From all that my husband had seen of the treacherous character of the Wakikuyu, and the immense difficulties and dangers of penetrating the dense recesses of their forests with a wife and little children, and the porters all heavily laden, he was led to the conclusion that it would be well to leave me and our little ones at the fort, on the border of Kikuyu, while he himself would first pass through the dangerous country alone. He determined to leave with me the loads of barter goods, which had excited the desire of the natives, and take with him only one third of the men, bearing light loads of camp equipments, and the necessary beads and wire with which to buy food for the porters. With this small mobile force, he was to select a site for the Mission Station, in a crowded district, and then return for me and the children.
Therefore, instead of adopting the devious route, through the uninhabited stretch which had been suggested, we retraced our steps over hill and dell towards the fort, situated on the borderland of the close, dark forest.
We arrived there one bright moonlight night, about three hours after sundown, and had a warm welcome from Mr. Hall, who was anxious to know how we had fared in the interior. He had been greatly concerned about the safety of our lives, and, on hearing of the ambush, said that we evidently had a very narrow escape, for that the most of his men had been cut up by warriors in hiding, who massacred them on the track without a moment's warning. He evinced the hope that we would abandon our project of entering the country, as he was certain that our lives would be surely sacrificed, if we persisted in our endeavor to go into the interior, among those warlike natives.
My husband then put forward his proposal of leaving me and the children at the fort, and entering the heart of the country himself, with only about one third of the porters, lightly laden.
Mr. Hall was very much opposed to the idea of venturing with so few men, and said that even five hundred armed soldiers would not be safe one day, in the midst of the Kikuyu forest. He, however, assured us that, though the accommodation was very limited, he would do all he could to make me and the children as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.
In the center of the patch of ground, which was surrounded by the deep moat of the fort, there was a three roomed, grass-roofed cottage, occupied by the Commander of the stronghold. One room was for private supplies, the second a dining-room, and the third a bedroom. Mr. Hall once again put himself to the inconvenience of occupying the room used for storage, and generously left his bedroom for me and the children. We got four of our camp beds and a folding washstand into the small room, and, though cramped, were very comfortable. The children had a lively time, as the fort buildings were infested with rats, and the hours speedily glided by, while they hunted these animals, and often caught them with their hands.
My husband selected, from our caravan of one hundred and twenty porters, forty of the most sturdy and trustworthy, and had small loads of necessary goods packed in light weights, and so apportioned that at least one half of these men would always be free and unladen, except for the rifles and cartridge belts they carried for the protection of their own lives.
When all was ready for the start he commended me and the children to God, and asked His blessing upon the journey he was about to take, through the closed and secluded land of these poor natives, for whom Christ died.
My husband went away without any apparent fear, but it was not without some natural hesitancy and misgiving that I saw him leave the fort on his dangerous journey. Although I knew that our friend and host, the Commander of the fortress, had considerable doubts lest the dangerous enterprise might have a tragic end, yet my confidence in my husband's resourceful judgment, and, above all, an absolute trust in our loving Father's guidance, upheld and sustained me during the many days of great suspense which followed my husband's departure.
No wonder the Honorary Secretary of the Church Missionary Society wrote of him that "he was a resourceful man." Indomitable heroism, and unfeigned faith in his God and Savior have characterized his whole regenerated life. One thing, which always impressed me in his dealings with the natives, was his keenness of judgment and composed serenity under the most trying and momentous circumstances.
The small caravan, after leaving the Kikuyu fort, headed towards the Masai plains for a few miles; and then, entering the borderland of the forest, struck out in a somewhat northerly direction, through the Kikuyu country, crossing the many streams of the watershed on the southern base of Kenya. During the first few days, not many natives were seen, and the progress of the caravan was uneventful, except for a few exciting experiences with wild animals.
One day, when a belt of swampy ground had to be crossed, my husband sat down on a high mound of rank, matted trailing-grass, to take off his boots and put on some rubber footwear. He called out to one of his men to bring some cord, to use as shoe-laces. This was coming and, having cut it in two, the native dropped the knife just between my husband's feet. Then, thrusting his fingers into the tangled, intertwining vines of succulent grass, to recover the knife which he had dropped, he immediately jumped backward one or two yards, in a terrified condition, and exclaimed aloud in his own language, "Oh, Sir, you are sitting on a big snake!"
My husband instantly sprang to his feet, and, from the spot where he had been sitting, there shot forth a six-foot serpent, of the deadly Naja-haje species or African cobra. He called for a stick, but the men flew hither and thither with fright. However, the man who had first given the alarm came running with a stout sapling, and with this my husband broke the back of the reptile at the first stroke, and then dispatched it with a blow on the head.
