May 29, 1869.
East Africa, Dar es Salaam Port.
"Attention! All units, dress ranks!"
The Dar es Salaam garrison had rarely assembled at the docks like this. Such a sight was seldom seen in Dar es Salaam.
Inside a beer hall.
"Miller, what are they doing? It's rare for the army to show up at the docks in full formation. Usually, only a few men are assigned to maintain public order," Schultz asked.
"I don't know the specifics either. My guess is that some important person is coming to East Africa, so they're here to welcome them!" Miller said.
"Those four large ships out at sea, right? I was wondering why no immigrants came ashore from the ships today. I even checked their flags to make sure—they really are our East African vessels, not those passing ships," Schultz said.
Passing ships were vessels that temporarily stopped at Dar es Salaam Port to rest and resupply, usually merchant ships from various countries replenishing fresh water and provisions at East African ports.
"That was my first thought too. A section of the docks was temporarily cleared and cordoned off from those four ships. One look was enough to tell that there was either something extraordinary or some important figure aboard. And just now, I saw many big shots from the city government arriving one after another, all dressed to the nines. With such a grand display, I concluded they were here to receive someone," Miller said.
When important equipment or facilities were brought ashore in East Africa, they were sometimes treated with importance as well, but never to the extent of clearing such a vast section of the docks and making such a huge fuss. Soldiers might occasionally come to escort them, but at most there would only be ten or twenty