At last after the long trek from the coast, the caravan reached the wooded highlands. The desert just after leaving the coast had been very trying. They had lost two porters to the combination of heat and parching thirst. Even after that they had to battle with the plains, not much better in terms of the scarcity of water than the desert. Although they were shielded from the brutal sunshine, they now had to contend with steep paths, overhanging branches and the ever-present threat of attack by wild animals or irate tribesmen. They had just left the town of Ngongo Bagas behind, on a northerly bearing into the woods and Kikuyu country. This tribe was reputed to be very welcoming to visitors. One of their forms of welcome was offering women to visiting men for a few nights. Lord Lugard pushed his caravan all the harder in order to reach the domains of Chief Waiyaki wa Hinga, where he hoped to spend a week or so before heading northwest to Uganda where his main mission was.
As the caravan was negotiating their way down a steep path, they were constantly slipping, making it a battle not to tumble to the ground. Lugard ordered that the space between the porters should be at least three paces in case of an accident; the one who had fallen would not cause the ones in front to do the same, possibly destroying the precious items in their burdens. But it was here that they came under attack by tribesmen. Spears whistled through the foliage and struck down a guide and a porter. Barely a few minutes later the thieves, for that is only what they could be, were escaping through the thickness of the forest with some of the 'trade goods' that Lugard needed to bribe tribal chiefs (the so-called hongo) through whose kingdoms they would pass.
Thus Lugard knew he would need to be much more persuasive with the tribes he encountered in the west of Kikuyu country. It was in this pensive mood that they came to the top of a steep rise, all of them short of breath from the effort. A band of warriors suddenly appeared in front of them demanding to be told who they were. Lugard, in his most authoritative tone said he was a visitor of Chief Waiyaki. He hoped that his tone carried through the interpreter. They were told to follow the leader of the band, whose members surrounded the small caravan, until they came a piece of flat land in a clearing where they were told to wait. Lugard called the leader of the porters, the interpreter and his own second in command to the shade of a tree a little distance from the main party. He made it plain that now that they had fewer 'trade goods' negotiations with Waiyaki and any others they encountered after that would be very delicate.
After a short interval, a messenger was sent to tell them to approach the chief's compound. From the clearing Lugard could see a large hut surrounded by a number of smaller ones; he surmised that that was the chief's palace. Indeed as he was led down the slope and up the other side he felt certain that they were headed in that direction. He was led through the gap in the fence surrounding the compound, which was cleanly swept. He saw a heavy-set man in flowing dress sitting on a high stool surrounded by a party of others sitting on the ground. He could tell, even though he was not familiar with the mode of dress, that there was one woman or at most two, who were seated directly behind the chief.
Lugard stopped ten paces from the chief, who was shielded from the harsh sun by a grass thatch held up by slender poles.
"Greetings stranger!" hailed Waiyaki.
"Greetings, O chief!"
"What news do you bring from those far-off lands?" The interpreter had told Lugard that a man like Waiyaki had likely never been more than an hour's walk from his compound ever since he had become chief. As a young man, like the warriors who had met his party, or the thieves who had attacked them, he may have gone into Masai country on a cattle raid, or made forays into a neighbouring clan's territory but a grown man does not as a rule venture far from his home. He had been briefed that this form of greeting was the cue for them to bring out the gifts they had brought for Waiyaki.
Lugard snapped his fingers for the head of porters to bring out rolls of cloth, beads and wire to string the beads into necklaces making a small heap between himself and the chief's party. An experienced porter also knew that he did not bring everything at once, since the Chiefs could turn out to be more greedy than one expected. So a little more 'hongo' would be brought out. Which turned out to run according to the script.
