a spectacular sight decidedly intensi- 
 fied by the bright red that seemed to prevail in their flashing, 
 ample vestments, as the}' moved and circled about with consid- 
 erable agitation, like swarming bees, at one time converging, 
 then spreading out and scattering, only to crowd again together 
 ami return ; and, as we neared, I discovered that the pivot 
 of attraction consisted in a personage standing upon a huge 
 bowlder, a native, tall and distinguished, who appeared a perfect 
 guy, tricked out in a pair of German military trousers, with 
 side stripes, a white knitted shirt with a brilliant pin on the 
 
D 
 
 < 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 7Z 
 
 o 
 
SULTAN MIREALI. 
 
 357 
 
 bosom, a celluloid high collar, a cravat of the most flaminof 
 color, a striped woollen Scotch shooting-coat, a flamboyant 
 pocket-handkerchief, and a j^air of Russia-leather shoes, expos- 
 ing blue silk clocked socks. His fine head was disfigured b^- 
 wearing a black silk pot hat, which was canted backwards, 
 bonnet fashion, by the long porcupine quill ear ornaments 
 thrust throuofh the rims of his ears. He carried an Enolish 
 walking-stick with a huge silver knob, and held in his hands 
 a pair of kid gloves. This clown then 
 was Mireali, conceded to be the handsomest r4 
 native man in East Africa, the 
 most noble and most majestic sultan ^^ ;. 
 if not the most powerful. This ^ §• ^ 
 chivalrous sultan, notified by his cou- ? 
 riers at last, alter his weeks of expect I. 
 ancy, I was coming, had summoned all 
 
 CI- , . , , , DELICATE CHAIN NECKLACE, 
 
 oi his subjects — several thousand — to with spiral brass 
 bid me welcome, and add lustre to the pendants. 
 
 honor he desired to pay Bebe Bwana, and to Italicize the 
 function had ridiculously bedecked himself in this cast-off 
 finery of various persons of different nationality, who had 
 but recently left his province. 
 
 Remembering that he had been told to uncover in the 
 presence of a guest, Mireali found himself in a sad dilemma 
 as to how to do it ; however, one of his many subjects stepped 
 up behind him and tilted the hat over backwards, and scraped 
 it off from the embarrassed potentate's head. It is a shame 
 
iSB 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 a man like Mireali should be so imposed upon by those 
 who should have known better. 
 
 When all the salaams and jambos had been effusively 
 uttered, and Mireali had welcomed me with 
 great ceremony himself, he conducted me, 
 followed by my caravan, to his old bom a, which 
 presented rather a ghastly appearance, for his 
 father-in-law, brother-in-law, rival, and enemy. 
 Sultan Mandara of Moschi, had first 
 looted, then burnt his house to the 
 ; round, and the charred beams and 
 )ther debris were the only remnants to 
 be seen of his first advance in civiliza- 
 tion, for his house had been built by 
 iSwahali labor and in just such style 
 as one might find in Zanzibar. 
 His present boma is sepa- 
 rated from this site by a rubbled 
 dry stone fence, about ten feet 
 high and three and a half in 
 thickness, upon which usually 
 disported two or three pet goats, 
 and frequently all his wives 
 and the women of his wives 
 would loom up over this fence 
 to see Bebe Bwana. As soon 
 SULTAN MIREALI iM NATIVE AiTiRE. as I had ail oppoTtunit)' of ex- 
 
SULTAN MIREALI. 
 
 359 
 
 changing a few words with Mireali, when he asked for all the 
 white men who had visited him, I ventured to say: "Mireali, 
 why do )ou wear these clothes ? They make you look like a 
 goat. I want to see you in your own native cloth, and see 
 you as Mireali, the great African sultan that )ou are." He 
 hung his head contemplatively for a few moments, then 
 gazed at me with his fine eyes, said, " Bebe Bwana, yes,, 
 yes, to-morrow." The 
 next morning he pre- 
 sented himself with an 
 enormous cloth, as 
 large as four table- 
 cloths sewn together, 
 wound around him, and 
 thrown over his shoul- 
 ders in the most grace- 
 ful and artistic manner, 
 trailing regally behind 
 him, carrying a long 
 spear, and backed up by his picturesque coterie of wives 
 and followers, all in native costumes. The wives all wear 
 ample pieces of Americana, which is somewhat superior to 
 the trade gumpty, and quantities of beaded and metal 
 ornaments. He looked truly majestic as he advanced with 
 his picturesque cortege, and I could not help recalling some 
 of the old pictures of Roman senators. His mien was full 
 of composure, yet not restrained to such a pass as to conceal 
 
 PRESENTATION JEWELLED BELT, DAGGER, 
 AND ORNAMENTS. 
 
;6o 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 his gracious desire to be hospitable, and there was a hirking 
 anxiety withal, -which manifested itself in his furti\'e glances, 
 as if he sought to divine what would most please me. In 
 the course of the day he brought me sheep, with fat tails 
 dragging on the ground, one or two of which he had been 
 
 BEAD GIRDLES WORN SOLELY BY MIREALl'S SUKLVS (WO.MKNJ. 
 
 fattening especially for me, and the creatures could scarcely 
 move, burdened with so much superfluous flesh ; also numer- 
 ous ofoats, and sent me one cow after another until the number 
 reached ten. This was a thing unparalleled in East Afri- 
 can native generosity, for it is conceded that one or two cows 
 are considered a right royal offering; but Mireali, in his 
 
SULTAN MIREALI. 36 1 
 
 eaeerness to know more of me, and make me feel he was 
 my friend, and to secure my friendship for himself, had noth- 
 ing in his province he woukl not have bestowed upon me, 
 had I expressed the desire to possess it. We had many 
 talks, and I found him intelligent, his brain alert and suscep- 
 tible of impressions, and with a general discontent with his 
 condition, and a restless craving to become more as the white 
 men. Isly finest music box he coveted without any disposition 
 to dissemble, and was never happier than when watching the 
 wheels go round, and marking the intonations of the carols. 
 
 Finally, in a spasm of desire which overcame him to 
 possess this box, he came and planted before me his own 
 personal spear, his sceptre as it were, and said, " Bebe Bwana, 
 take this and let me have your music box." I gave him the 
 music box, and a jewelled belt and dagger, happy to pos- 
 sess the spear. 
 
 I queried, " How will you keep this box from being 
 stolen, as your other treasures have been stolen, by Mandara?" 
 
 He led me to an excavation in a secluded spot under 
 the shade of banana-trees in the middle of his plantation, 
 which was lined with stone slabs and completely covered inside 
 with Hyrax and Colobus monkey-skins, and here he placed 
 his treasure with a jewelled sword I had brought to him from 
 England, and after covering it up with a heavy slab and 
 replacing the sod, he said, " Mandara can never find that." 
 This habit of burying treasures, especially ivory, is universally 
 resorted to by all African tribes. 
 
362 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 The women, or surias, of his wives are totally nude, wear- 
 ing decorative beaded ropes, six to twenty-four in number, 
 around their waists, arms, and legs, with no other attempt 
 at clothing. They are more beautifully formed than thei' 
 mistresses, although darker in color, but their features are 
 absolutely pretty, their teeth glittering white, and they seem 
 to give a great deal of attention to the decoration of 
 their bodies with their beads, which are usually white and 
 i\ pale or dark blue, or solid dark colors, 
 • -V and dainty in the extreme. They also 
 wear cloth and leather pendants, which 
 may be denominated as African fig 
 ,1 leaves. These articles are likewise 
 affected by many of the men and chil- 
 dren, and are profusely ornamented with 
 beads and delicate metal chain fringes. 
 liEADEEi FIG LEAF. The gTace of these women in moving 
 about is the grace which affixes to all people who are in the 
 habit of carrying loads over mountainous countries on their 
 heads with their bodies erect, and they have the movement 
 almost of a o-azelle in climbincr and descending the mountains. 
 This imparts to them a somewhat haughty mien and swing- 
 ing motion as they approach )'ou without loads. Although 
 we are in the habit of considering Africans as being simply 
 progressive monkeys, a species of rudimental human beings, 
 with their arms awkwardly pendent, hands and feet large and 
 ungainly, and a certain cattish movement when not shuffling. 
 
SULTAN MIREALI. 
 
 and licit footed, I am free to sa)- it is not the case with 
 these Chaga people. They are great posers when they are 
 on view, if they hold or have an audience with other tribes, 
 or the white man is present. Their self-consciousness and 
 egotistic vanit)- transcend concealment. 
 
 I asked jNIireali, " Do you not love one wife better than 
 another ? " 
 
 " Oh, I like them all, but the new 
 one is the best for to-day ; in a week 
 I shall afo back to the old, the big 
 wife, because she knows me better 
 than the others," he quaintly responded. ' 
 
 " But these children, how about 
 them? There are a number." 
 
 "Well, yes, they are good little Vi,i,!i:|M.i'ii 
 
 goats, but only the first son of the |li^'fsfAvtiil'44'4'M%f^ 
 big wile IS worthy ot my virility. /,',: ■'! iUiWi^Uii^^l .1%-^'^j 
 
 lis expression rather perplexed Jy^fZ^^fe™?? 
 
 3ut later on I learned the true ^''^Pt'li® ll'^^^P' '1 
 
 This 
 me, but later on I learned the true 'ff'.'Sjlp 
 significance of his phrase and thought, beaded fig leaf. 
 
 " Ah me, what exponents of simple honesty and truth these 
 aboriginals are." 
 
 Complimenting Mireali about the neatness and taste dis- 
 played by the natives in packing loads, he turned around and 
 acquainted me with a subtle reason I had overlooked. 
 
 " A spray of grass, a few seeds, a chewed bit of sugar- 
 cane ma}" betray any one to his enemy. Watch us ; we never 
 
364 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 go exactly by the same path. Look you, Bebe Bwana, see 
 there, that woman bounding through the grass. She is the 
 wife of a well-lcnown Masai, and she is trying to lose her 
 footprints. By and by she will wade across the water, then, 
 on the other bank, later on, cross back." 
 
 There was so much suggestion in Mircali's remarks, that 
 from that hour I never ceased watching the natives we 
 chanced to meet, or those who were pursuing the same 
 direction, and discovered that they were more or less erratic 
 in the course of their journey, habitually " losing their foot- 
 prints." A bev)- of native women carrjing provisions from 
 sultan to sultan, or merely in the hope of capturing trade 
 from my caravan when we would halt, at one moment would 
 be in plain sight, and later on, when we would have crossed 
 a stream or ascended a craggy steep, they would have van- 
 ished, subsequentl)' to emerge away beyond to the right or 
 left of our path from a dense thicket, or were far in 
 advance awaiting our approach, having cut across countr)-. 
 
 It was a fine sight to see these women, almost nude but 
 elitterino- with their barbaric metal ornaments and bright 
 beads, fleet-footed, indifferent to hardships or physical hurt, 
 race up or down the moimtain-sicles, ford rivers, step upon 
 cruel thorns and sharp blade-like flints, or slide along over the 
 slippery mud with the lleetness and agility of gazelles, bal- 
 ancing on their heads heavy loads ot fruit or what not, and 
 never fall. Ordinarily they will cover thirty miles in a da)-. 
 
 One of Mireali's sisters has been the cause of a war with 
 
SULTAN MIREALI. 365 
 
 Mandara. She has been euphoniously named the \'enus of 
 the Mountains, and accounted to be a professional Chaga 
 beauty. Mireali's demand of forty cows for his sister, Man- 
 dara would not accede to. .So he stormed Mireali's boma, 
 but did not capture the prize, although he drove Mireali 
 away Irom his province temporarih'. 
 
 Mireali was under a cloud and not in very great favor 
 with his subjects because of this defeat. When one of these 
 sultans are defeated, they evacuate their sultanate and retreat 
 into the fastness of the mountains until things have calmed 
 down. The Germans had given their protection to Mireali, 
 so he returned in hopes some day to lay his despotic enemy 
 and relation low. 
 
 Mireali has not been free from the crime of raiding les.ser 
 tribes, but he aims to improve himself, and seeks to imitate 
 the more enlightened wa\-s of the mzninyu. 
 
 Mireali represents all that is superior and intelligent 
 among these tribes. As rival in intelligence he has the 
 youngest sultan in East Africa, Miriami, who has possessions 
 in Kilema ; and this young prince, who had performed in 
 my behalf several acts of real services, for which I strove to 
 give substantial evidence of appreciation, and had bestowed 
 upon him all manner of jjresents, I discovered that he 
 looked .somewhat downcast, when I asketl, "Is there an)'thing 
 else \ou would like? Are my gifts not to your pleasure?" 
 
 He replied, "Ah, dio Bebe Bwana ; but I want an 
 English saw and an English hammer." 
 
366 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 I asked, "What do you want these for?" 
 He answered, " Ah, Bebe Bwana, I want to build an 
 EneHsh house and hve like a white man." I promised to 
 .send him the saw. 
 
 He said doubtfully, "Ah, yes, white men all promise, but 
 they all forget ; the vizimgu always lies." 
 
 I interrupted him .sharply, " Stop, Miriami, )'ou must not 
 speak to Bebe Bwana in that way. I never lie. I will 
 send you the saw." 
 
 And upon my return, while the delirium was raging- dur- 
 
 ino- mv illness, this thiny- haunted 
 me with other promises I had 
 made these poor trusting natives,. 
 AGARY BEADS AND DAWA sud I uevcr rested, day or night, 
 
 CHAINS, RARE. ^^^^jj ^^.^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^y ^^^ ^ ^^^]^j 
 
 ment, through the consideration of the scrupulous guardian 
 of my honor, and Miriami has his saw. 
 
