KAGEI TO TABORA AND BACK. 139 who had travelled with me before, and with whom I had been on friendly terms, elbowed his way through the crowd, and sending them to the right-about with a big stick, came up to me and greeted me very affectionately. He then walked at the head of the caravan to the chiefs village, while another niampara walked behind and kept guard in the rear. On making inquiries, I found that the report of the *ang'uana's guns had been heard, and they concluded that it must be Mirambo and his Euga Euga about to make a raid on the district.

Next morning, when preparing to start, a number of the Wang'uana came and said, if I persisted in returning to Kagei they must leave me. So I told them they were a lot of cowards, that I was not going to turn back for their tales, that they were welcome to go, as not one of them was worth his salt, and reminded them that by thus breaking their contracts they would forfeit every farthing of pay. Well, they said, they must go, but begged that I would give them a letter to the English Consul at Zanzibar. " Oh, with pleasure," I said, " and you will all be put in prison when you get there," and with that I gave the order to march. That same evening, about an hour after I reached the next camp, they all arrived, the imaginary dangers of Kagei having vanished before the prospect of imprisonment. On March 15th our eyes were gladdened once more by the sight of the Nyanza, and that same evening we reached Kagei,