This is the best known spitting serpent in Equatorial Africa, and is the most fierce and deadly of the poison bearing snakes. In its action, it is totally unlike the lazy, slow puff adder. It darts at its foe with incredible speed, and, when it cannot get near enough to strike its death-dealing fangs into its victim, it will spit poison to a distance of several yards. If this falls on the naked body of a native, a very painful swelling ensues, and, if the smallest speck enters the eye, it causes excruciating agony and even loss of sight.
As the little caravan journeyed forward, they had great difficulty in making their way across some of the deep, swollen fast-moving water and steep gorges, to avoid which they eventually struck out from the woods, unto the open, grassy plains, which extended eastward as far as the eye could reach.
There they came on some sad and painful scenes. Numerous small wattle huts, daubed with cattle excrements to render them rainproof, and surrounded by large fences of thorn trees, were scattered here and there over the well watered valley. These had been the dwelling places of a section of the great Masai tribe, and there, in those dells, they had pastured their sleek herds of fat, humped zebu.
Rinderpest (a disease) had, from time to time, produced great disaster with the cattle of these warlike herdsmen, while hunger had slain many of the warriors themselves, for when their cattle die they themselves pass away, their subsistence having disappeared. The same tale was to be repeated again. Every hut on those sunny plains was then empty. Here and there on the green grass, human skulls and dried up, half-eaten limbs were to be seen, mingled with those of their cattle, while spotted hyenas were then in full ownership, and these ghoul-like creatures prowled about in large numbers.
It was sad to think that this great tribe was so quickly being swept off the face of the earth. May it not be that their annihilation is a judgment of the Almighty, for their past deeds of terrible cruelty. What surrounding tribe have they not slaughtered?! What streams of blood have they not spilled! From the shores of Lake Nyanza to Lake Nyassa, and then to the Indian Ocean, their El Moran have carried murder, violence and plunder everywhere. Wherever their long, sharp blades have been seen, glimmering in the sunlight, a mighty terror has seized the people of the land.
On these plundering raids, their thirst for the destruction of human life has not been satisfied by laying the fathers and sons of their foes face down in the dust, steeped in the clotted stream of their own blood. They have entered the ravines and gullies where women and children have been in hiding, and, in the most brutal manner possible, have stabbed the youths on their keen blades before their mothers' eyes, and ripped up the defenseless women and maidens, in the recesses, where, in their speedy escape, they had huddled together for safety. When the Masai were in the zenith of their power, and engaged in a predatory incursion, ruthless massacre and mutilation were dealt to any caravan which met them on their violent pathway. In some cases safaris of several hundred, and even a thousand men, have been wiped out by these bloodthirsty inhabitants of the Eastern Equatorial Zone.
However, their most confirmed enemies will admit that they have many noble traits of character. They are men of splendid body type, and have a very intelligent mind. These warlike herdsmen, who for ages have not desired to eat the grains of cultivated ground, but whose only food has been milk and flesh, are having their proud spirits humbled. For centuries, they have looked down in contempt upon the grain-eating tribes around them, who, with pointed stick or beaten iron blade, have turned over a plot in the jungle and become tillers of the soil. After passing through that Masai golgotha of skulls and bones, and deserted huts, and rotting cattle fences, my husband and his followers directed their course in a north-westerly line, into the Kikuyu forest once again. Soon little clearings in the bush were visible at intervals, in which were planted several kinds of grain, yams and sweet potatoes. Natives were to be seen in considerable numbers, but, at the sight of the caravan, they generally slunk away and disappeared in the forest. On several occasions, the natives raised their war-cry in a clear, shrill voice, which rolled across the hills.
Nothing daunted, however, the small caravan still pushed its way ahead at a steady pace, although the porters fully expected that the natives who had raised the war-whoop would follow them up, and attack them in the rear.
One day, as they rounded the base of a conical elevation in the forest, where a distant view was not viable, and where the intervening mass of earth impeded the sounds of oncoming footsteps, a party of armed warriors, guarding about eighty to one hundred maidens, came rushing up, quite unexpectedly, against the porters. Until that minute neither party had been aware of the presence of the other. It would be difficult to say which were the more frightened and worried, the nude natives of the interior, or the loin-clad carriers from the Coast. The eyes of both almost popped from their sockets, as they were thus suddenly precipitated cheek by jowl. Rarely did warriors guard and protect a more valuable herd, for each young maiden was worth seven to ten cows.
The porters almost tumbled over the frightened women, who sought to scamper into the surrounding bush. My husband rendered the situation somewhat less absurd by calling out in a friendly manner the native salutation, to which the distracted warriors replied, "Kuhoro mwega."
