this to be the result
of the warlike demonstration mentioned above; but one of Mohamad
Bogharib's people, named Bin Juma, had gone to a village on the north
of this and seized two women and two girls, in lieu of four slaves who
had run away. The headman, resenting this, shot an arrow into one of
Bin Junta's party, and Bin Juma shot a woman with his gun.

This, it turned out, had roused the whole country, and next morning we
were assailed by a crowd of Imbozhwa on three sides: we had no
stockade, but the men built one as fast as the enemy allowed, cutting
down trees and carrying them to the line of defence, while others kept
the assailants at bay with their guns. Had it not been for the crowd
of Banyamwezi which we have, who shot vigorously with their arrows,
and occasionally chased the Imbozhwa, we should have been routed. I
did not go near the fighting, but remained in my house to defend my
luggage if necessary. The women went up and down the village with
sieves, as if winnowing, and singing songs, and lullilooing, to
encourage their husbands and friends who were fighting, each had a
branch of the Ficus indica in her hand, which she waved, I suppose as
a charm. About ten of the Imbozhwa are said to have been killed, but
dead and wounded were at once carried off by their countrymen. They
continued the assault from early dawn till 1 P.M., and showed great
bravery, but they wounded only two with their arrows. Their care to
secure the wounded was admirable: two or three at once seized the
fallen man, and ran off with him, though pursued by a great crowd of
Banyamwezi with spears, and fired at by the Suaheli--Victoria-cross
fellows truly many of them were! Those who had a bunch of animals'
tails, with medicine, tied to their waists, came sidling and ambling
up to near the unfinished stockade, and shot their arrows high up into
the air, to fall among the Wanyamwezi, then picked up any arrows on
the field, ran back, and returned again. They thought that by the
ambling gait they avoided the balls, and when these whistled past them
they put down their heads, as if to allow them to pass over; they had
never encountered guns before. We did not then know it, but Muabo,
Phuta, Ngurue, Sandaruko, and Chapi, were the assailants, for we found
it out by the losses each of these five chiefs sustained.

It was quite evident to me that the Suaheli Arabs were quite taken
aback by the attitude of the natives; they expected them to flee as