 So it is, I think, if people when visiting the country of 
 natives, instead of taking useless, showy trumpery, would 
 give them implements useful and simple to understand, and 
 take a little trouble to teach them the uses thereof, they 
 would be found ready and appreciative people, evincing 
 gratitude and no mean amount of aptitude. 
 
 The natives' sufferings from the cold in these districts, 
 where the bleak wind rises at four in the afternoon, and 
 the thermometer falls down to fifty-four degrees and even 
 lower, is very pitiful ; and although they have quantities of 
 
SULTAN MIREALI. 
 
 367 
 
 furs, they are constantly asking for cloths and blankets to keep 
 them warm. Various fibres, papj'rus, bamboo, iiiivhala, and 
 others, and grasses which abound throughout East Africa, 
 are susceptible of being converted into frabrics, exactly as 
 such have been utilized by the people of Madagascar and 
 Peru ; therefore, if simple looms, without any mechanical in- 
 tricacies, were introduced, the natives could very soon supply 
 their own requirements, as well as produce a com- 
 mercial commodity. I found a variety of wild cotton, 
 it not cotton certainly a delicate silky, sepia color pro- 
 duct, covering vast areas, which mieht be cultivated. 
 The only native-made fabrics I found were sacks 
 varying from a tiny size only large enough to hold 
 an &^^ or two, graduating to those large enough 
 to hold a huge bunch of bananas, on up to dimen- 
 sions sufficient to entirely cover a hut. One in mv 
 possession is three feet deep and five feet in cir- 
 cumference, and took a woman one year steady 
 work to plait. The twine or cord out of which it 
 is plaited is made by twisting into very hard strands ^[^pj. ,^y 
 uru'/iala, or bamboo, fibre ; the women laboriousl\' *"''^-^"- 
 punch the cord through the foundation braid with a fish- 
 bone or an iron wire prod. .So closely knit are these sacks 
 that they hold water after having been soaked. As usual, 
 the article is colored with }ellow clay, variegated with an 
 occasional bright red strand dyed with the juice of the 
 dracsena-bush. 
 
 ■'-'4 ft 
 
 % 
 
;68 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 SULTAN MIRF.AT.T AND COURTIERS. 
 
SULTAN MIREALI. 369 
 
 It does not demand a stress of credulity to believe that 
 the jewellers who are capable of executing the tedious pro- 
 cesses required to produce the delicate chain work, of which 
 I saw so man)' varieties, and the \-ulcans of Chaga land 
 who can forge such Ijeautiful spears, and also those who 
 make hide shields, decorate gourds, tan leather, with as great 
 natural skill as the\' indisputably do now, are capable of much 
 better things, if onl)- trained. 
 
 Mireali has made some \"ery fair examples of candles 
 out of the beeswax, and he craves lisfht, and no more 
 welcome sfift did I bestow uoon him than candles, oil, and 
 soap. He was ambitious to get window glass for a new Swahali 
 house he was about to erect. They could also, by the Intro- 
 duction of such simple sugar presses as are used to-day in 
 Madagascar, express the juice from the sugar-cane, which 
 grows in great abundance, and provide for themselves this 
 appetizing condiment, preserving it for such times as there 
 were no crops, and secure to themselves the benefit of its 
 nourishment when the harvests failed. Apart from and in 
 addition to the usefulness of such, they would regard every 
 new avocation in which they might become skilled as an 
 amusement ; they delight in the novelties which the white 
 man brings ; and Mireali showed me, with great pride, twelve 
 folding wooden chairs, like steamer chairs, and a table ol 
 his own manufacture, before which he sat while eating, and 
 he was pleased as a child when I gave him a tablecloth, 
 some napkins, knives and forks, and a set of little china tea- 
 
"wO 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 cups and saucers, and some tea ; and die most notable after- 
 noon tea — "a small and early" — I had during my African 
 season was sitting in his bouia on a four-legged stool, sur- 
 rounded by his wives and surias, served by Mireali himself 
 i,\ith a cup of tea of his own brewing, some 
 sugar-cane, bananas, and an attempt at 
 \,v bread made from banana flour, a tomato 
 salad which he concocted himself, with 
 the flourish of a gormand, and various 
 other knickknacks from his own 
 ( kitchen. I had taken some boxes 
 "^ of bonbons, but these people did 
 not care for them. The boys took 
 the sugar-plums and used them for 
 marbles, and shot them out of their 
 finoers at targets. 
 
 o o 
 
 Mireali used to sit by the hour 
 watching me write. When I held a hill- 
 dress reception, he fell upon the ground 
 and spat upon the hem of m)- gown, 
 quite lost in admiration. My blonde wig 
 particularly interested him, and he brought 
 DANCING WIG, FRONT VIEW, me Gue of the native's dancing wigs, 
 made of the white hair of the Colobus monkey-skin, shaped 
 to fit the head. My court gown was a source of endless 
 admiration, not only with Mireali, but other sultans and 
 natives. Mireali wanted to know the kind of cloth it was 
 
 \ \ 
 
SULTAN MIKEALI. 
 
 made of. Josefe put my nationality in pawn by quickly in- 
 forming him that the silk and silver netting covering it 
 were fabrics never worn only by white queens, like Bcbe 
 Bwana. 
 
 "Ale!" ejaculated Mireali, "it is then queens' cloth"; and 
 so the name maintained from that 
 on, in answer to other questioners. 
 
 The larg-e crystal multicolored 
 stage jewels covering the gown were 
 from time to time, one by one, removed 
 to bestow upon the covetous natives, until 
 not one remained. My bracelets, neck- 
 lets and rings and shoe buckles were like- 
 wise relinquished in the same manner. Ii 
 truth, the bawbles were taken with this enc 
 in view, notwithstanding the simple natives 
 deemed my apparent willingness to thus 
 lavishly bestow upon them m)- beautiful 
 jewels as a personal distinction, and my 
 generosity, in their estimation, ranked me 
 in the light of a millionnaire. 
 
 D.4NCING WIG 
 
 Whate\'er is the reason I could not as- made of colobus 
 
 MONKEY WHITE FUR. 
 
 certain, but whenever a native presented 
 
 me with an article, if possible, he or she would keep a bead 
 
 or two or an ornament or a little bit of chain, no matter what, 
 
 only some bit of the present they always were desirous to 
 
 withhold. 
 
SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Mireali was highly delighted with a powerful sunglass 
 I presented to him, after showing him how the sun's rays 
 could be focused to set fire to dried leaves, tow, or paper. 
 He evinced great excitement, exclaimed in glee, " Bebe Bwana, 
 now I can stand on one mountain and burn Mandara's honia 
 and plantations on the other mountain." 
 
 In evidence of homage, Mireali danced for me the rua, 
 in which he is a jaast master. This dance consists in floating 
 out in the air a long piece of cotton cloth, eight or ten yards 
 long, one end attached to the body, and whilst the dancer 
 prances and leaps about he keeps his arms swinging and 
 casting out in a loop the cloth, striving to have it describe 
 
 a circle, and when this is 
 achieved the dance is at 
 / an end. He was so grace- 
 ful, agile, and skilful, he 
 put his competitors to 
 shame. Upon this occa- 
 sion the moon shone with 
 
 DELICATE CHAhM NECKLACE. 
 
 its fullest radiance, and the atmosphere seemed to palpitate with 
 ineffable effulgence, clear dazzling white, as the white of bur- 
 nished silver; and as Mireali danced, his shadow fell anti llittcd 
 in a weird, spectral way. It has no parallel in ni)- memory. 
 Before departing from Marungu it was my good fortune 
 to take a photograph of a very large group of Mireali's 
 court. The simple, hospitable folk had gathered about my 
 tent to implore me to remain, urging, " Stay, Bebe Bwana, 
 
SULTAN MIREALI. 
 
 -) 7 - 
 
 Stay; you shall be more powerful even tlian all the sultans; 
 you shall have all the plantations, all the cows, and sheep, 
 and goats. Stay, Bebe Bwana, sta\'." They never knew they 
 were thereafter to be my photographic subjects. 
 
 Mireali dolorously came to me the morning I made my 
 adieus, with the frame of a large compact English um- 
 brella, with a conspicuous silver handle, but lacking every 
 vestige of cover, — the remains of a gift from an 
 American sportsman, and which had, in its 
 normal condition, served during two years to jL 
 constantly shelter Mireali from the sun and //oA 
 much-detested rain. He deplored the loss 
 ceaselessly and in pitiful tones of yearning 
 queried, "Can Bebe Bwana make it new?" 
 
 " No, Mireali, but I will send you one from 
 London ; meanwhile you shall have one of my 
 red sunshades." He promptly took the substi- 
 tute, evidently liked it very much, pronounced 
 it '"viznri saua" (very beautitul) ; after a tew 
 circumspect minutes, half ashamed, he again 
 approached me and hesitatingly asked, so none 
 micrht hear but me, " Bebe Bwana, don't iorofet 
 the other mioazuili (umbrella)." 
 
 After leaving the boundaries of his prov- 
 ince, one of his runners came breathlessly into my encamp- 
 ment and delivered a message from Mireali ; the import of it 
 was, " that Bebe Bwana must not forget the promise given 
 
 USERI BONE 
 EAR-RINGS. 
 
374 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 to her friend Mireali about the mwaviili" They are so child- 
 Hke in their dread of disappointment. Even this superior 
 man could not permit me to get beyond the reach of his 
 voice without this parting admonition. 
 
 Whilst at Marungu, a Wa-Kiboso messenger, attended by 
 several load-bearers, came to me from Sultan Sina, carrying 
 
 a leaf, bearing the imprint ot a 
 blood-dripped hand, and bring- 
 ingf as tribute a white goat and a 
 /||| sheep, the latter so fat it could 
 1 1 scarcely waddlej and its clumpy 
 tail dragging on the ground, 
 akin to the sheep Herodotus 
 describes, and a superb spear 
 and shield. He was dramatic 
 in oresture and almost classical 
 in figure, with an impressiveness 
 in diction. Although his lan- 
 guage was undoubtedly circumscribed, he transcended the 
 limits of mediocre when he announced, " I am as Sultan Sina, 
 who sent me, who bade me show you this leaf, and bring you 
 this goat and this sheep and this spear and this shield, to let 
 Bebe Bwana know Sina, who sent me, is the friend of Bebe 
 Bwana." An emissary, sent bv a chief, by a sultan, or merely 
 by a master, has no individuality for the time being save that 
 which identifies him with his master, until acquitted of his 
 task ; and in indicating such an emissary, it is customary to 
 
 LONG CHAIN NECKLACK.S. 
 
SULTAN MIREALI. 
 
 75 
 
 say, "Mireali, the man," or " Fumba, the man," which is equiva- 
 lent to sa_\'ing, he is the messenger of the Sultan Mireali, the 
 Sultan Fumba, or whoever ma)- have despatched 
 him. These messengers have the most marvel- 
 lous gift of transmitting not only the import of 
 the message, but literally word for word, as it 
 has been imparted to them by those who have 
 sent them ; they are perfectly imbued with the 
 sender's thought before starting as an envoy by 
 being obliged to repeat the message until they 
 have proficiently committed its letter and sig- 
 nificance. 
 
 I found it an admirable thin^ when instruct- 
 ing an interpreter respecting any important 
 ^ message, which was to be convejed in my pres- 
 B ence to the natives, to have two interpreters 
 ^ present, and never heed the one who was 
 interpreting, but watch the play of expression 
 3 over the countenance of the one who was listen- 
 ing, and at the slightest intimation that the 
 jioscHi CARVED spokcsHian had deviated from my instructions, 
 WOODEN STAFF, surprise would involuntarily play over his coun- 
 
 MASAI DANCIN'G J L J 
 
 WAND. STAFF teuauce, and I would check the man and refer 
 
 COVERED WITH 
 
 IRON RINGS. the matter to the telltale listener, when he 
 would take up the thread of discourse. In turn I would watch 
 the other man, who would, in a similar manner, reveal his com- 
 rade's errors in discoursing, who would likewise be checked and 
 
376 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 the task recommitted to the first man. In this way I avoided 
 many misunderstandings, and found it an infalHble process oi 
 discovering carelessness or trickery. When anything was lost 
 on the road, and it was necessary to send back for its recover)', 
 three men were usually selected who were not chums, and lull 
 of distrust for each other, in order to make sure that the article 
 would ever be returned, il found. 
 
 In my caravan were a certain number of fleet runners who 
 were allotted places near the van and rear, in order that I could 
 communicate with Hamidi, who alwa^'s brought up the rear, and 
 vice versa he could communicate with me. It was a pretty 
 sight to watch these runners disencumbered, with only a gun 
 and a staff, leap and bound through the grass and over the 
 rocks, covering the distance like a whirlwind, and return with- 
 out seemingly having stirred their pulses a particle ; and like all 
 human beings in any sphere of life who excel in any one thing, 
 they were proud of the renown they receive from their com- 
 rades for their practised skill. 
 
CMAKACTERS. 
 
 O/ / 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 CHARACTERS. 
 
 'ONGING for music, I was surprised to hear a 
 
 dainty little twaneino-, like that which en- 
 s',-, - & & 
 
 ''*^Vi^'^ sues from thridding a harp-string. It 
 was produced by tightening a 
 bow-string made of sinew 
 and striking it with the ar- 
 row, which would rebound 
 and strike rapidly the string 
 before a new blow was 
 6*^ given. The tones were 
 harmonious. Most of the 
 native guides have the trick of music-making. In passing 
 through Sultan Fumba's sultanate, I procured a pan pipe, 
 sweetly played by a native, and these two musical Instruments 
 were the only native ones I saw or heard, yet the natives ac- 
 cepted with delight mouth music boxes I gave them. 
 
