ear and bow and arrows. All extract more or less their lower incisors,
and cut a [upside-down V shape] between their two upper incisors. The
whole tribe are desperate smokers, and greatly given to drink.

On the 24th, we all, as many as were left of us, marched into the
merchant's depot, S. lat. 5 deg. 0' 52", and E. long. 33 deg. 1' 34", [7]
escorted by Musa, who advanced to meet us, and guided us into his tembe,
where he begged we would reside with him until we could find men to
carry our property on to Karague. He added that he would accompany
us; for he was on the point of going there when my first instalment of
property arrived, but deferred his intention out of respect to myself.
He had been detained at Kaze ever since I last left it in consequence
of the Arabs having provoked a war with Manua Sera, to which he was
adverse. For a long time also he had been a chained prisoner; as the
Arabs, jealous of the favour Manua Sera had shown to him in preference
to themselves, basely accused him of supplying Manua Sera with
gunpowder, and bound him hand and foot "like a slave." It was delightful
to see old Musa's face again, and the supremely hospitable, kind, and
courteous manner in which he looked after us, constantly bringing in all
kind of small delicacies, and seeing that nothing was wanting to make us
happy. All the property I had sent on in advance he had stored away; or
rather, I should say, as much as had reached him, for the road expenses
had eaten a great hole in it.

Once settled down into position, Sheikh Snay and the whole conclave of
Arab merchants came to call on me. They said they had an army of four
hundred slaves armed with muskets ready to take the field at once to
hunt down Manua Sera, who was cutting their caravan road to pieces,
and had just seized, by their latest reports, a whole convoy of their
ammunition. I begged them strongly to listen to reason, and accept my
advice as an old soldier, not to carry on their guerilla warfare in such
a headlong hurry, else they would be led a dance by Manua Sera, as we
had been by Tantia Topee in India. I advised them to allow me to mediate
between them, after telling them what a favourable interview I had had
with Manua Sera and Maula, whose son was at that moment concealed in
Musa's tembe. My advice, however, was not wanted. Snay knew better than
any one how to deal with savages, and determined on setting out as soon
as his army had "eaten their beef-feast of wa