So swift was the flow of the Makata, and so much did its unsteady bridge, half buried in the water, imperil the safety of the property, that its transfer from bank to bank occupied fully five hours.  No sooner had we landed every article on the other side, undamaged by the water, than the rain poured down in torrents that drenched them all, as if they had been dragged through the river.  To proceed through the swamp which an hour’s rain had formed was utterly out of the question.  We were accordingly compelled to camp in a place where every hour furnished its quota of annoyance.  One of the Wangwana soldiers engaged at Bagamoyo, named Kingaru, improved an opportunity to desert with another Mgwana’s kit.  My two detectives, Uledi (Grant’s valet), and Sarmean, were immediately despatched in pursuit, both being armed with American breech-loaders.  They went about their task with an adroitness and celerity which augured well for their success.  In an hour they returned with the runaway, having found him hidden in the house of a Mseguhha chief called Kigondo, who lived about a mile from the eastern bank of the river, and who had accompanied Uledi and Sarmean to receive his reward, and render an account of the incident.

Kigondo said, when he had been seated, “I saw this man carrying a bundle, and running hard, by which I knew that he was deserting you.  We (my wife and 1) were sitting in our little watch-hut, watching our corn; and, as the road runs close by, this man was obliged to come close to us.  We called to him when he was near, saying, `Master, where are you going so fast?  Are you deserting the Musungu, for we know you belong to him, since you bought from us yesterday two doti worth of meat?’ ‘Yes,’ said he, ’I am running away; I want to get to Simbamwenni.  If you will take me there, I will give you a doti.’  We said to him then, `Come into our house, and we will talk it over quietly.  When he was in our house in an inner room, we locked him up, and went out again to the watch; but leaving word with the women to look out for him.  We knew that, if you wanted him, you would send askari (soldiers) after him.  We had but lit our pipes when we saw two men armed with short guns, and having no loads, coming along the road, looking now and then on the ground, as if they were looking at footmarks.  We knew them to be the men we were expecting; so we hailed them, and said, `Masters, what are ye looking for?’ \ They said, ’We are looking for a man who has deserted our master.  Here are his footsteps.  If you have been long in your hut you must have seen him, Can you tell us where he is?’ We said, ’yes; he is in our house.  If you will come with us, we will give him up to you; but your master must give us something for catching him.’”

As Kigondo had promised to deliver Kingaru up, there remained nothing further to do for Uledi and Sarmean but to take charge of their prisoner, and bring him and his captors to my camp on the western bank of the Makata.  Kingaru received two dozen lashes, and was chained; his captor a doti, besides five khete of red coral beads for his wife.