 Sultan Fumba is considered the most avaricious sultan in 
 East Africa. However, before leaving this quaint character, I 
 was able to persuade him to give me every article of clothing- he 
 wore ; even his crown or cap, which was the same as receiving 
 
378 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 the crown of a European king without his powers. He has for 
 a prime minister the most crafty creature, who is capable of 
 doine anvthino- that is sneakinof and mean, but certainly in- 
 capable of doing aught that is manl)-. I secured an admirable 
 portrait of him, his prime minister, and his courtiers. Although 
 he offered every inducement to get me to tarry in his boiita, I 
 felt safer and happier to jjlace a long distance between his boma 
 and my camp, and so were my men, one of whom advanced the 
 following : — 
 
 " Bebe Bwana, natives no goodee, no cleanee, smell very 
 bad, no washee ; Bebe Bwana, me no likee, no, no, no ! " 
 Ramezan accentuated this protest by significant gestures, 
 clutching his nose between his thumb and forefinger, in order 
 to more fully acquit himself of the meaning which his limited 
 English vocabulary would otherwise fail to reveal. Cunningly, 
 after watching the effect upon me, he insinuatingly added, 
 " Bebe Bwana, Ramezan cleanee, very much cleanee, aic ? 
 Bebe Bwana, give me soap, me go river, me wash table- 
 cloth, me wash self and cloths. Bebe Bwana, me take huiiduki 
 (gun), aie ? " All this roundabout method was his naive 
 way of getting a favor from me. 
 
 In truth this boy was scrupulously cleanly, not onl)- in his 
 person, but in his service to me ; away out on the plains or 
 in the jungle or in the mountain fastnesses, it mattered not 
 when or where, daily he served my meals with as much 
 precision and ceremony as though in civilized lands. Even 
 when I was compelled to eat from the top of boxes piled 
 
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CHARACTERS. 
 
 379 
 
 KAMEZAN, 
 GUN BEARER. 
 
 upon one another, and sat upon one, the dainty cloth was 
 
 spread, the napkin placed, and the usual array of knives, 
 n forks, and spoons, and the enamelled dishes 
 changed for each course. Ramezan had 
 for an assistant a young fellow of most 
 J general accomplishments as a body servant 
 and steward, called Baraka. These two at- 
 tended to my personal requirements, and 
 were pretentiouslj' dubbed stewards, looked 
 after my tent when once set, and, in fact, 
 
 Baraka assisted the headmen and askai-i in putting it up 
 
 and taking it down, as well as in arranfrino; and collectinp- 
 
 small luggage and all articles appertaining 
 
 to my personal household. Neither of 
 
 these servants were expected to carry 
 
 loads, and were ever close upon my heels 
 
 ready to serve me. Ramezan carried my 
 
 gun and cartridge belt, and a bottle of L 
 
 coffee to quench my thirst, his own um- baraka, mv shward. 
 
 brella, and sandals and calabash. Baraka carried one of my 
 
 cameras, a small medicine case, my rain cloak, a silk gown, 
 
 extra wraps, and my umbrella when not in use. 
 
 Certainly my gun bearer had something of a load with 
 
 the gun, and thirty rounds of cartridges in his belt, besides 
 
 his own personal effects, which he would string about him. 
 
 They always dressed in pure white, with little white caps, 
 
 and did not carry their own mats. 
 
380 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Put my head outside of my tent flap any hour of the day 
 or night and call " Boy ! " instantly back would come the 
 answer, " Sabe ! " (sir) ; and to the very last of my safari not 
 one of my men ever learned to answer me other than " Sir." 
 Even my intelligent interpreter Josefe would reply from the 
 distance when I would signal to him by sounding my whistle, 
 "Aye, aye, sir!" and he never approached me without 
 touching his hand to his head and presenting arms, extem- 
 porizing for a weapon his walking staff. 
 
 The natives and general porters had encompassed th'e 
 bizarre situation by calling me Bebe Bwana. My fine head- 
 
 SULTAN FUMI3A S 
 CROWN. 
 
 men, with an assumption to show their superiority upon 
 occasions, would struggle to say " Bebe Bwana Sheldune." 
 They never could seem to reconcile my sex with my post, 
 which, in their eyes, indubitably belonged to a man, and I 
 
CHARACTERS. 38 I 
 
 was at first abashed to realize that their natural protest kept 
 inadvertently cropping out in one way or another, despite 
 their obvious efibrt to conceal their preconceived idea of 
 common propriety according to the only usage they knew. 
 It is, therefore, with a sense of personal pride during my 
 trying expedition, surrounded constantly by these black porters, 
 the majority of them culled from the roughest specimens of 
 natives, deficient in intellect, devoid of any certain knowledge 
 as to the proper attitude that men should assume to a white 
 woman, and many of them full of brutish instincts, that they uni- 
 versally treated me with deference and obedience. Never dur- 
 ing my safari did I see an indecent action on the part of my 
 porters, who were, of course, more or less subservient to my 
 commands, but on the part of the natives, who were unre- 
 strained and free to do as they listed. All this I firmly hold was 
 due to a certain rcgitnc I adopted, based upon the combined 
 experience of many wise explorers, and an innate conviction 
 that individual prestige, consisting in personal dignity and 
 self-respect on the part of a leader, must be maintained 
 wherever you may be, if you expect to inspire those whom 
 you aim to guide and command with your personal importance 
 and might. Nothing careless is admissible ; no slur of words ; 
 no meaningless threat ; no hesitanc)' ; no shirking ; above 
 all, a certain amount of silence which the natives and the 
 ignorant regard as reser\'e force. A leader is a target of 
 observation and unmeasured criticism from the lowest to the 
 highest in the caravan ; and unless on guard at all times, 
 
382 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 Striving to consistently bear out the ideas porters, askari, 
 headmen, and body servants adhere to as becoming a mas- 
 ter, in some guileless moment a single heedless action may 
 cause the leader the chagrin of witnessing throughout the 
 caravan a state of demoralizing insubordination. Insubordina- 
 tion in East Africa means a very hazardous thing — possible 
 dissolution of the entire caravan, and ruination to one's plans, 
 
 SULTAN FUiMHA AND SUITE. 
 
 if not much bloodshed. Inflexible strength of will is requisite. 
 Courage, knowledge, dignity, directness of purpose, resolu- 
 tion, justice, and that most trying of all qualities, patience, 
 and consideration for the condition of minds of those whose 
 training and capacity are in contradistinction to your own. 
 
CHARACTERS. 383 
 
 Although allowing yourself to be swayed by reason, you must 
 never vacillate or flinch when a difficult thing should be 
 done. Scout hardships by sharing them, however ; show 
 appreciation when irksome service is rendered. Never brow- 
 beat and sneer at shortcominos, but encourage and stimulate 
 your men to their best, even if it is done by inciting a spirit 
 of rivalry. When punishment is deserved, calmly order it 
 quickly administered, however, not without premeditation, then 
 afterwards do not persist in holding the culprit under the 
 yoke of ignominy if he evinces a disposition to redeem his 
 fault by good behavior. Zanzibaris hate to be kicked and 
 cuffed about, any time preferring to stand up and take ten 
 " sticks " to one kick or blow with the fist. 
 
 When hardships and utter fatigue pressed heavily upon all, 
 yet it was necessary to proceed to some known spot where 
 water could be had, I have said, "Where are the faithful men 
 in my caravan, where are the brave, strong men who serve me 
 day and night, among my tired, my thirsty, my hungry, my 
 sick men, who will march all night to find water and rest 
 to-morrow ?" 
 
 Every man able to stand would push forward to the front 
 and signify his willingness to continue the march. 
 
 For a long time I was unable to comprehend, when a long 
 day's march was at an end, according to my judgment, if there 
 chanced to be a stream fronting us or a hill just ahead, the men 
 invariably manifested a disposition to cross the stream or ascend 
 the hill. It proved to be from some notion of theirs to start fair 
 
384 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 in the morning, and in case of streams to avoid the discomfort 
 of marching after an early soaking, for, as they quaintly say, 
 " Better a stone for a pillow than for a burden next sun-up." 
 The philosophy of this was beyond question soon, as the rains 
 came tumblingr down durinor the nicjht, making^ the streams 
 swollen, and torrential and difficult to ford or swim. The hill- 
 tops were chosen simply to give to the entire caravan a vantage 
 ground from whence to reconnoitre the country from all points, 
 enabling them to descry attempted invasion of wild beasts, or 
 frustrate the stealthy surprises of hostile natives. 
 
 Francez, a porter, who spoke English admirably, a fact I did 
 not discover for a long time, used to eye me constantly and ever 
 sought to pitch his little tent near mine. Notwithstanding his 
 lips might be swollen and cracking and his throat burning with 
 thirst, when we would reach a stream he never quenched his 
 own thirst until he had proffered to me a gourd full of the 
 sparkling water. So unremitting was his scrutiny of me and my 
 every move, that, I confess, it at times became most embarrass- 
 ing. Through his vigilance, one of my askari was discovered 
 in the very act of stealing from my tent while he was on duty. 
 Through his lynx eyes I was saved being assassinated, one 
 night, when a thief crept into my tent to steal my gun, and was 
 about to stab me, when he found I was awake and saw him. 
 Francez was in my tent, like a Hash, and almost strangled the 
 poor wretch. He called my attention to various things, and 
 brought me two prismatic caterpillars ; their bodies were five 
 inches long, white, and the nodules were prismatic, but the 
 
CHARACTERS. 385 
 
 colors not very vivid. Unfortunately, I had no means of pre- 
 serving them, nor, in truth, any other specimens. Another day 
 he brought me a bird's-nest, like a tailor bird, and anon pointed 
 out a lot of brilliant red crabs.. He was also quite as much of a 
 dabster in making fire with fire sticks as the natives. A native 
 chanced to pass, the lobes of whose ears had been torn out by 
 weighty ear-rings, and had been mended by cutting- off from the 
 ragged fracture a tiny slice of the flesh and joined with porcu- 
 pine quills, and bidding fair to heal by "first intention"; this 
 poor native was lured by Francez into my presence, and 
 wheedled to taking out the quills and separate the broken parts 
 to show " Bebe Bwana how it was done." He quaintly called 
 my attention to some native women inebriated, and said, "They 
 are black women ; the white women never forget themselves 
 any more than the black sultans." 
 
 It is a singular thing that the native women, when into.xicated, 
 reveal a certain lack of dignity and helpless inebriation that the 
 men escape. They seem thoroughly brutalized and helpless to 
 maintain anything like personal dignity or self-respect ; whereas 
 a chief drunk is always a chief, he never loses the conscious- 
 ness of his own greatness. I have seen a man, who appeared 
 almost an imbecile under the influence of liquor, shake himself 
 out of it all, roused into a sudden consciousness by some one 
 exclaiming that another chief he was unfriendly to had greater 
 powers than himself, and, with his returned rationality, condign 
 the promulgator of such an idea to some great task, or e.xact a 
 tribute of cows as punishment for his indiscretion. This pecul- 
 
386 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 iarity may be accounted for from the fact that the women let 
 themselves go when they commence to drink, having no pres- 
 tige to maintain, with no desire to overcome the intoxication, 
 but rather to assist its progress. However, the next morning, 
 after a nightly bout, they appear as fresh and sober as if they 
 had never tasted their poinhc cups. 
 
 However, drunk or sober, profanity is unknown, although 
 they have a qualified equivalent in "you goat," "you cow," 
 "you son of no man's virility." This, however, is the same 
 among all peoples without a God, or a settled idol, or any idea 
 of his Satanic highness. It is the privileged vice of those who 
 know Christianity. Strange to relate, the natives never kiss, 
 moved by tender sentiment. In lieu of kissing, they may be 
 observed to clasp the palms of their hands spasmodically, and 
 impetuously unclasp and press them wide open over the 
 shoulders, across the knees, or upon the breast of the person 
 they yearn to manifest their affection for. 
 
 Francez brought me, sewed up in a bit of snake-skin, a per- 
 fumed charm to hang on a tree facing my tent, to ward off an 
 impending storm, and circled my tent several times, mumbling 
 some invocation, scattering grass as he walked. This struck me 
 as being very like the Japanese custom of hanging little paper 
 messages, variously addressed, upon trees. 
 
 My regular caravan numbered one hundred and fifty- 
 three persons, all told. The official roll call and pay list 
 may not be entirely uninteresting to my readers; the names 
 are phonetically spelled. 
 
D 
 
 Q 
 < 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 
 ►J 
 < 
 
 H 
 D 
 
CHARACTERS. 
 
 387 
 
 1 Hassan Hamis. 
 
 2 Tunda Yadi. 
 
 ^ Oomara Mzuana. 
 
 4 Demas. 
 
 5 Hamis bin Afman. 
 
 6 All bin Hamad. 
 
 7 Semba bin Seligman. 
 
 8 Sadi bin Seligman. 
 
 9 Yabon Lelli. 
 
 10 Sadi Wadyuma. 
 
 1 1 Meni Youma Kebanda. 
 
