Mionvu, who evidently was keen-witted, and knew perfectly what he was about, now roused himself, and began to make miniature faggots of thin canes, ten in each faggot, and shortly he presented ten of these small bundles, which together contained one hundred, to me, saying each stick represented a cloth, and the amount of the “honga” required by the King of Uhha was one hundred cloths!—­nearly two bales!

Recovering from our astonishment, which was almost indescribable, we offered ten.

“Ten! to the King of Uhha!  Impossible.  You do not stir from Lukomo until you pay us one hundred!” exclaimed Mionvu, in a significant manner.

I returned no answer, but went to my hut, which Mionvu had cleared for my use, and Bombay, Asmani, Mabruki, and Chowpereh were invited—­ to come to me for consultation.  Upon my asking them if we could not fight our way through Uhha, they became terror-stricken, and Bombay, in imploring accents, asked me to think well what I was about to do, because it was useless to enter on a war with the Wahha.  “Uhha is all a plain country; we cannot hide anywhere.  Every village will rise all about us, and how can forty-five men fight thousands of people?  They would kill us all in a few minutes, and how would you ever reach Ujiji if you died?  Think of it, my dear master, and do not throw your life away for a few rags of cloth.”

“Well, but, Bombay, this is robbery.  Shall we submit to be robbed?  Shall we give this fellow everything he asks?  He might as well ask me for all the cloth, and all my guns, without letting him see that we can fight.  I can kill Mionvu and his principal men myself, and you can slay all those howlers out there without much trouble.  If Mionvu and his principal were dead we should not be troubled much, and we could strike south to the Mala-garazi, and go west to Ujiji.”

 “No, no, dear master, don’t think of it for a moment.  If we went
 neat the Malagarazi we should come across Lokanda-Mira.”

 “Well, then, we will go north.”

 “Up that way Uhha extends far; and beyond Uhha are the Watuta.”

 “Well, then, say what we shall do.  We must do something; but we
 must not be robbed.”

 “Pay Mionvu what he asks, and let us go away from here.  This is
 the last place we shall have to pay.  And in four days we shall be
 in Ujiji.”

 “Did Mionvu tell you that this is the last time we would have to
 pay?”

 “He did, indeed.”

 “What do you say, Asmani ?  Shall we fight or pay?” Asmani’s
 face wore the usual smile, but he replied,

 “I am afraid we must pay.  This is positively the last time.”

 “And you, Chowpereh?”

 “Pay, bana; it is better to get along quietly in this country. 
 If we were strong enough they would pay us.  Ah, if we had only
 two hundred guns, how these Wahha would run!”