familiarity with Arab customs — I requested him to bring food for sale, which he did, but asked so high a price for it that we bought very little. It was, however, a mistake to offer to buy food, the Arab custom being to supply travellers with it gratis. For two days after this Nyan Gongo showed no signs of life, at the end of which time, our supplies being completely exhausted, I sent a native to him, requesting an interview.

He responded by swaggering into my camp at the head of his harem and a large following of his people, preceded by a band composed of girls singing and men beating tum-tums, and with several hundred armed men. He insolently demanded what present I had for him. I temporised by asking what he supposed we were going to feed on if he had brought us no food, to which he replied that he could not