These young women were being taken into the forest for loads of firewood, and were thus guarded by fullgrown, fighting men, lest, while cutting up the timber, they might be kipnapped by the Wakamba tribe, who are ever on the alert to gain a wife, without the trouble of having to pay for her in valuable cattle.
However intense may be the hate between the different tribes, and bitterly sharp it must be when intertribal war is continually being waged, yet many of the tribes are not at all opposed to having wives from other clans, and will adventure their lives in their endeavor to capture the maidens of surrounding tribes. Though these captives be the offspring of their chronic enemies, and speak a strange language, they are not in any sense reckoned as slaves by their captors, but are immediately installed into the position of wife, and treated on the same terms as the women of their own tribe. Rarely, if ever, do they attempt to escape and return to their own country, due to the fact that it would be exceedingly difficult to do so, on account of the many dangers which lurk on the way, and, in some measure, to that stoical indifference to their surroundings which is common to African tribes.
After the caravan had passed the bunch of maidens and their protecting warriors, they entered a region of very dense bush, where rushing streams and deep ravines frequently blocked their way. My husband was not surprised that the country had remained so long unpenetrated. Apart altogether from the ferocious and murderous nature of the human residents, which lived among its isolated forest retreats, there was the fact that the country was so deeply uneven, that traveling up and down its steep ridges was unimaginably difficult, while the abundant intertwining undergrowth was such, in the deep gorges, as to completely prohibit, at times, the progress of the porters. An ambush of warriors, in any part of that dense forest, would have no difficulty in annihilating a caravan.
In each depression, during and immediately following the rainy season, there flows a quick-running stream. These may be, at places, only two or three feet deep, but often in the low-lying stretches are five or six, and, though never very wide, are sometimes exceedingly difficult to ford. These torrents flow into the Thika and Sagana rivers, which become confluent, and are then known as the Tana.
My husband was greatly disappointed when he found that the latter river was in such flood as to render crossing an utter impossibility. An exceptionally heavy rainy season had just passed, and the towering Mount Kenya, which raised its spiral apex twenty thousand feet into the heavens, was, under the influence of the burning, equatorial sun, parting with a considerable portion of its snowy mantle. The natives, who were interviewed, stated that many weeks might elapse before a crossing could be made in safety.
Calmly accepting the inevitable as the will of God my husband turned in a westerly direction, through the heart of the country, with the hope that a favorable site for a Mission Station might be discovered in a crowded district.
One afternoon, having camped on the border of a region, where there was evidence of a crowded population, he sent a message to the chief through his interpreter, saying that he had come to the country to tell the people some good news, which God had revealed to man through His Son. Further, that if it would be agreeable to the chief to have a white man come and settle in his country to tell the people about this news, he would be glad to consider the matter of building in the district. The messenger was also to add that, if the chief accepted of his proposal, he was to come in person to the camp on the morrow, and have a talk with my husband on the matter; and that, in any case, whether he agreed to the suggestion or not, he would have a hearty welcome from the white man.
Inasmuch as the tents were pitched several hours' march from the village of the chief, it was fairly late that evening when the men returned with the news that the ''Sultani'' of the district would come to the camp in the morning.
The result of the message to the chieftain I shall give in my husband's own words: "When the following morning dawned, I had high expectations of an agreeable native talk with this big chief, Watito, which might, under God's blessing, bear effective and far-reaching results.
However, before breakfast was ready, two well oiled and painted warriors, whom we took to be the forerunners of the chief, appeared before the door of the tent. After the usual greeting, I called my interpreter to receive their message. They said they were sons of the chief Watito, and had been sent by him to ask if I wished him to bring his wives with him. The reply was given, 'Yes! certainly, if he himself desires to do so.' I asked them where the sun would be when he would come. Pointing to the zenith, the warriors indicated that the chief would arrive at noon.
Knowing something of the working of the native mind, I could not help being somewhat skeptical, seeing that the first promise was already broken: nevertheless, I hoped for the best.
Being greatly tired, after several days' marching over rough and difficult country, I was delighted with the prospect of a little rest in camp, and the tired and worn porters were also in much need of a halt to recover their energies. Towards noon, a few of the men were sent out of camp, to some nearby hills to scout, and report if there were any signs of an approaching group. In an hour they returned, saying that considerable numbers of natives were to be seen, but no appearance of any party of men drawing near to our camp.
I then called the interpreter, and told him that I wanted him and another man to go to the village of the chief, and ask him if anything had happened to prevent him fulfilling his promise to come to my camp; and kindly to let me know if I might still expect him.