 12 Suadi bin Youma. 
 
 13 Soda Wadiherie. 
 
 14 Hamis Wadi .Suroro. 
 
 15 Baraka Montonana. 
 
 16 Hanna Amore Kombo. 
 
 17 Sadi Wadi Farodi. 
 
 18 Dosere Wampere. 
 
 19 Marico. 
 
 20 Unledi. 
 
 21 Munombe bin Kombo. 
 
 22 Hamid Unquezilla. 
 
 23 Selligman Mamwiina. 
 
 24 Baraka bin Seligman. 
 
 25 Furiozo Wadehaha. 
 
 ROLL CALL. 
 PORTERS. 
 
 26 Abdallah bin .Selim. 
 
 27 Mabruka Imperia. 
 
 28 Kara (Samson of caravan). 
 
 29 Franczes bin Sadi. 
 
 30 Munisa bin Muita. 
 
 3 1 Mari Marabo. 
 
 32 Zied bin Yuma. 
 
 2)2, Songoro Maneyega. 
 
 34 Sali bin Massib. 
 
 35 Usofo bin Umari. 
 
 36 Hassand Ballonza. 
 
 37 Fernza Mardaneff. 
 
 38 Safi Mhezila. 
 
 39 Wadzuna. 
 
 40 Farnza bin Sorora. 
 
 41 Ebosie. 
 
 42 Sali M'gazilia. 
 
 43 Manboy Wah ! Shehongo. 
 
 44 Sadi bin Hamid. 
 
 45 Hamid bin Hamid. 
 
 46 Hamis Wadzied. 
 
 47 Francez (spoke English 
 
 well). 
 
 48 Uled bin Yuma. 
 
 49 Hanamoura. 
 
i88 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 50 James. 
 
 51 Bryan bin Mousa. 
 
 52 Hassan bin Mufta. 
 
 53 Seru. 
 
 54 Sucl Balleous. 
 
 55 Dahoma bin Sellim. 
 
 56 Munynamyezia. 
 
 57 Yana Hairy. 
 
 58 Yuma Wad La Edie. 
 
 59 M'Guya. 
 
 60 Marbruka Wadzie. 
 
 61 Magaza. 
 
 62 Hamis Sali. 
 
 63 Sadalla bin Seligman. 
 
 64 Yacont Samacie. 
 6s Yuma. 
 
 66 Fernza bin Muguro INlari. 
 
 67 Hamis Kombo. 
 
 68 Umari bin Abdallali. 
 
 69 Usinga bin Sali. 
 
 70 Usinga. 
 
 7 1 Winecomdo. 
 
 72 Feruse Ballons. 
 
 73 Min bin Gainie. 
 
 74 M'Selliam. 
 
 75 Uman bif Tuffick. 
 
 76 Sehaba. 
 
 ■]■] Abad. 
 
 78 Umanie Wad Suboro. 
 
 79 Adie bin Hamis. 
 
 80 Hamad. 
 
 81 Abdallah bin Yuma. 
 
 82 Songoro (prey of lions). 
 
 83 Hamis Impera. 
 
 84 Wadyuma. 
 
 85 Kamonice bin Unsa. 
 
 86 Yuma Wad -Sadi. 
 
 87 Nasib bin Ulali. 
 
 88 Mabruka Nufta. 
 
 89 AUamao Muongo. 
 
 90 Muntozo. 
 
 9 1 Kerv Voto. 
 
 92 Menahadi. 
 
 93 Sodie. 
 
 94 Menahazy. 
 
 95 Sali Mohozo. 
 
 96 Mugumbo Murarba. 
 
 97 Munya Shumarie. 
 
 98 Hassand bin Abdalla. 
 
 99 Hamis bin Adie. 
 100 Ferusa Surmari. 
 loi Alrnass. 
 
 102 Umari. 
 
 103 Simba Madmamba. 
 
CHARACTERS. 
 
 389 
 
 04 Abdallah bin Abdad. 
 
 05 Minvv Hat-tib. 
 
 06 Mabruka Wad Hat-tib. 
 
 07 Ali bin Hassan. 
 
 08 Kermut (Clement, cook's 
 
 boy). 
 
 09 Abdallah (cook). 
 
 10 Baraka (steward). 
 
 11 Ramezan (steward). 
 
 12 Lidia (woman). 
 
 13 Beda (woman). 
 
 14 Suzzan (woman). 
 
 15 Burt Hamis (woman). 
 
 16 Burt Hamis Mzuria (wo- 
 
 man). 
 
 17 Abdallah. 
 
 18 Hamis bin Barcada. 
 
 19 Nedia Hamis. 
 
 20 Hamadia. 
 
 121 
 122 
 123 
 124 
 
 125 
 126 
 127 
 128 
 129 
 130 
 
 131 
 132 
 
 ^33 
 134 
 135 
 136 
 137 
 138 
 
 Songora bin Hamis. 
 Wadeyuma. 
 Demodio Sadi. 
 Almass. 
 
 Morboro du Kombo. 
 Sali bin Yongo. 
 Winum Shumaro. 
 Sani bin Abdulla. 
 Marbruki Wadi Haftu. 
 Hamis bin Adie. 
 Fenesa de Sumara. 
 Ali bin Hassand. 
 Simba Vidi Mombo. 
 Darfurf Wad Ballouse. 
 Gomorez. 
 
 Wadicu bin Huma. 
 Abdalla bin Hamis. 
 Winy Hastibu. 
 
 ASKARI. 
 
 Hamis bin Abdallah. 
 
 Hassan. 
 
 Adie. 
 
 Winikondo. 
 
 Safe. 
 
 Sumallie. 
 
3 go SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 ASKARi {continued I. 
 Maza bin Kombo. 
 Hamidi. 
 Hamis bin Baraca (Pagaiza). 
 
 (Took the place of the thief.) 
 
 NEPARA. 
 
 Hamidi bin Ali (headman of headmen). 
 
 Mabruka Keseysah. 
 
 Bin Allah. 
 
 Ali. 
 
 Josefe (chief interpreter). 
 
 Umbi Bwana (Masai interpreter). 
 
 In addition to these men there were usually forty others, 
 comprised of volunteers and guides, and porters' slaves. 
 
SULTAN jMANDARA OF MOSCHl. 
 
 391 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Sin,TAN MANDARA OF MOSCHl. 
 
 would be impossible to narrate half of 
 rumors current as to the extremely 
 crafty and atrocious deeds of the am- 
 bitious, brutish, and abominable Sul- 
 tan Mandara ; but without doubt he 
 is much feared for his cleverness 
 and duplicity. He is a keen, intel- 
 igent observer, and a deep student 
 yf.:i*in his wa)-, despite his marked 
 deficiency in uprightness, justice, 
 mercy, or morality. Proficiency in crafts and general knowl- 
 edge in many diverse avenues have been and ever will be 
 during his life the keynote of his power among the Chaga 
 tribes. In the old feudal da}'s of his tyrannical sway he was 
 a treasonable disturber of all covenants between these tribes, 
 carrying whatever he listed by force of arms, united with 
 chicanery, and was seldom defeated. When he wanted war- 
 riors he levied on some minor tribe, who dare not refuse his 
 mandates as they valued their freedom or their lives. He 
 exercised his rights as potentate of Moschi with an imperious, 
 
392 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 overbearing despotism which has about come to an end. Dur- 
 ing my sojourn at Moschi he set a trap into which he liimself 
 untowardly fell, in order to possess a ([uantity of ivor)- he had 
 received information of, through the good offices of some of his 
 spies, certain minor sultan possessed and had buried, as is the 
 African custom when treasure is to be safe gruarded, awaitine 
 an opportunity to dispose of it to a coast-bound caravan, and 
 
 MANDAKA, SULIAN OK MOSCHI. 
 
 who had injudiciously discovered its hiding-place to prying eyes 
 in his eagerness to sell it to one of my headmen. 
 
 Mandara's avarice set him to intriguing in a hazardous 
 fashion. He sent his prime minister and other important head- 
 men of his court to the unfortunate betrayed sultan to inform 
 him that the Germans were now, as he knew, the rulers of 
 Chaga land, and that he must pay a tribute of fort)'-five tusks 
 
SULTAN MANDARA OF MOSCHI. 393 
 
 of pcmba (elephant ivory) not under two fasilla (seventy 
 pounds) in weight each antl every tusk. Howeve ■, as he, 
 Mandara, was ivcll with the Germans, he would graciously 
 undertake to oblige the sultan, who was his blood-brother 
 as well as his old friend, b)' convej'ing the ivory by his 
 safari to the Germans. In a purely confidential way the 
 prime minister was charged to convey to the si.ltan further 
 information of the Germans' dealing with their t\rann\', and 
 that they were about to descend upon him ai.d his tribe 
 without merc)', because he had been tardy in sending this 
 tribute, exactl}' as the)* had descended upon the Masai, "with 
 their big guns that killed a thousand men at one boom." 
 It sufficed. The ivory was immediately committed to Man- 
 dara's cara\an, and the terrorized sultan entreated the prime 
 minister to enjoin upon the great and powerful Mandara 
 the necessit)- of using his influence to stave oft the wrath of 
 the Germans in his behalf, and he would send as a reward four 
 fine milch cows. A few da)'s after this occurrence, Mandara 
 sent to the German station, saying such a sultan had sent 
 through him a tribute to them of twenty tusks of fine ivory. 
 They were received, but in a brief time the (~)fificer in command, 
 Baron von Witzslaben, learned the true inwardness of the 
 transaction through hearing of a document written by Mandara, 
 — who is one of the few natix'es who write, — and demanded 
 the instant disgorgement of his ill-gotten plunder. Seeing that 
 he had overreached himself, Mandara feigned a severe attack 
 of fever, — fever is always an excuse in Africa for disinclination. 
 
394 Sn.'l'AN TO SIT.TAN. 
 
 rA disabilit)-, and failure, — and pretended he coultl not 
 then attend to tlie dcMnantl. P'our Gern^an as/car/ were 
 sent with the officer's compliments, and the kind conso- 
 lation that if his Highness was so ill and ditl not see his 
 \va\' to make speedy reco\er\- before sundown, if the: 
 balance of the pcinba was not forthcoming, it would 
 not matter much, gimpowder tea would be ser\ed ; 
 and the German batteries were, with much parade, 
 conspicuously turneil in readiness upon Mandara's homa 
 during the passage of the official message. Of course, 
 his life would be worthless to him if he was so pros- 
 trated ; death woukl be a relief to him. An answer 
 came speedily back to the station from Mandara: — 
 
 "Bwana Deitch, wait till noon, soon "Cne pciiiha will 
 be sent, and two cows as well. " 
 
 Meanwhile Mandara's eldest son living — he is re- 
 puted to have murdered several of his sons, fearful 
 that in order tf) g^tin accession to his possessions and 
 sultanate they might be tempted to kill him — was 
 enticed into the German bonia and genteelly held as 
 hostaee for anotlier ofience committetl b\- liis tricky 
 father, that the officer in charge likewise determined 
 should be adjusted without evasion or delay. 
 
 Intrigue seems one of Mandara's fundamental traits 
 of character, and if not already will very .soon attain 
 jfa 1 a climax the Germans will not tolerate. Either Sina 
 
 AFRICAN 
 
 SPEAR, of Kiboso, or Mireali of Murungu, are destined in the 
 
SUI.TAN MANDAKA OF MOSCHI. 
 
 395 
 
 course of events to depose this arrant knave, if forsooth the 
 inexorable Germans do not annihilate him and his tribe. 
 Presumably he thinks, with his civilized brothers, "The king 
 can do no wrong. " However, the man is not totally bad, 
 and should be judged in accordance with his environments 
 morally and physicall)-, and in a manner from his own stand- 
 point, and the ethics ol the code of the natives as they seem 
 to be, and not from the remote standpoint of European 
 enlightenment or by European sentiment or conventions. 
 
 Mandara had been exceedingly curious to see a white 
 woman, and he had offered a gratuity of forty, eighty, and 
 even one himdred cows if some Arab caravan would fetch him 
 a white wife. This fact, which was patent to everybody in 
 East Africa who knew aught of Mandara, had filled the 
 white men whom 1 met with considerable apprehension 
 lest I should be detained by him at Moschi or waylaid by 
 his orders. I was very glad to be forewarned, and determined, 
 in my own mind, to e.xercise every possible precaution 
 and be more than guarded when I visited this sultan. 
 
 At Moschi I was the CTuest of the German commander, and 
 he was very averse to my crossing the ravine separating his 
 station from Mandara's hoina, unless I went under the pro- 
 tection of the German soldiers. As my policy had been to 
 go solus to \'isit sultans of importance, without the protection 
 of any outside power, without government headiuen or soldiers, 
 I declined this proposition ; and after much solicitation and 
 man\' presents from Mandara, consisting of cows, goats. 
 
596 
 
 SUI.TAN Tl ) SULTAN. 
 
 sheep, beautiful furs, I determined to visit him, and did so, 
 attended by twelve soldiers and an interpreter of my own 
 caravan. Baron Von Witzslaben said before I left the en- 
 cam])ment. "Mark you, I have my cannon set; it )ou do not 
 return within the two hours, I shall send a squad ot soldiers to 
 demand your delivery, and will throw Mandara in chains. If 
 he refuses, I shall forcibly liberate you, bombard his honia, 
 annihilate him and his iniquitous subjects. I consider it at 
 best most rash that )'ou are going with your paltry corps of 
 
 askari and few at- 
 tendants, but do not 
 ha\e an)' fear. I will 
 protect you if occa- 
 sion arises." 
 
