Calling Kali to him, he asked:
“Did you order the sorcerers to go with us?”
“Kali told them to, for Kali is clever.”
“Therefore I again ask you, why did your cleverness not leave them at home?”
“If M’Kunji and M’Pua had remained, they would have stirred up the Wa-himas so that they would have killed Kali on his return, and if they go along with us Kali will look out for them and put a guard on them.”
Stasch considered a while and said:
“Perhaps you are right; but be on the alert day and night, for there is mischief in their eyes.”
“Kali has bamboos,” answered the young negro.
The caravan now set forth. At the last moment Stasch ordered that the guards equipped with Remington rifles should close the procession, for they were selected and trusted men. During the gun practising they had in a way become fond of their young leader, and because they guarded his illustrious person they felt themselves more favored than the others. They now had to guard the entire caravan and to capture those who attempted to run away. It was evident that as soon as danger or fatigue came there would be plenty of deserters.
On the first day, however, everything was peaceful as could be. The negroes with the burdens on their heads, each armed with a spear and several smaller darts, wound through the jungle in one long line. For a while they advanced over a flat tract on the southern border of the lake, but as high mountain summits enclosed the lake on all sides, they found on turning toward the east that it was necessary to climb over the hills. The old Samburus, who knew this country, declared that the caravan would have to cross narrow passes which lay between the mountains Kulall and Imo, and that until they reached the other side they would not come to the flat land south of Bovani. Stasch knew that they could not march directly eastward, for he remembered that Mombasa lay several degrees the other side of the equator, and therefore a considerable distance south of this unknown lake. But as he still possessed several of Linde’s compasses he was not afraid of losing his way.