man might lead them, and if he went
with the authority of an official, but none of his responsibilities, he
might land them in grave complications. The spheres of influence of the
continental powers must be respected, and at this time of all others it
was necessary to be very careful of national jealousies. Alec MacKenzie
was told that if he went he must go as a private person. No help could
be given him, and the British Government would not concern itself, even
indirectly, with his enterprise. Alec had expected the reply and was not
dissatisfied. If the government would not undertake the matter itself,
he preferred to manage it without the hindrance of official restraints.
And so this solitary man made up his mind, single handed, to crush the
slave traffic in a district larger than England, and to wage war,
unassisted, with a dozen local chieftains and against twenty thousand
fighting men The attempt seemed Quixotic, but Alec had examined the
risks and was willing to take them. He had on his side a thorough
knowledge of the country, a natural power over the natives, and some
skill in managing them. He was accustomed now to the diplomacy which was
needful, and he was well acquainted with the local politics.

He did not think it would be hard to collect a force on the coast, and
there were plenty of hardy, adventurous fellows who would volunteer to
officer the native levies, if he had money to pay them. Ready money was
essential, so he crossed the Atlantic and sold his estate in Texas; he
made arrangements to raise a further sum, if necessary, on the income
which his colliery in Lancashire brought him. He engaged a surgeon, whom
he had known for some years, and could trust in an emergency, and then
sailed for Zanzibar, where he expected to find white men willing to take
service under him. At Mombassa he collected the bearers who had been
with him during his previous expeditions, and, his fame among the
natives being widely spread, he was able to take his pick of those best
suited for his purpose. His party consisted altogether of over three
hundred.

When he arrived upon the scene of his operations, everything for a time
went well. He showed great skill in dividing his enemies. The petty
rulers were filled with jealousy of one another and eager always to fall
upon their friends, when slave-raiding for a season was unsuccessful.
Alec's plan was to join two or three smaller states in an attack upon
the most powerful of th