 I thought, as I 
 was struoolino- down 
 the m o u n t a i n - s i d e 
 picking ni)' way over 
 HELD IX i;omd.v;e. thc strcaui at the bot- 
 
 tom ot the ravine, and struggling up the path leading to 
 Mandara's boma, with the natives of his tribe Hanking the 
 pathway in droves, that jierhaps it zvas rash, and alter a 
 few words of caution given to headman and interpreter as 
 to what I expected them to ilo in case we were tlebarred 
 retin'n, we had attained the gateway of Mandara's honia and 
 found a hearty welcome awaiting us. All the important men 
 of his tribe were arra)ed in state finery, and they conducted 
 
SULTAN MANDARA OF MOSCHI. 397 
 
 me, with considerable pomp and many salaams, to Man- 
 dara, who was prostrate by paralysis, unable to move his 
 boil)- below his waist, excepting through the assistance ot 
 his attendants, in a tlark, gruesome hut, — his Swahali liouse 
 had been destroyed by Sultan Sina, o[ Kiboso, — stutt)- and 
 malodorous, as are all native habitations ; he was 1) ing on a 
 lono- Arab kitanda (bed), co\'ered with animal hides tor 
 warmth, and a smoky fire in the centre of the room. In 
 his helplessness and emaciation, one could scarcely believe 
 this man possessed the power to terrorize all the lesser 
 chiefs of the Kilimanjaro district, and from recent ac- 
 counts cause the Germans a large expenditure of gun- 
 powder. He has lost one eye, but the other is so bright 
 and alert, with such a strange furtive olance in it, whilst a 
 sinister smile always discloses his teeth, with an amount of 
 nervous energy and crafty look about his mouth, that one 
 cannot help but feel that he is in the presence of a man 
 of prowess and full ot trickery and cunning, and capable of 
 cruel subtertuges and brutal treacher)-. 
 
 He was fairly jubilant on seeing me, extemled his hand, 
 but in a piteous voice said, "Ah, now I have lived to see 
 a white woman, and here I am so helpless." He immedi- 
 ately asked me to take off mj- gloves. He examined my 
 fincrers, and a sinoujar coincidence occurred in the fact that I 
 wore an old-fashioned seal ring surrounded with diamonds, 
 which seemed on a casual glance to be a counterpart of the 
 signet ring presented to him b) Emperor William ; and he 
 
398 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 ■^aid at once, "Ah, you are the friend 
 of the kino." I said, " Cer- 
 tainl)', 1 am the friend of 
 many Icings, and I trust I may 
 call Mandara my friend." And, 
 a thing most peculiar, he seized 
 both my hands and spat upon 
 them. The blood flushed to m)- 
 cheek, and in a moment ot anger 
 I rose to my feet and took my 
 pistol from my belt, when my head- 
 man .said, "Re content, Bebe Bwana; 
 Mandara never was known to spit 
 on any one's hands before in that 
 manner; it is an evidences ot hom- 
 age; do not be angry." I will have 
 more to say of this custom later 
 on, but it was ilecmed the greatest 
 evidence of humiliation and 
 homage that this chief 
 i\\\j could hax^e ])Ossibl\' paid 
 me, loathsome as it seemed 
 to me. 
 
 After resuming m\' self- 
 possession, he turned to me 
 / and said, would the white 
 ' (jueen let him see her hair. 
 
 NAIIVE-M.MIE WOODEN SPOON.S. 
 
SLM.TAN MANDAKA OI-' MdSlHI. 
 
 399 
 
 I let it down and pullfd it well about me, and he said, 
 "Ngai, Ngai I it is the threads of the sun's light"; and he 
 said, "May I touch it?" And waiving- for once my rule of 
 noli nic taiigcrc, 1 answered, " Certainly." He stroked it in a 
 strange, caressing way, and called out to summon his wives 
 to come and look at the white woman's tresses. When I 
 gathered them loosely up antl replaced the pins, he indulged 
 in an undertone conversation with these Avomen, who, over- 
 come by curiosity, ventured to ask why I did not shave off 
 my hair, as they did theirs ; and IMandara sneeringly retorted, 
 "It is too mziiria sana (it is too beautiful); why should she cut 
 it oft?" And then he continued in an incisive tone, " She is a 
 white queen, and you are all slaves and black." He quaintl)- 
 drew himself up in a helpless way on his elbows, turned 
 towards me, and said, " I have expected \'ou for many moons. 
 The last moon, when it kissetl Kibo, brought a message to 
 me and said, 'The white queen is coming.'" I stopped him 
 and queried, " Mandara, was the message not brought b)' 
 one of )our runners?" 
 
 And he laughed and said, "Perhaps, perhaps. ISut the 
 message came, Bebe Bwana ; I knew that \'ou were to pay me 
 a visit." To this I protested that, had he not been elisabletl. I 
 should never have condescended to take the trouble to visit him. 
 It was his place to have |jaid me a state visit, with pomp and 
 ceremony, and I should have received him in court dress, such 
 as white queens wear. 
 
 " Ah, ah," he dolorously replied, " to show you how much 1, 
 
400 SULTAN TO SUI.TAN. 
 
 Mandara, the greatest sultan of Chaga, care for this honor, I will 
 give )'ou the last piece of work I shall ever execute." It was a 
 bracelet cut into diagonal strands on the surface, made of an 
 amalgam of sih-er and pewter, which he placed himself upon 
 my arm, and, assisted by one of his attendants, bent with long, 
 slender pincers so that it clasped close, and said, '' Wear this 
 until Mandara follows the sun home, and nobody in his province 
 will ever dare to do you harm." 
 
 He possessed many strange jewels, contained in a little 
 casket he fingered over, that had been given to him by Euro- 
 pean officers, hunters, Arabs, and from various other sources, 
 including the princely gifts sent b)- the Emperor William. 
 After pre.senting Mandara with a jewelled sword and a ring \ut 
 coveted, and I was on the eve ot leaving, he requested me to 
 give him m)' picture to put with a collection of prints he pos- 
 sessed ol white women. " Yes, )ou shall have m\- photograph 
 if )ou let me take )oiu's." In a tone ot injured \'anit)', he said, 
 " But see, Bebe Bwana, I cannot stand, I cannot hold m\- spear, 
 I cannot aim m)' bitudiiki" (gun); and he signed one ot his 
 wives to cast aside the large Hyrax fur robes that covered him, 
 exposing his mere skeletons of legs. " Once I was the deer ot 
 the mountain; animal nf)r bird could go where I could not. 
 I have stood on out; mountain and killetl ni)* enem)' who stood 
 opposing me on another mountain. I, Mandara, am the great- 
 est finidi living! I, Mandara, am the greatest warrior and 
 fear not Sina, and fear not Masai I I, Mandara, am the great- 
 est sultan." 
 
SULTAN MAXHAkA OF MdSCHl. 4OI 
 
 He tried to get me to consent to take a photograph of his 
 eldest son, tlie scion of his Highness, protesting that he had 
 looked like the crown prince when he was his age. After much 
 parley, I procured a sketch which is a ver)' good counterpart 
 of Mandara, the egotistical invalid, stripped of the glory of his 
 own opinion. I sent him m)' promised photograph, accom- 
 panied b)' five hundred grains of quinine, and tea, sugar, and 
 blankets and cloths he coveted ver)- much, and received in re- 
 turn many additional beautiful presents, among which was his 
 own personal fine spear, many goats, sheep, and tusks of i\-or\'. 
 Mandara is very boastful of a num- ^ ,.^^^ /^ 
 
 ber ot connectingr natiu'al caves be- -v •-.> jx's 
 neath the hill he occupies. I was ^^k^i^f^A /^ 
 not permitted to pass the entrance of 
 the first. The story runs that during 
 an attack by his enemies, he has had 
 them allured into these ca\-es where arab flags of welcome. 
 a large posse of his warriors, there lying in ambush, charged 
 upon them and killed several hundred. These caves recall 
 the following circumstance : Mandara is the most dissolute 
 sultan I met. He respects nobody's rights, and does whatever 
 he lists ; frequently has raided adjacent tribes, and captured 
 the )'oung girls and women, driving them into his harem like 
 cattle, and when he has wearied of his captives he would mag- 
 nanimously bestow them upon his favorites, who are debased 
 enough to consider it a great favor and a decidedly economical 
 plan in comparison to procuring wives by purchase. 
 
402 
 
 SL'I.TAN TO Si: I, TAN. 
 
 The women were not fine, and looked dejected. The beads 
 and other gifts I bestowed upon them were accepted with avidity. 
 I was able to procure a woman's ample kaniki (blue cotton), 
 beautifully embroidered with multicolored beads in Turkish 
 designs. In consequence ot the sudden cold winds that sweep 
 over this district, men and women wear furs or hides as do 
 the Masai, quantities of Chaga chains, and lustre beads, pew- 
 ter and brass ornaments. Their 
 burial customs are the same as all 
 throuo'h Chatia land. 
 
 The) all seemed uneasy and 
 ilubious what attitude the Ger- 
 mans would take towards them ; 
 and well the)' might. I was able 
 to procun; a pair of native-made 
 goat-skin bellows from Manclara's 
 chief fiuidi, some fine bows and 
 arrows, and several Colobus white 
 and sable monkey- skins. I made blood-brotherhood with 
 Mandara's son, which was the same as though the ceremony 
 had been between the sultan and myselt. 
 
 The invalid of my cara\an was much terrified b)' a native 
 woman's constant ai)i)arition before her tent during the night 
 marches. This poor .soul had lost her reason during a tragic 
 encounter with lions in the jungles, whilst she ami her son 
 were in flight from slave raiders, I believe, and they were 
 picked up by an English caravan and turned over to the 
 
 l^iSiL 
 
 i:lue cotton bead and chain 
 
 EMIlROIDF.RKn WOMAN'S CL01H. 
 
SULTAN MANDARA OF MOSCHI. 403 
 
 Germans. This mad woman, although harmless, had some 
 vague idea coursing through her disordered brain to carry off 
 the invalid to some sequestered place. Indeed several attempts 
 were made during my safari, by natives, to kidnap this same 
 fever-stricken one ; augmenting my vigilance as well as my 
 apprehensions and cares. Dr. Baxter had assisted me by 
 medical attendance from Taveta to Moschi when the case had 
 reached its crisis ; however, the necessities of ambulance care 
 could not be relinquished in this case until Pangani was reached 
 when homeward bound. 
 
 One of the most touching incidents came under my per- 
 sonal observation whilst at Moschi, respecting a little native 
 child, who had been captured by a slave-raider with other 
 unfortunates, and freed by the German government. The 
 missionaries are generally made custodians of the freed slaves, 
 and receive from the government a pittance of not over five 
 dollars (one pound), I believe, to take, educate, rear, clothe, 
 and feed them. In this way it happened that the celebrated 
 mission doctor, Wm. Baxter, who has spent the best part 
 of his adult life in Africa, during a professional visit to the 
 station where the little child, not over six years of age, 
 had been placed, noticed him, and the child was immediately 
 drawn by the doctor's kindliness and evinced love for chil- 
 dren, and became deeply attached to him. 
 
 When the doctor had finished the duties of his profes- 
 sional visit, and returned to his own post, distant from the 
 place where he met the child something like twelve or fifteen 
 
404 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 miles, and over a very difficult range of rugged steep foot- 
 hills of Kilimanjaro, intersected by deep ravines, gulleys, and 
 water courses, as well as being infested by wild animals, 
 a day or so elapsed when one night he was aroused by 
 his attendants, who brought a little native waif utterly worn 
 
 OITT OF THF. FOREST. 
 
 out by fatigue and hunger. It was his little friend, who, 
 unattended, had braved the terrors of night and prowling 
 animals, and the hardships of a perilous journey, as he 
 followed the tracks of the good doctor, guided only by his 
 child's affection and innate instinct of trapper. 
 
 Touched as the doctor was by compassion for the devoted 
 brave little soul, after the child had recuperated it was neces- 
 
SULTAN MANDARA OF MOSCHI. 
 
 405 
 
 sary that he should return him to his legitimate protectors. 
 With much grief and disappointment to the child, and reluc- 
 tance on the part of the doctor, this was done. 
 
 Before a fortnight had elapsed, again during the blackest 
 hours of night the child put in an appearance at Moschi, the 
 doctor's station,* having eluded the vigilance of his warders, and 
 ignoring the terrors he had encountered during his former es- 
 capade. Heroic little chap ! The doctor could no longer resist 
 his pleading words of love and desire to be his mioto (little 
 boy), and took measures to secure the right of guardianship. 
 
 When I saw this child he was trudging up a steep hill, 
 bearing on his staff just like a little old man, his face radiant 
 with a welcome for the doctor, who had been on a long 
 journey. What will the future of this child be, I wonder! 
 
 ♦Since this went to press Ibe Germans have expelled the English missionaries from the German Kili- 
 manjaro district- 
 
4o6 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 FLEETING SIGHTS. 
 