The interpreter was a very faithful man, and I was rather surprised to hear him say that he could not go with less than ten men, carrying rifles and cartridge belts. Smiling at his request, I told him how necessary it was to impress upon these natives the fact that my men carried rifles only because they were obliged to do so for their own safety, in passing through lion-infested jungles; and that no mere show of force should be made before the chief on this occasion. I told him, however, to choose five men and go. Off they started, but not without a good deal of hesitation, for they were beginning to think that some plot was being planned against us.
The messengers returned that night with the further news that it was too far for the chief's wives to walk, and he would expect me to go and see him the next day, while several of his sons and other warriors would come to my camp and escort me to his village, and he himself would meet me on the way. The men added that they had seen great numbers of armed warriors on the different tracks through the forest, and that all the people knew that a real, live Mzungu (white man) was to enter their country on the morrow.
I was not very favorably impressed with the reply; nevertheless, I put down the quibbling and procrastination to native caution and prudence, and did not take these as foreboding any evil strategy. My men, however, were of a very different opinion, and I had somewhat of an anxious time, fearing they might desert rather than encounter the ordeal of the coming day.
In my own mind, I turned over all the statements and messages of the chief, and placed myself in his position, so that I might the better judge how he would look at things. It is very difficult for a European to get inside the skin of a native, and for a minute or two view affairs exactly from his standpoint. I have often tried to do so, but never found it easy to accomplish.
However, I looked at the matter this way. No white man had ever entered his country before. Why should he believe the word of this Mzungu, who said he had come with a message of 'good news'? What visitors had ever before come to him with any good or noble purpose? The Masai had trodden his valleys, but only to murder his young men, and plunder his cattle pens. The Wakamba, too, had often entered the outskirts of his forest, but with the resolute purpose of kidnapping his women and maidens, and taking them across the plain to the Ukamba hills.
Might it not enter his crude, untutored mind, that my purpose, in coming to his country, was to catch some of his dusky wives, and take them down to the great Ocean, out of which the Mzungu was supposed to emerge. Hence the query, thrown out as a feeler, 'Should he, in coming to my camp, bring his wives with him?' to which my answer had been given, 'Yes! certainly.' Perhaps if I had said, 'No! don't bring your wives,' he might have come to me. It may be that this accounted for his fitful promises, and that he subsequently thought it more careful to leave his wives and maidens under guard, and meet me, surrounded by his fighting men.
On the other hand, he might only be hatching his plans for the efficient slaughter of me and my party, and the capturing of whatever treasure might fall into his hands. However, I gave the chief the benefit of the doubt, and determined, God helping me, to see him on the following day.
Meantime, I sought to scatter the terror which had taken hold of my few native coast porters, but was not as successful in this as I should have wished. My three headmen were instructed to see that the fires were kept brightly burning during the night, and that no possible chance be given to any of the porters to flee.
In the unusual stillness of that lonely forest camp, where the silence of the dark night was only broken by the occasional shrill, shrieking cries of the numerous monkeys, which swarmed in the dense jungle, we were soon wrapped in unconscious rest, gathering new life and vigor to enable us to face the dreaded morrow.
As soon as the light of the returning sun brightened the eastern horizon, the men were ordered to cook and partake of some food before starting on the journey. This was not in accordance with their custom, as the Coast porters only eat at night; but inasmuch as the day was probably to be an eventful one, the unusual order was given, as a precaution against a possible emergency, not knowing what needs might arise, nor when they might have another opportunity of using their pots. When the sun had traveled a couple of hours above the horizon, the tents were taken down, loads packed, and everything made ready for the march.
Just as we were about to set out, there suddenly strode into the camp a band of ocher-daubed warriors, carrying huge shields and spears. The display presented by these athletic natives in their war paint rather disturbed the stability of my few Coastmen. Their countenance was stern and cold, and suspicion lurked in their quick-moving eyes. They had never before gazed upon a pale-faced specimen of humanity, and were evidently uncomfortable. However, I greeted them with the ordinary salutation in their language, and then, through my interpreter, passed some few, funny remarks, which seemed to make them feel somewhat more at home with me. I could then see that the harsh, rigid expression of their countenance became more relaxed, and less anxious and distrustful.
I asked the main body of the warriors to go in front, with my headman, to lead the carriers; and two sons of the chief, which had accompanied the band, were to stay with me in the rear. On we thus marched in single file, along the narrow winding track through the forest, until we came to more open country. Now through overgrown thickets, and then around some cultivated patches, we alternately wended our way. In the small gardens we had passed, there were neither women nor maidens working with pointed sticks to clear the ground which was overgrown with weeds. "This undoubtedly was a bad omen, and indeed, to our porters, a definite proof that treachery was at work, and that destruction lay ahead of us. It is well known that all Central African tribes send the women and children into hiding, when they have any slaughtering schemes on hand. My principal headman came to me several times, and said that all the men believed we were being led into a trap, and were afraid to go forward. I told him that, inasmuch as these people had never seen a white man before, it was only natural that they were afraid, or at least suspicious; and that was the reason we had seen no women or girls in the gardens. The carriers, however, were not satisfied with my explanation.
