riving at Machemba's brother,
Chimseia, she introduced me to him, and got him to be liberal to us in
food on account of the service we had rendered to her. She took leave
of us all with many expressions of thankfulness, and we were glad that
we had not mistaken her position or lavished kindness on the
undeserving.
One Johanna man was caught stealing maize, then another, after I had
paid for the first. I sent a request to the chief not to make much of
a grievance about it, as I was very much ashamed at my men stealing;
he replied that he had liked me from the first, and I was not to fear,
as whatever service he could do he would most willingly in order to
save me pain and trouble. A sepoy now came up having given his musket
to a man to carry, who therefore demanded payment. As it had become a
regular nuisance for the sepoys to employ people to carry for them,
telling them that I would pay, I demanded why he had promised in my
name. "Oh, it was but a little way he carried the musket," said he.
Chimseia warned us next morning, 30th June, against allowing any one
to straggle or steal in front, for stabbing and plundering were the
rule. The same sepoy who had employed a man to carry his musket now
came forward, with his eyes fixed and shaking all over. This, I was to
understand, meant extreme weakness; but I had accidentally noticed him
walking quite smartly before this exhibition, so I ordered him to keep
close to the donkey that carried the havildar's luggage, and on no
account to remain behind the party. He told the havildar that he would
sit down only for a little while; and, I suppose, fell asleep, for he
came up to us in the evening as naked as a robin.
I saw another person bound to a tree and dead--a sad sight to see,
whoever was the perpetrator. So many slave-sticks lie along our path,
that I suspect the people here-about make a practice of liberating
what slaves they cian find abandoned on the march, to sell them again.
A large quantity of maize is cultivated at Chimsaka's, at whose place
we this day arrived. We got a supply, but being among thieves, we
thought it advisable to move on to the next place (Mtarika's). When
starting, we found that fork, kettle, pot, and shot-pouch had been
taken. The thieves, I observed, kept up a succession of jokes with
Chuma and Wikatani and when the latter was enjoying them, gaping to
the sky, they were busy putting the things of which he had charge
under their cloths! I spoke
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