This was his story. That he and two other boys were out herding the
king's cattle about half a mile to the north of the town, when
suddenly there appeared a great number of men dressed in white robes,
all of whom were armed with guns. These men, of whom he thought there
must be three or four hundred, began to take the cattle and seeing the
three herds, fired on them, wounding him and killing his two
companions. He then ran for his life and brought the news. He added
that one of the men had called after him to tell the white people that
they had come to kill them and the Mazitu who were their friends and
to take away the white women.
"Hassan-ben-Mohammed and his slavers!" I said, as Babemba appeared at
the head of a number of soldiers, crying out:
"The slave-dealing Arabs are here, lord Macumazana. They have crept on
us through the mist. A herald of theirs has come to the north gate
demanding that we should give up you white people and your servants,
and with you a hundred young men and a hundred young women to be sold
as slaves.
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