Still on we trudged, through scrubby bush and swamp, and short stretches of very dense forest. Now and again, when we had an open view, we got glimpses of small bands of armed natives, all of whom were evidently converging towards the place to which we ourselves were approaching. This fact unsettled our men all the more, and made me feel acutely the great responsibility of leading these followers into a district, where they might all be massacred in a few moments.
These forty Coastmen who accompanied me were not mere novices, ignorant of the ways of native tribes, but were carefully chosen out of our one hundred and twenty carriers, as men of considerable experience, who had made several journeys into other parts of the Dark Continent, and were thoroughly conversant with many of the customs, and at least some of the strategies, of cunning natives.
After crossing an extended swamp, which lay at the base of some conical wooded heights, we abruptly entered a somewhat lengthy defile between two drawn out and gently sloping hills. The sight which was then presented to the eye was one which I can never forget, and which struck my few carriers with blank amazement. The whole landscape, as far as the eye could reach, was swarming with armed natives, whose spears gleamed with unusual brightness in the blazing light of noonday. Never, in all my life, have I seen so many natives congregated together, nor such an immense array of spears. The scene was truly magnificent and one of awe-inspiring splendor. But, what did it all mean? To our men it foreboded certain death, from which there was no escape.
The headman, nervous and excited, came to me once again and said, ‘Bwana, tutakufa! Tutafanya nini?' (Sir, we shall die! What shall we do?) He told me that the men were ready to drop with fear. 'Well,' I said, 'you pass up the line of porters as they march along, and tell each man in a low tone to slip quietly into the breach of his rifle a cartridge, unknown to the warriors; but no man, under any provocation whatever, is to fire until he gets orders from me, for the firing of one rifle would undoubtedly mean the immediate death of the whole party.' I then passed along the file of porters myself, encouraging each one with a few helpful words.
By this time there appeared before us at about a mile distant, a huge, dense mass of human beings, on a dome-shaped hill, which rose up at the further end of the defile, through which we were then passing. In the clear, equatorial atmosphere, the surging concourse of wild humanity could be vibrantly seen. The moving spears in that vast assemblage flashed towards us the reflected rays of the tropical sun. My men immediately formed the opinion that we were now drawing near to the place where the treacherous natives would put an end to our lives.
I called a halt for a few moments, and asked our escort of painted warriors to point out the place where the chief was to meet me, and they replied, 'On the top of yonder hill.' With my powerful field glasses, I could discern a vacant place, on the apex of the round dome, where a man was sitting with a long stick in his hand. I asked them if that was the chief. They exclaimed, 'Yes!' and then, putting their open hand upon their mouth—a gesture expressing wonder and amazement—they looked at each other, shaking their heads. They were utterly astonished that, with the big 'eyes' I carried, I could discern their chief, and the scepter or rod of authority which he held in his hand.
For a moment or two my men seemed to lose their fear, and an expression of relief passed over their expression, when they saw that the warriors were amazed at my powers of vision. They thought that perhaps, after all, I might be able to thread my way into the hearts of these fierce and treacherous washenzi (natives), and that we might escape with our lives.
When, however, they cast a look behind them, every such outlook perished, and every hope died within their breast. The numerous warriors, who had studded the slopes of the defile through which we had come, now closed in behind us, forming one long, solid phalanx of bright, glistening blades.
We now pressed forward towards the nucleus of the vast assemblage and, as we did so, many and varied were the thoughts which passed through my mind. I could not help pondering of what Christ, in the days of His flesh, thought of which often met the multitude; moved with compassion for them, because they were like ‘sheep not having a shepherd.’ My memory carried me back to the word uttered two thousand years ago, 'Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,' and I thought of how guilty Christ's saints had been in obeying His last command. Then there arose before my mind a picture of what the future might hold, when those hills and dales, which were ablaze with the glittering spears naked natives resound with songs of redeeming love from the lips and hearts of regenerated men and women.
With such thoughts filling my mind, we approached the ascent of the hill, on which the chieftain waited my arrival. Here our escorting warriors made a passage through the dense mass of wild, unclad humanity, and I passed along behind them at the head of my Coast Porters.