 , ARCHING over the southeastern foot- 
 hill of Kilimanjaro, after leaving 
 Moschi, towards evening, there was 
 an ominous rustle of the leaves and 
 movement of the branches in a shady 
 bosk, which seemed to indicate the 
 presence of a skulking animal or ser- 
 pent. Investigation revealed three albi- 
 nos who, in terror, were striving- to gain 
 concealment. Their hair was not the yellow-white discolor- 
 ation found throughout Africa, prompted by individual fancy, 
 although not tribal, produced by bleaching with lime, but it 
 was pure dazzling white, soft and flossy; and their eyes 
 were a very pale pink, the iris dilating and contracting 
 with (jLiick, nervous snap, resembling the action of those 
 of white rabbits ; eyelashes white and coarse like spun 
 silver, and in striking contrast to the sickly unprepossessing 
 ashy black of their complexions, which has no given place 
 in the scale of colors. They looked dejected and debased, 
 were quite deficient in the allure and elasticity presented by 
 
FLEETING SIGHTS. 407 
 
 most of the East Africans. They were shy, and refused 
 to hold comnuinication with any of my interpreters or per- 
 sonally with me. I proffered to them tempting gifts, which 
 they would not accept ; finally, as they became over-embar- 
 rassed b)- our friendl)- overtures, they ran away and again hid 
 in the adjacent bushes. Their teeth were filed in points and 
 stained brown with nut-juice. Low of stature, and craniums 
 sloping from the forehead to the apex, thick protruding lips 
 and jaws, they resembled Aztecs ; and certainly, from all 
 physical indices as well as their deportment, seemed to rank 
 as the lowest intellectually, if not the most degraded Africans 
 met. What their tribe could not be ascertained ; and from 
 information subsequently gleaned, naturally leads to the con- 
 clusion that albinos are simply freaks of nature liable to 
 occur in any tribe, yet tabooed by their own families and 
 tribes, and by all other tribes. Per force of circumstances, based 
 upon the stigma of nature, they become the denizens of 
 sequestered places, pursuing a migratory and precarious ex- 
 istence. 
 
 Marvels trooped on all sides calling for attention and too 
 often provoking alarm. It had, up to this period, been a 
 keen disappointment that we had not seen, even at a dis- 
 tance, elephants. Struggling down the deep dip of the hills 
 into a ravine, when the van of my little army was in the 
 bottom, which made the crotch between the hills, and the 
 line of men extended over a mile behind, so that the last 
 man's head had not been seen over the brow of the hill, 
 
408 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 elephants' fresh tracks were before me. My first thought 
 was to get a photograph, if they should put in an appearance; 
 then with a sportswoman's pricle my heart swelled with the 
 idea I could possibly get a shot at them ; this was absurd, 
 with only rifles of small calibre. A crush and crash and 
 heavy thud of the ground put my Zanzibaris' hearts and 
 mine too in pawn. The quadrupedal earthquakes were 
 emerging from the trees and about to cross our path. In 
 wild dismay I cast a hasty backward glance to see how the 
 Zanzibaris were going to behave, and there was not one 
 single human creature in sight; it seemed as though the 
 earth had swallowed the entire caravan, not even a human 
 sound. I stood alone in my glory! My knees relaxed, my 
 spine gave way, and down I sank amid the tall grasses, 
 terror-stricken. Elephant number one came in full view 
 and beat about to the right and left, with his trunk in close 
 proximity to me, evidently aware of the presence of aliens, 
 but never paused, when snivelling and puffing hot breaths of 
 inlantile complaints came trotting after a baby elephant 
 reluctantly following its sire, then came the ungainly mother, 
 lashing the youngster into a quicker trot by slapping it on 
 one side of its haunches, then on the other, with her trunk. 
 They all three sniffed about and tossed their trunks into the 
 air, and the male returned to round his small family up, 
 but trotted off without desire to molest us. After a few 
 minutes had elapsed, soot-balls began to blossom amid the 
 foliage, and presently my loyal, leal, brave fellows emerged 
 
2 
 
 > 
 < 
 
 OS 
 < 
 o 
 
 D 
 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
FLEETING SIGHTS. 409 
 
 smiling, chattering at the top of their voices about the 
 tcnibo (elephants). A wandering band of hunters, evi- 
 dently on the trail of these elephants, passed us during the 
 day ; they carried loaded spears with huge barbed poisoned 
 arrowheads, which they throw at the elephants, but always 
 strive to get back the loaded shafts when the elephants are 
 brought low, as they are difficult to make and invaluable. 
 
 The keen sight of the natives is astounding as exemplified 
 by native guides. A guide would say, pointing, " Bebe 
 Bwana, very soon comes such or such a mountain, or vine, 
 or plain, or village." And I would strain my eyes striving to 
 penetrate the limitless spaces, unable to descry the slightest 
 indication of the aforesaid, or the slightest premonition of the 
 appearance of a caravan he might aver was coming ; neither 
 could I with my field glasses espy a single object to verify his 
 assertion. However, in due course of a day or two's march 
 we would be in lull view of the announced object, or within 
 shouting range of the caravan. There is just one cogent 
 objection to offer on this point: may the natives not be so 
 well posted as to the physical aspect of the country, and 
 familiarized with such by constantly traversing it; and may 
 they possibly not have learned from experience that the 
 mzimgus caravans march at a certain rate of speed and are 
 most likely in a given time to reach a point they know as a 
 fixed fact, or that a caravan, rumor has bruited is en route, 
 will be met ? or can it be that these naturals actually have 
 that same keenness of vision peculiar to birds and some wild 
 
4IO SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 animals, and in some marked individual cases extremely 
 acute? Another remarkable trait, or gift, which it would 
 seem is an attribute possessed by all native peoples, is 
 their acute faculty of hearing. The native guides, like the 
 North American Indians, would sprawl flat on the ground and 
 press their ears close upon it, then announce with a degree 
 of accuracy certain discoveries: "a herd of buffalo," "simba," 
 "zebra." "elephants," "a saftiri" "natives," "water." 
 
 At Lake Jipo, and, in fact, on the banks of various 
 streams, personally I distinctly heard men talking in a low 
 voice over the water from the opposite bank, by sending the 
 voice close to the water's surface, and even heard them speak 
 across ravines from the edge of one precipice to the other. 
 The latter denotes some peculiar vibrant qualities of the at- 
 mosphere, whatever may be the secret of the former. On all 
 sides could be heard th(; laughter of merry girls and Icon 
 (lads), and the voices of men and women from distances 
 which would prove a rarity or peculiarity in the carrying 
 properties of the atmosphere. 
 
 Water seemed to be my African ordeal. Shouts and yells 
 are always in order with Zanzibaris on safari, and only when 
 particularly vociferous does a leader heed them, although 
 there is usually an intonation that is significant when 
 prompted through peril. 
 
 A great shout of warning from my followers rang up from 
 the valley to me, as I was cautiously picking my steps along 
 a customary goat-path on the mountain-side. Although not 
 
FLEETING SIGHTS. 4I I 
 
 easily flustered, their repeated yells and wild, significant ges- 
 tures, I must confess, slightly alarmed me. The thought flashed 
 through my brain that possibly I might be on the eve of 
 stepping into some gorge or trap unseen by me but discern- 
 ible to my followers from below. As their yells continued, I 
 deemed it wise to pause and ascertain the cause of the 
 augmenting commotion, so I wheeled around, and planted my 
 back against the craggy mountain-side. At this act their 
 yells redoubled. I demanded an explanation. No answer 
 came, none was needed. The rains of the nieht before had 
 gorged the usual water courses and, as an overflow, rushed 
 in a perfect deluge down upon me where unwittingly I stood. 
 It was only by crouching upon the ground and clutching the 
 scant shrubbery that I kept from being swept over the steep 
 side to the bottom of the ravine in the belching waters. It 
 was over in a momeni. My sense of the ridiculous, together 
 with thankfulness for my escape, put me in such good humor 
 that even the terrified porters seemed to catch the contagion 
 of my merry mood, and were never so light-hearted as during 
 the remainder of the day after this incident which threatened 
 danger to their leader. Although drenched to the skin, an 
 hour's march in the sun made my clothing as dry as usual. 
 Each da)' every garment became saturated with perspiration, 
 the heat was so intense, and great caution was required to 
 avoid sudden chill. When we halted I always put on an 
 additional garment, a long silk gown which was carried by 
 Baraka or Ramezan. Another thing I must confess, that I 
 
412 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 was just feminine enough to feel more comfortable to have 
 my short travel-stained frock well covered down to my feet 
 when standing about among my porters. My woman's cos- 
 tume was never a hindrance to my progress, and I cannot 
 conceive how masculine attire would have in an)' wa)' been 
 an advantage to me. 
 
 This brings me to state that there is a certain recognized 
 distinction in the native women's costumes, which has as subtle 
 and significant an import as the sleeves of the Japanese 
 women's kiinonas. A Taveta or Chaga woman who is dissolute 
 with Swahali caravans usually wears the cloths of the coast 
 tribes, and is more or less stigmatized by the more conventional 
 of her own tribe. This, too, from no high sense of virtue, 
 but from tribal prejudice, based on the fact that the woman 
 has bartered her favors to porters or to aliens ; hence therein 
 resides the secret of her diserace. 
 
 Ideas of hospitality among natives are of a very singular 
 strain. If one sultan visits another sultan, or a man of 
 importance another, or even friend visits friend, the host puts 
 at his guest's disposal one or more of his own wives, and allows 
 him general freedom throughout his home. These civilities 
 are commonly interchanged throughout Chaga land as well 
 as at Faveta. 
 
 A quaint sight presented itself during a little call upon 
 a chief's family. A she-goat with her kids bleating about her 
 as she stood over a native baby who was laid comfortably 
 upon a sheaf of grass suckling it, letting- her own )oung await 
 
FLEETING SIGHTS. 4I3 
 
 their turn, when the adopted baby should be satisfied ; 
 presently the child slept, and the goat cautiously picked up 
 her feet and backed away without disturbing its slumbers. 
 This goat returned at regular intervals to see if all was well 
 with her charge, and was ready to answer its demands when 
 hunger's cry called to her. 
 
 A native promenaded before me, shaking his head in order 
 to display his elaborately dressed hair, plastered with grease 
 and red clay. He expressed entire willingness to dispose of 
 it for a stipulated amount of beads, wire, and cloth. Whilst 
 awaiting the tonsorial preparations, it occurred to me to in- 
 spect the man's head ; the revelation of its animated con- 
 dition compelled me with regret to refuse to carry out the 
 bargain. 
 
 o 
 
 The difficulties of photography in a tropical country like 
 Atrica, during the rainy season, when 1 visited it, are obviously 
 great. Negatives become affected by the heat and the moisture, 
 and a fungus growth will develop upon them which, it not 
 entirely effacing the picture, certainly produces regretable 
 blemishes. However, there is nothing which puts a traveller's 
 narration so much in evidence, or constitutes so admirable a 
 syllabus to refresh the memory of passing events, as photog- 
 raphy, good or bad. The place one visits for the first time, 
 for example, my circumnavigation of Lake Chala, and the pho- 
 tographs taken, cannot be discounted by any contradictory 
 statement prompted by jealousy or incredulity. It is to be 
 regretted that the glowing colors of the foliage, which is so 
 
414 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 multifold, and the gorgeous floral effects, as well as atmospheric 
 effects, cannot be reproduced ; and then, too, the lack of artistic 
 focus, unavoidable in instantaneous pictures, deprives the view 
 of perspective, and when a representation of grass over ten feet 
 high is in the foreground, looking across a plain fifty to one 
 hundred miles wide, with a mountain several thousand feet high 
 as a far-away background, or rather the central point, the effect 
 is somewhat distorted and disappointing. Nevertheless, it 
 serves a purpose far transcending the force of mere description. 
 
 The natives' horror of being photographed makes it most 
 difficult to obtain satisfactory portraits of them. Once, and 
 only once, with their knowledge I held up my camera before 
 a group of natives, employing the photographer's fiction to 
 attract their attention, " Look here and you will see a bird 
 fly out." The result justified the deception. Their good- 
 natured, laughing phsiognomies depict anything but brutality 
 or sa\agery. 
 
 Glass negatives are constantly in peril of damage, gelatine 
 is liable to melt or mildew, and the necessary chemicals to 
 develop at once the negatives are too frequently utterly spoiled 
 by the atmospheric conditions. There is much to be accom- 
 plished in perfecting photographic paraphernalia ibr tropical 
 use. 
 
 It had fully been my intention to take a phonograph, 
 despite its unwieldiness, but at that time there was no 
 guaranteed surety that the wax cylinders would withstand 
 the climate, and the project was wisely abandoned on the 
 
o 
 p 
 
 X 
 
 < 
 
 Di 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 H 
 
 o 
 
 X 
 
FLEETING SIGHTS. 
 
 415 
 
 advice of skilled electricians. The Sultan of Zanzibar was the 
 possessor of a phonograph which he kindly proffered for 
 my use, but this instrument was not in working order ; more- 
 over, I naturally declined the responsibility entailed, fearful it 
 should be damaged. Now I am quite convinced it would 
 have been worse than useless, terrifying the natives to such 
 an e.xtent they would have stigmatized me as a mistress of 
 black art. 
 
4i6 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 HOMEWARD BOUND. 
 
 UT of the German fort at Panoani, 
 the moment the first sun was fired 
 and the reveille beat, I ordered 
 my porters to carry me, only too 
 ;lad that the night of dread and 
 suffering had at last ended, and 
 eager to outdistance the com- 
 -mander's limit of power before he 
 could prohibit my egress. 
 \v^ ^ The mosquitoes had mart\Ted 
 
 me; my entire body was mottled and burning from their 
 merciless stings. In my utter helplessness, for the first time 
 I relinquished a thought or a care as to my personal effects; 
 in consequence, for the first time, articles disappeared. 
 
 Alack ! when within a few daj's' march of Pangani, I met 
 with the unfortunate accident which so nearly cost me my 
 life. At the time there were nothing but German swamps 
 and unplcturesque stretches of valley country elongated be- 
 tween distant mountains, and, as I experienced a slight degree 
 of fatigue and natural reaction, deemed it a sensible thing 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND. 
 
 41 
 
 to husband my strength, betook myself to my Palanquin, and 
 allowed myself to be carried. 
 
