Bonchamps, who had written about the disgust of seeing how Msiri had put heads of his enemies on poles outside his boma, admitted this was barbaric, but claimed it was a necessary lesson aimed at those who had attacked the expedition 'without provocation'.
Bonchamps, who had noted his repugnance at observing how Msiri had exhibited the skulls of his enemies on poles outside his settlement, acknowledged that this was brutal, yet posited that it was an essential warning aimed at deterring those who had attacked the expedition 'without provocation'.