When we got to the top of the hill, there stepped forward to meet me a tall, large-framed, lean and lanky man of about fifty years of age. His clean-cut features were somewhat comely, with sharp, elongated features high forehead, and most expressive eyes—in which there lurked considerable cunning. He had a powerful and commanding appearance, and was withal cold, retiring and reserved. As he drew near to me he kept spitting on my person, which was a mark of honor and distinction and expressive of goodwill. I shook hands with him, using the salutation of his tribe 'Kuhoro,' to which he duly replied 'Kuhoro mwega.’
The chief then sat down on his stool, which had been neatly cut out of the section of a tree trunk. One of my men unfolded my camp chair, and there we sat together and had a little talk through my interpreter. He gave me liberty to have my tent pitched wherever I chose. Before selecting a place to camp, I asked him where his village lay, but he did not seem inclined to reply, and only made a gesture indicating its direction; but, as far as the eye could scan, there was nothing but dense bush. So sheltered were the dwellings of these people in the thickets of the forest, that we had not seen a single hut or village on the march that day, although the hills were black with people.
Inasmuch as the height on which I met the chief was the most commanding position in the district, I asked for his permission to camp there. He immediately gave orders for all the people to clear away from the site I had chosen. The command was rung out in stentorian tones by one of the elders at his side, and the surging thronging mass of interested warriors fell back instantaneously, as if swayed by some mighty impulse. On that cleared space my tent was soon pitched.
I then entered into a long conversation with the chieftain, telling him fully of my purpose in coming to his country, to impart the glad news of the Gospel. I explained to him that God had made Himself known to man through the person of His Son, and how He had revealed the fact that God was our loving Father, who 'will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth,' ' not willing that any should perish.' I told him that this Son of God, by name 'Jesus,' bare our sins in His own body on a cross, and that all who truly believe in Him with their heart, and receive Him as their Savior are changed or born again and made new men in Him. Our conversation on this and kindred subjects occupied fully a couple of hours. He listened with intense interest, especially when I referred to the fact that 'He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.' Many were the questions he asked, which proved how intelligently he had followed the conversation.
He then said that inasmuch as I was the first white man he or his people had ever seen, and that we had met together as friends without any fighting, he would like to make blood brotherhood with me on the following day, if I were willing to do so; and expressed his readiness to help me in selecting a place on which to build. To this arrangement I gave my approval.
After giving orders to one of his sons to tell the warriors that they were all to go to their villages, he himself left for his own abode, which was said to be about half an hour's march distant. The Coast porters were then busily engaged in getting the camp ready for the night.
During the evening some natives came to my tent, bringing with them a large, fat-tailed sheep, as a present from the chief with a message of peace. Very soon night once again threw its mantle of darkness around the camp. The fires were brightly burning, at which my men were busy cooking their mutton and pulse.
The day had been a most trying and exhausting one. Never had I seen experienced Coastmen so overwhelmingly unnerved with terror. To them the entire march was a prolonged suspense, which was to be ended by their death in some hideous form. Before they had left the fort on the border of the country, they had heard the bare, bald facts of some awful incidents of cold-blooded murder and treacherous carnage, which the Wakikuyu natives had perpetrated. These carriers were now satiating their hunger on Kikuyu mutton, which had been presented by the very hands of those from whom they had expected ruthless slaughter.
In the quiet of the peaceful night, their tongues were loosened, and they freely discussed the scenes of the day with considerable animation. The successful entry into the heart of the country, and the fact that their lives had been preserved, they attributed solely to the courage and tact of the Bwana. I immediately corrected their minds on this subject, and assured them that God alone had guided the issues of the day, to which some of them replied, 'Kweli, Bwana! Muungu to!' (Truth, Sir! God alone!)
We had an evening meeting of thanksgiving for the providential care of our Heavenly Father, in which all alike joined. Guards were then appointed to take short watches until the morning, to prevent any possible surprise. Silence soon brooded over the little camp in the heart of the Kikuyu country, and the wearied and exhausted porters became oblivious to all the dangers of the day.
On the following morning an immense crowd had gathered around the camp, some few hours after sunrise; and when the sun was fairly high in the heavens, the multitude had increased to even greater proportions than the day before. Such an assemblage of spear-armed, ocher-daubed warriors was a wonderful spectacle to behold, and can never be effaced from the memory as long as life shall last.
My men had somewhat recovered from the shock of the previous day, but they kept continually saying, 'Why do they all come armed, bringing their spears with them?' I drew their attention to the fact that, unlike the previous day, there were vast numbers of women and maidens in the crowd immediately around us, and that this in itself was an evidence of peaceful confidence. The fact was simply this, that from far and near they had come to have a glimpse of the white-skinned monster of the sea.