 Bent upon accomplishing some detailed work and arran- 
 ging botanical specimens, I paid too little heed to the con- 
 struction of an extemporized tree bridge. As it was the 
 rainy season, the sap was well up in the trees ; those 
 
 PORTERS TESTING THE BRIDGE. 
 
 selected on both brinks, and felled ior our purpose, looked 
 fair and sturdy ; and when duly strapped together in the 
 middle, and all was ready, a number of porters were sent 
 ahead to test the structure ; they crossed safely. I should 
 have walked across, however, without a thought of danger. I 
 allowed myself to be carried in ni)- Palanquin ; the bark 
 proved to be unsound and slippery ; my bearers maintained 
 their footing with difficulty ; when in the middle of the 
 
41 8 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 bridge, over the swollen torrent which noisily tumbled in its 
 stony bed twenty or more feet below us, the bark peeled 
 off from the logs, and the usually sure-footed porters were 
 hurled with me down into the rushing waters, whereas 
 they at their peril were dashed headlong into the dubious 
 channel, and compelled to struggle for their lives. For a 
 ■hazardous moment, only a moment, although time and space 
 are so immeasurably elongated into eternities during like 
 terrors, I was whirled about, protected from injury by my 
 Palanquin, but with mj' head down and completely submerged 
 in thick yellow water, in jeopardy of drowning. Several addi- 
 tional porters — for my bearers, poor fellows, had all they could 
 do to save themselves — precipitously descended the bank and 
 plunged into the seething waters and extricated me with great 
 difficulty from the Palanquin in which I was helplessly buried 
 beneath a confused mass of cushions, besides being under water. 
 
 Poor, affrighted fellows, in their wild efforts to carry me 
 out of the water, up the steep rugged bank, hopelessly 
 slipped and dropped me a second time, with serious injury 
 to my spine, where I had struck the rocks. A second rescue, 
 and I was carried, limp and helpless, as I thought per- 
 manently disabled, up the bank. When 1 had somewhat 
 recovered from the shock, I realized that ni)' life depended 
 upon reaching the coast at the earliest possible moment. 
 
 Meeting the German officer at Masslndi, where he had 
 preceded me, I did not mention the fact of the disaster to 
 him, although my helplessness was not possible to conceal. 
 
^'V 
 
 %// 
 
 # 
 
 THE COURT DRESS. 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND. 4I9 
 
 He took it for granted I had the fever, a very natural conclu- 
 sion, as he was then stricken with the malady, yet proposed 
 to extend his official journey back to a mountain village 
 where the natives were rebellious ; hence it did not excite his 
 suspicion to know, notwithstanding illness, that I would, that 
 I must, proceed on my journey. 
 
 To this point coin had been useless to me, and the re- 
 mainder of my rupees seemed too small to meet the demands for 
 the balance of the journey. I was given an order on the officer- 
 in-chief at Pangani to refund me for the surplus loads I had 
 gladly transferred to the officer then at INIoschi, at coast rates, 
 deducting the fifteen rupees a load for transportation, when I 
 found coin would be required at the fag end of the journey. 
 That claim has never been settled. However, another officer 
 at a station later on answered my request sent by a messenger 
 at night for one hundred rupees, which have been refunded. 
 
 By instituting frequent relays of sturdy carriers, — for 
 many of my porters were without loads, who were induced 
 by promises of extra reward to carry me in a light hammock, 
 marching day and night, — one clay they made the extraor- 
 dinary distance of forty miles through the swampy country of 
 Rufa. The German surgeons at the various stations were 
 horrified that I should proceed in the dying condition they 
 deemed me to be in. However, after using every effort short 
 of force, and having- exhausted all arguments to induce me to 
 tarry and recuperate at Bomo and Lewa, the gentlemen were 
 more than hospitable, and went so far as to compassionately 
 
420 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 tender to me personal care, cooking with their own hands delica- 
 cies, proffering and even loading me down with the choicest arti- 
 cles they had in store when I would depart. Some few of these 
 German stations were comfortable habitations, though not 
 quite finished, and the saw and hammer of the carpenters could 
 be heard. It must be remembered that I was utterly power- 
 less, and had to lie just where placed, dying, it seemed, by 
 degrees, my poor brain half delirious ; but the rule of my 
 camp life had become so indelibly stamped that I knew 
 enough to be silent unless sure of the words I was to utter. 
 Nervous dysentery had several times assailed me after 
 leaving Chaga land, and now it caused serious havoc, and it 
 was impossible to eat a bit of solid lood, or taste beef tea or 
 beef extract. Every day my distress and emaciation grew more 
 apparent, and Hamidi and Josefe were constantly by my side, 
 if, indeed, not assisting my carriers. They would lift me ten- 
 derly in and out of the hammock, fan me, carry an umbrella 
 over me, try in every possible way to tempt me to eat, and 
 encourage me when my vitality was about to ebb out. The 
 tenderness and delicacy of these two men, as well as that 
 of Ramezan and Baraka, I can never praise too highly. 
 In fact, every man in the caravan developed unexpected 
 traits of devotion and gentleness. My big man Kara was 
 ever eager to serve, when a single-handed aid was required 
 in carrying me through the swamps; and others, too numerous 
 to mention, expressed in deeds their solicitude, and were 
 fired with the desire to bring me alive back to the coast. 
 
HOMEWARD HOUND. 
 
 421 
 
 The vague remembrance of the salutes fired in my honor 
 by the Germans still affects me in a strange manner — the 
 country, the natives, the intermingling of so much military 
 displa}', primitives and 
 rattle ot guns, my des- 
 perate condition, the deed 
 accomplished, the narrow- 
 ing down of my soul's 
 desire only to return alive 
 and receive the adulation 
 of the one whose mortal liiiS 
 lips are now silenced by 
 a journey to that bourne 
 where one goes, but 
 nevermore returns to ter- 
 restrial haunts. 
 
 To the officers and 
 even to the good doctor ^ clandestine meeting. 
 
 I was so very uncivil. When proffered courtesies and medical 
 attention, I was at once apprehensive that if I became either 
 their guest or patient they could e.xercise in the name of human- 
 ity a warrantable edict based upon the fact that my condition 
 was altogether too precarious to admit of my being removed 
 from their hospital or fort. One thought possessed me, 
 namely, to catch the steamer at Zanzibar and start home ; 
 the one boon I yearned for was to live at least until I 
 should once more see my husband and reach my home. 
 
42 2 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 All the chances seemed against me ; the doom of death 
 seemed upon me. Having hired Moias to transport us to 
 the anchored ship off Zanzibar, although there was little 
 wind, by employing sixty oarsmen the Mo7u I had embarked 
 upon with about fifty selected porters, headmen, interpreters, 
 arrived at the steamer in the unusual time durino; monsoons 
 of twenty-eight hours ; the rest of my caravan and imple- 
 ments followed a day later. With difficulty I was carried on 
 board of the " Madura." Capt. Avern and all on board were 
 shocked at my ghastly apparition. I was laid upon the sky- 
 light ; all .sorts ot arrangements had been made to secure for 
 me every comfort, and contribute to my well-being. Friends 
 came to see me; doctors were consulted; and the late Capt. 
 W. E. Stairs, who was just forming his caravan, full of 
 compassion for his own expedition, which proved fatal to 
 him, implored me to execute certain documents as he ven- 
 tured to whisper to me his solemn conviction, shared by all, 
 that I would die on the voyage. Upon my emaciated 
 upper arms he slipped a pair of silver bracelets which only 
 measured six inches in circumference. He exclaimed, "I 
 never beheld such an object of physical ravages at Nelson's 
 starvation camp!" In truth, I seemed to be surely dying 
 Irom the sequences of the injury to my spine, starvation, and 
 dysentery. After having escaped African fever — no, not 
 actually escapctl, for I find that I too have become a victim 
 to that insidious African complaint — fever, what you will — 
 from which seldom, if ever, any traveller in Africa escapes — 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND. 
 
 423 
 
 the craving to return. Africa is a hard but irresistibly 
 fascinating mistress, holcling fast with magnetic swa}' lier 
 votaries. 
 
 After a safe, altliough thrilHng, venture among hostile and 
 peaceful tribes, and a safe march through a difficult country, 
 with only one dead and one thief left behind me, my heart 
 
 REPAST OF ARAI! FAMILY. 
 
 bounding with delight born of success, it seemed a cruel 
 fate to be thus disabled. 
 
 Despite my serious illness, so exhausted I could not 
 articulate an audible sound, sufferingr excruciatine aeony, I 
 feel a glow of pardonable pride, in which my friends and my 
 sex must join me, in the fact that I personally discharged 
 all of my men, and saw them disband, and that I made full 
 
424 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 settlement of every payable obligation connected with my 
 caravan, as completely as though in the possession of my 
 normal health. My misfortunes were not to end when 
 embarked on the dear old " Madura," although every profes- 
 sional care and personal consideration were extended to me, 
 and the after deck of the ship fitted up for my occupancy 
 like a private yacht; reposing. In order to breathe, on the sky- 
 light day after day, semidelirious, one day a sudden gust of 
 the monsoon lifted ni)- mattresses with me upon them and 
 hurled me against the iron stanchions of the ship's railings, 
 and, but for the canvas sides, would have carried me into the 
 ocean. My skull was fractured. The captain, surgeon, and 
 officers at first thought it must result seriously, but the cap- 
 tain had personally provided for my use a couple of tons of 
 ice, and its constant applications to my head kept down in- 
 flammation. Strange fact, I shall always regard this calamity in 
 the light of a benefit, for it aroused me from a subtle coma- 
 tose condition, which was gradually enshrouding my sentient 
 being and chaining my will. Day and night through my 
 distracted brain passed in review all of the incidents and the 
 solicitudes of camj) life. A little concert-hall song one of 
 the porters used to drone out in broken English, in wliich 
 the refrain was " Lady Locket lost her pocket," would come 
 mumbling from ni)- lips; anon some order would be cried 
 out, and the personages haunting m\- delirium were the 
 phantoms of those who had served me with such marked 
 patience and loyalty during my safari of over a thousand 
 
HOMF.WAKD HOUND. 
 
 425 
 
 oeling of lile's course, occurred: awaiting 
 
 miles. Various gifts ami jirayer symbols were brought to mc 
 by the headmen and principals of m\- caravan from their 
 wives or from themselves. A curious incident, revealing the 
 chance and odd ju^^, 
 my arrival was a 
 Zanzibaris servant, 
 known to many as 
 Saala bin Osman, 
 who desired to ac- 
 compan)' me back 
 to England, al- 
 though he had but 
 just returned to 
 Zanzibar. He nar- 
 rated with consid- 
 erable pathos that 
 he had become a 
 Christian bo\-, and 
 that his father and \f\r. ml-siciaxs. 
 
 brother were dead, and that his iMohammcdan friends would 
 no lono-er tolerate him ; in tact, that his lile was in dano^er. 
 Whilst his story was in progress, Hamidi, m\' headman, 
 dressed like a satrap, in spotless white and crimson velvet 
 and gold-lace, came with a troup of magnificent personages, 
 who proved to be my working porters, transformed into 
 Zanzibaris gentlemen of color. .Saala and Hamidi exchanged 
 glances, surprise broke over both faces, and they e.xclaimed 
 
426 
 
 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 in concert, "This is my brother!" And so it proved Saala's 
 supposed dead brother was my trusted Hamidi. Had I ever 
 dreamed I should have lived to reach Engrland, I should cer- 
 
 WOMAX WATER-CARRIER. 
 
 tainly have brought Hamidi with me. Suffice it my voyage 
 of horrors progressed ; once more we were at Aden, then 
 Port Said, and the local color changed ; the sights and 
 
HOMEWARD BOUND. 
 
 427 
 
 .-v^"-vi^^?:?^-^'^\H;,. ^*^-f.^ 
 
 scenes assumed the guise of familiarity, and my condition 
 was even more deplorable, and we sighted Naples. 
 
 With all the reserve force I could command I eathcred 
 myself together for the shocking ordeal of meeting my 
 husband. A voice, that set my heart thumping, tremulously 
 asked, "Does she live?" Ah, yes, she did live, and felt 
 that from henceforth protectetl and safe, she would surely 
 recover, proud and happy in the 
 thought to be at last in shelter- 
 ing, loving arms; and, more 
 than all, success was im- 
 bued with a new glamour, 
 for he smiled and in 
 well-measured adulation 
 approved. 
 
 Friends and the dear 
 faithful Jacques overwhelmed 
 me with such a welcome. The 
 
 y..-\ . il 1 J 1 "DOES SHE LIVE?" 
 
 little town, the loved home, was 
 
 redolent with a greeting, and brilliant with llags, among 
 which conspicuously floated my own American flag, which 
 had acted as a talisman throughout my safari. Weeks of 
 suspense and agony, then my constitutional vitality asserted 
 itself under the auspices of skilled medical care and un- 
 abated nursing of devoted friends and faithful servants, and 
 once more I was well and strong. The rest has no place 
 here in this volume, save in the few words in the dedication. 
 
428 
 
 SULTAN '1"0 SULTAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 AFTERMATH. 
 
 »UERYING was it worth while? 
 After serious retrospection over the 
 pros and cons, tlie expenditure of 
 time, money, personal force, hazards, 
 loss and gain, and finally facing as 
 best I may the irrefutable sorrow 
 which is upon me, requiring more 
 courage to bear up under than all 
 else which has befallen me, or can befall me, I 
 am prepared to answer the quer)- provisionally, without a 
 tinge of cant. 
 
