reason why they are so much oppressed. The Wasuahili, taking
advantage of their timidity, flock here in numbers to live upon
the fruits of their labours. The merchants on the coast, too,
though prohibited by their Sultan from interfering with the
natural course of trade, send their hungry slaves, as touters, to
entice all approaching caravans to trade with their particular
ports, authorising the touters to pay such premiums as may be
necessary for the purpose. Where they came from we could not
ascertain; but during our residence, a large party of the
Wasuahili marched past, bound for the coast, with one hundred
head of cattle, fifty slaves in chains, and as many goats. Halts
always end disastrously in Africa, giving men time for mischief;-
-and here was an example of it. During the target-practice,
which was always instituted on such occasions to give confidence
to our men, the little pepper-box Rahan, my head valet,
challenged a comrade to a duel with carbines. Being stopped by
those around him, he vented his wrath in terrible oaths, and
swung about his arms, until his gun accidentally went off, and
blew his middle finger off.

Baraka next, with a kind of natural influence of affinity when a
row is commenced, made himself so offensive to Bombay, as to send
him running to me so agitated with excitement that I thought him
drunk. He seized my hands, cried, and implored me to turn him
off. What could this mean? I could not divine; neither could he
explain, further than that he had come to a determination that I
must send either him or Baraka to the right-about; and his first
idea was that he, and not Baraka, should be the victim. Baraka's
jealousy about his position had not struck me yet. I called them
both together and asked what quarrel they had, but could not