Soon the chief made his appearance, with about fifty of his elderly advisers, and a passage was opened up for them through the multitude, until they reached my tent. Once more I had to submit to the usual spitting process, and was amazed at the moist quantity and power of the chief's salivary glands. We heartily exchanged salutations and grasped each other's hand; and, after some little time, the ceremony of making blood brotherhood was commenced.
Another large sheep was presented to me for the occasion. This was killed by one of my men, and a small portion of meat from the loin, and a piece of the liver and the heart were put on the camp fire to roast. While this was being done, the elders placed the chief and myself face to face, in close proximity. My headman and interpreter stood by my chair, while around the chief, who was seated on his stool, were several elders.
The man who had been set apart to officiate in the ceremony of the day, then brought from the fire the three roasted pieces of flesh and cut each in two. With a piece of sharpened iron, used for shaving the head, this adept of the blade made a small gash on my breast, from which the blood oozed freely. He then made a similar incision on the chest of the chief; and, as the red blood flowed down over his ebony skin, he took three small pieces of the different kinds of meat and, dipping them in the blood of the chief, he gave them to me to eat, while the other three pieces, which he smeared with my blood, were handed to the chief.
As we partook of the meat, for which I had little delight in, the announcement was made that the great Mzungu, who had come to their country with a good Message, and the chief Watito were now brothers. If the one ever approached the other with murderous intent, he was to fall in his own blood; and that if the people of the one attempted to kill those of the other, they themselves would not live to see another sunrise.
I then told the chief, in the presence of the great multitude which surrounded him, that there were two things I must do that day, and then on the morrow I would go back to the place where I had left my wife and children: I must see his village and select a site for our dwelling house.
He still seemed quite unwilling to show me his village, and this I resented. I determined that I would not come to build with a chief who was so silent concerning his abode. By that time, I knew the direction in which the village was situated, but I resolutely purposed teaching him the necessity of freedom of intercourse and mutual frankness. There would be no use in my coming to his district to build, unless I had a perfectly free entrance to all the villages to speak to the people.
However, he was anxious to agree to a portion of my request, and show me where he wished me to build. With a following of his elders and a few of my carriers, we proceeded to two places which he thought might please me. Neither of these seemed desirable from my point of view. One was too low down in the valley, and the other was a long distance from water. "In the early morning, before the concourse of people had gathered, I was engaged in taking an outline of the country, and had my own mind made up regarding a site, which seemed in every way suitable for our purpose. I told the chief about it, and pointed out to him the place where it lay, a considerable distance to the north of my camp. The site was that of a gently sloping hill, on the top of which stretched an extended plateau. Two hundred yards below the summit was a beautiful stream of clear, sparkling water, and on the further side was a forest, where an abundance of building timber and firewood could readily be obtained. I told the chief that the top of that eminence was the place where I should like to build.
He shook his head wistfully and, through my interpreter, said, 'No! You cannot build there. The country on the other side of that river belongs to another chief, and his men would surely kill you and your porters and take your goods. In any case it would be impossible for you to draw water from the stream, for your men would certainly have their heads chopped off, by the warriors who would lie in wait for them.' I ridiculed the idea, but he again shook his head, and drew his thin lips over his two white rows of prominent teeth, and then exclaimed, 'No! you cannot build there!'
'Well,' I said, 'I must have a fairly high position and good water near at hand, and, if possible, some long, thin timber for building purposes.' He then took me to a place about two miles away, which was fairly satisfactory so far as position and water were concerned, and where villages were said to be very numerous; but all were hidden away in dense thickets, and absolutely hidden from view. This site, however, was temporarily agreed upon, being in close nearness to the villages, where our work had to be done, and we without delay returned to the camp.
I could then see that a great many more women and girls were among the crowd, so that confidence was being established by degrees. With the permission of the chieftain, I addressed the vast gathering within reach of the human voice, through my interpreter, explaining to them the purpose that brought me to their country. Then, turning to the chief, I said, 'Now, I have got to see your village.'
He replied, 'What do you want to see in my village?' I said, 'At your special desire I consented to make blood brotherhood with you, and now, is it not natural that a brother should want to know where his big brother lives?'
He smiled and said, 'No man outside my own tribe has ever entered my village.' 'Well,' I said, 'I want not only to enter your village, but I want to see the hut in which you sleep, the bed on which you lie, and the firestones by which you sit."
He then gave instructions to some warriors, who went off at a trot in the direction of his village. Meantime my Kikuyu interpreter told me quietly, in Swahili, that it was very dangerous to go to the chief's village, for that the Wakikuyu often enticed people into their villages and immediately killed them. He further said that, if I must go, I should take with me all my men with their rifles.