 Yes, it was worth while, if it lies in my feeble power 
 after the quest I ventured to make to contribute something 
 substantial towards the betterment and enlightenment of the 
 natives, as well as to be instrumental in convincing their 
 future rulers and teachers that more humanity and practical 
 common-sense will be more fruitful. If the time, money, 
 personal force, hardships, and ethnological researches result 
 in putting into my hands useful productive work to do in 
 behall of the primitives, if in ni)* future work I may dexx'lop 
 
AFFERMATH. 
 
 429 
 
 those rare attributes of nobility and meritorious character 
 which shall make me a worthy exponent of the philosophy and 
 example oi him whose name I proudl)- bear, then, I reiterate, 
 it was worth while. 
 
 Jaui(^yPL tS ^/zl£^9C(rt^ 
 
MEDICAL AND SITRGICAL APPLIANCES. 
 
 Two large-sized pigskin cases, filled. 
 
 Two small leather emergency cases, surgical fittings. 
 
 One French-Sheldon medicine belt, filled. 
 
 Fever thermometers, hypodermic cases. 
 
 Lymph and lancets for vaccination. 
 
 \'ariou5 splints, carbolized gau/e, bandages. 
 
 Hazehne, ether, chloroform, soda, liorax. 
 
 Eno fruit salts, violet water, toilet soap. 
 
 Traveller's Surgical and Medical C.uide. 
 
 GENER.\L MEDICAL AND SURGICAL DIRECTIONS AND HINTS. 
 FROM SURGEON T. II. PARKE. 
 
 SAI.OL •] AHI.oIIiS. 
 
 One or two for dose, three times ilaily in cholera, dysentery, or diseases of the bladder 
 attended with discharge of pus. 
 
 PEPTONIC TABLOIDS. 
 
 One or two taken immediately after eating to relieve indigestion, and to assist the diges- 
 tion. One or two taken with meals, during convalescence from malarial fevers, beneficial. 
 
 SILPHONAI, TABLOIDS. 
 
 Taken according to direction on labels to induce sleep, during period of insomnia. 
 
 (.IITN'INE TABLOIDS (plX'Ii GRAINS). 
 
 One or two taken immediately after the first symptoms of malarial fe\er are experienced, 
 to aliort an attack of ague. 
 
 c.ilININE TABLOIDS (TWO OKAINs). 
 
 .Small doses of quinine beneficial as a tonic and antimalarial. ( >ne or t\\<i tabluiils would 
 be an appropriate dose. 
 
 LEAD AND OPIUM lABLOIDS. 
 
 Anodyne and astringent. One tabloid, taken every three hours, to stop the discharge in 
 dysentery and in persistent diarrhrea, attended with hemorrhage. 
 
 OITUM TABLOIDS. 
 
 Dose, one tabloid to relieve pain, or to iniluce sleep. 
 
 SULPHATE OF ZINC TABLOIDS. 
 
 One tabloid dissolved in an ounce of water may be used as an eye lotion in inllamed con- 
 ditions of the eyes; also, as an injection for gonorrhoea, gleet, etc. 
 
432 SULTAN TO SULTAN. 
 
 PHOS. NUX VOMICA AND IKON PILLS. 
 
 One or two pills as a dose, two or three times daily, as a stimulating tonic in nervous 
 debility and loss of tone in the system. 
 
 roTASH BROMIDE TABLOIDS (FIVE GRAINS). 
 
 Two tabloids dissolved in a wineglass of water, taken to relieve headache, or four t.-ibloids 
 taken in same quantity of water, taken as a night draught in sleeplessness. 
 
 ARSENICUS ACID TABLOIDS. 
 
 One tabloid taken in a little water, three times daily, as an antimalarial and as a tonic in 
 malarial fever, and as an alterative in skin disease. 
 
 CITRIC ACID TABLOIDS. 
 
 Found useful and recommended highly by Dr. Hans Meyers, to allay thirst when march- 
 ing long distances. Either dissolved in water and taken as a draught, or by placing a tabloid 
 in the mouth and allowing it to dissolve slowly. 
 
 KORCED-MARCH TABLOIDS. 
 
 One tabloid taken every two hours to act as a stimulant when taking a long journey, and 
 to ward off the craving for food. [V'ery effectual. — .\i riiuK.j 
 
 SULl'HIDE OF CALCIUM TABLOIDS. 
 
 One tabloid every two h<iurs as an alterative for boils, carbuncles, eruptions, and suppurat- 
 ing wounds. 
 
 II'LCAC POWDER TABLOIDS. 
 
 Four tabloids crushed in a little water to be taken during the acute stage of dysentery. 
 
 LIVINGSTON'S ROUSERS. 
 
 Tonic, aperient, antimalarial. One or two tabloids when the first symptoms of malarial 
 fever are felt. 
 
 WARBURG'S TINCTURE TABLOIDS. 
 
 Four to eight tabloids during the cold stage of intermittent fever, in brandy and \\ater. 
 Patient should go to bed if the sweating induced is not profuse, and o repeated dose of four 
 to eight tabloids should be taken two hours from the time the first dose was taken. 
 
 PERMANGANATE OF POTASH TABLOIDS. 
 
 One tabloid added to a quart of water when its purity is doubted. This will destroy the 
 to.xicity of organic matter in the water and render it drinkable. 
 
 CARBOLIC ACID. 
 A solution made according to the directions on label may be used for irrigating foul ulcers, 
 wounds, etc., or ten minims may be injected into the puncture caused by the fangs of a 
 venomous reptile or rabid animal. In case carbolic aciJis not handy, two grains oi pcrtnan- 
 ganate of poiash dissolved in ten minims of water may be substituted. 
 
 SACCHARIN TABLOIDS. 
 
 A suljstitute for sugar, f hie tabloid may be used in lieu of a lump of sugar for sweeten- 
 ing ctjffee, cocoa, etc., as well as in articles of food. 
 
MEDICAL AND SURf.ICAL AI'l'I.IANXES. 433 
 
 RHUBARB TABLOIDS. 
 Dose, one or two taliloids as a stomachic in dyspepsia, diarrhrea, etc. 
 
 CASCARA lAlil.OlDS. 
 
 One or two tabloids in a little water as a mild aperient. 
 
 SODA MINT. 
 Dissolve one taliloid slowly in the mouth or take as a draught, dissolved in water, to 
 relieve dyspepsia, flatulency, and cramps. 
 
 iJUININE POWDERS. 
 
 Used same \vay as tabloids. Five grains will be the .piantity that will lay comfortable 
 upon a shilling. 
 
 ORANGE AND QUININE WINE. 
 
 The properties of this wine the same as the quinine tabloids. 
 
 lODUI'ORM. 
 
 Used as a dusting powder upon indolent and purulent ulcers, wounds, etc. (Invaluable.) 
 
 NITRATE OF SILVER. 
 
 For cauterizing wounds and bites of venomous animals, t-arried in a glass-lined metal 
 caustic holder, 
 
 CHKVSOrHAMC ACID. 
 
 To mix into a salve or ointment with lanolin or fat. Applied for ringworms, ulcers, etc. 
 
 HAZELINE. 
 
 An anodyne and astringent. May be applied on lint locally to stop hemorrhages from 
 wounds; or taken in water internally as a styptic in hemorrhages from the stomach or lungs. 
 Invaluable for hemorrhoids; also, for inflammatory condition of the eyes. 
 
 GRANULAR EFFERVESCENT SULITIATE OF SODA. 
 
 ( )ne to three teaspoonfuls dissolved in a tumbler of water and drunk while effervescing as 
 a mild aperient. 
 
 CIILORODVNE. 
 
 Frcjm ten to thirty drops to be taken as an anodyne and astringent in gastric affections, 
 painful diarrhiea, dysentery, and to allay pain generally. 
 
 LAPIS DIVINUS (BLUESTONE). 
 
 Used as an application to ulcers of the cornea, and with a grain of the salt to an ounce of 
 water, as an eye lotion. (Highly prized.) 
 
 MENTHOL. 
 
 Rub the cone well over the painful surface in neuralgia, rheumatism. Admirable to 
 alleviate sttn hcadacJte^ if applied to base of brain and over the temples. Relieves the muscular 
 fatigues of long marches by applying to the joints. 
 
 Used as an emollient and as a basis for ointments in conjunction w^ith chrysophanic acid, 
 etc. Specially adapted for toilet purposes. 
 
434 SULTAN TO SUI.TAN. 
 
 CARBOLIZliD ZINC OINTMENT. 
 
 Applietl to sore feet, skin irritations, abrasions, and wounds. 
 
 CHLOROFORM (in SEALED TINS). 
 
 A few drops on a piece of cotton wool immediately over tlie part stung ur bitten by a 
 wasp, l)ee, or other venomous insect will give instant relief from pain. 
 
 ETHER (IN SEALED TINS). 
 
 f'or emergency, in a serious case, etc. 
 
 ESSENCE OF CAMPHOR. 
 
 Ten to thirty drops may be taken on a piece of sugar or m a little water in diarrhoea to 
 abt>rt a colfl, or as a sedative. 
 
 SMELLING SALTS FOR HEADACHE. 
 ELLIMAN'S EMBROCATION. 
 
 For strains and inflammatory condition of the joints. 
 
 CI.VCERINE. 
 
 L'sed as an aijplication for the skin. Also, w ill allay intense thirst caused by fevers by 
 moistening a liit of cotton wool or small piece of cloth and applying to the tongue as required. 
 
 ESSENCE OF GINGER TABLOIDS. 
 
 Kach tabloid containing ten minims of essence of ginger. One to l)e taken mixed with 
 \\ater as a stomachic. 
 
 IPECAC AND SglTLL TABLOIDS. 
 
 One or two three times daily, to promote diuresis in bladder affections. 
 
 TANNIC GLYCEROL. 
 -Apply with camel's-hair brush for ulceration or relaxation of the throat. It may be taken 
 in doses of half a teaspoonful, mixed with water, to check hemorrhages of the lungs. 
 
 SUN CHOLERA MIXTURE. 
 
 l)ose as per label for cholera, dysentery, persistent diarrhcea. 
 
 ANTI PYRIN E TAllLOir^S. 
 
 lUiring the delirious period of lever and for intense sun headaches, as required. 
 
 KEATINC'S INSECT POWDER FOR \KRMIN. 
 POWDERED BARKS. 
 
 A small quantity dusted in the shoes, if the feet are sore, while marching, or may lie dis- 
 solved in hazeline or water as a lotion for bleeding wounds or as a gargle for sore throat. 
 
 VACCINE. 
 
 Twelve tubes of vaccine in metal cases with the hyjioderniic syringes and lancets. 
 
 TAPE IT.ASTKK. 
 
 Used as ordinary adhesive plaster, but not necessary to heat it. 
 
 CARIKILIZED C.AUZE. 
 
 Antiseptic dressing for wounds. 
 
MEDICAL AND SURGICAL APPIJANCES. 435 
 
 TRIANGt'I.AR liANDAr.ES. 
 
 Complete illustrations as to their varied use printed on bandages. They may be used in 
 conjunction with web l:)andages or with a piece of calico sheeting. 
 
 I.I NT bllKKTINn. 
 
 A superior suiistitute for lint. 
 
 CATIIIiTERS. 
 
 Before using cover with carljolized oil, — one part carbolic acid to forty parts any licjuid oil. 
 
 TOOTH FORCi;i>S. 
 
 It is a good plan to carefully separate the gum from the tooth with a gum lance, then 
 crowd the blades of the forceps as far down as possible to the base of the tooth, firmly attach, 
 then draw the tooth. 
 
 SURGICAL SCISSORS. 
 
 To be used only for surgical cases. 
 
 RAIT AN SPLINTS. 
 
 For fractures or dislocali'ins. 
 
 KIKFOLLT'S .MUSI'ARI) lkavks. 
 
 Invaluable, as they can be used w'hile on the march. 
 
 LINSEED POULTICES. 
 
 I'repared on cloth, ret]uiring only to be moistened through with hot water. 
 
 OIL SILK rKOTECTIXE. 
 
 Covering for compressors and other bandages. 
 
 I'UMP ENEMA. 
 ONE SURGICAL POCKET CASE. 
 NOTES ON OPENING AN ABSCESS. 
 
 It is advisable to cut in the form of a cross (+), seeing, of course, that no blood-vessels are 
 in the way of the operation. After all the pus has been extracted, iodoform may be dusted in, 
 and the part covered with a piece of bandage or carbolic gauze. [I found strips of hide admi- 
 rable, and never disturb the dressing, only leaving an outlet for the pus.] Silk to be used for 
 sewing up incised wounds by meins of the needles in same packet. The scarifier intended for 
 vaccination purposes. 
 
 In case of wounds in the neighborhood of an important artery, if spurting blood is ob- 
 served, the artery must be carefully searched out and clasped by means of the forceps, which can 
 be locked after drawing them a slight distance away from the edge of the wound; the artery 
 may then be ligatured at lioth ends, and the wound is then ready to be sewn up. 
 
 FLAX LINT FOR DRESSING. 
 
 Camel's-hair brushes for eyes and throat application. 
 
 INK PELLET.S. 
 
 Compressed ink pellets stand the tropical climate. One pellet mixed with a tablespoonful 
 of water makes clean, fadeless, free-flowing ink, invaluable if notes and sketches are to be 
 preserved; non-breakable, and of scarcely any weight, taking up but small space. 
 
 Note. — In fitting up my expedition. I constantly aimed at minimum of weight, getting a 
 maximum of results and economy in space, whenever possible substituting all lireakable 
 and fluid articles. — AUTHOR. 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Travel 
 
 DT361 
 
 .S54