To my mind, any exhibition of arms at that juncture would have shown a want of confidence, so I determined to take only two men with me, one of whom was to carry my repeating rifle, while I myself would take nothing whatever in my hand. I had always carried a powerful six-chambered revolver in my belt, fully loaded, but this was covered by my jacket and did not appear.
The chief being ready said he would go with me to his village and, taking my two men, we started off with him. A number of his armed warriors took the lead, and on we marched for some distance, till we came to an immense thicket of entangled, intertwining and dense growth in the forest. Here we turned, first to the left, and then again sharply to the right, in single file along a narrow track. On either side was a wall of thick, bushy jungle. We then came to an entrance, where there was a narrow gateway, formed of heavy, flat logs of wood suspended from a transverse bar. On entering this gate, the path continued under an archway of thorny bush, so low that it was necessary to pass along in a stooping posture. We came then to another gate, similar to the first, and here we entered a wider path allowing three men to stand abreast. On each side of this passage, there stood a row of stalwart, athletic warriors, painted from head to foot with castor oil and red clay, with six-foot spears in their hands.
I then thought of what my interpreter had told me in camp but half an hour ago, and of all I had heard of the treacherous dealings of these natives; and for the first time I had some serious doubts. I thought to myself, if foul play is intended when we get into the village, then to escape by this passage would be an utter impossibility. For a moment I took a glance behind me, to see if the man who carried my rifle was really there, but his wild, rolling eyes and anxious countenance betrayed the fear and dread which had already seized his heart.
After passing through the two files of spear-armed men, we then entered a large, circular, open space, around which were studded numerous grass huts of the ordinary beehive pattern. In the center of the village some women were preparing grain for the evening meal, and dusky, bright-eyed children were playing about, as naked as the day they were born. At the gruesome sight of my pale face and clothed form, the women dropped their work and the little children left their play, and rushed into the huts as lithesome as children anywhere. Their chieftain called them back, saying that I was a "Muzungu mwega " (good white man), but it was of no use, and they remained a large time under cover.
He then pointed out to me his own hut, into which I crawled through a little opening about two feet high. In passing out of the bright sunlight into the dark grass hut, it was impossible to see anything at first. After a time, however, when the pupils of the eyes became dilated, I could discern my surroundings.
There on the right, as I entered that one-roomed hut, was the place where the chief went to rest. His bedding consisted of a well-worn ox skin, from which the hair had been removed. In the center of the hut, and near to the base of the forked stick which supported the wattle-and-grass roof, were three firestones, on which was poised an earthen pot. In the ashes some embers were still smoking and smoldering, while close to the firestones was a little round stool of about six inches high and nine in diameter. How often, after the sun had gone down in the west, had not the great chief sat by that hearth, upon that small rude seat, meditating on the pros and cons of human existence, and developing his plans and strategies about the slaughter of his tribal foes, or avenging their incursions upon his people.
On one side, leaning against the smoky, grimy roof, there stood three bright, well-polished spears, the only items in that royal hut which gave evidence of having received attentive care. Thrust into the grass thatch was a strong bow, on which hung a quiver of poisoned arrows, and a rude stringed instrument. These, together with a few gourd shells, formed the furnishings of the dwelling-house of the chief Watito. It is amazing with what lack of earthly possessions a human being can pass contentedly through this ordinary sphere.
When I came out into the sunshine, he asked me to go into some of the other huts, but as the sun was getting low in the heavens I respectfully declined. The women had by that time gained confidence, and crept out of their dens to have a peep at the stranger, while a few of the little ones had so far recovered as to allow me to stroke their curly heads. Leaving the village, we passed again through the double line of armed warriors, and along the narrow arched track through which we had come, and made our way back to the camp.
After thanking the chief for his kind attention to me, I gave him a handsome colored cloth as a parting gift, and begged of him to remember the message I had given him of the pardoning love of God in Christ Jesus. I then told him that I would start in the morning, and go back to my wife and children and talk the matter over, and, if we considered everything acceptable, I would return to his country and build beside him. He sat thoughtfully for some time on his low stool and then, looking up at my interpreter, he said, 'Tell the Muzungu that if he goes away from me now I shall never see him again.'
He informed me, however, that he would send his eldest son with me so that, if I chanced to return to his country, he could lead the way. I thanked the chief for trusting his son to me, and said that, if the young man would come to my camp the next morning by daybreak, I would take good care of him on the march, and that I hoped we should both come back together in the course of ten or twelve days. We shook hands, looked into each other's face with, I think, a mutual expression of sincere friendship, and parted company. The prophecy of the chieftain was literally fufilled, for the Muzungu never saw the great Watito again!"