was desirous of giving was out grazing, and could not
be caught until the evening, when all the cattle are
driven in together. Further, she could not afford to
lose so interesting a personage as her guest, and volunteered
to give me a shakedown for the night. I begged
she would consider my position—the absolute necessity
for my hurrying—and not insist on my acceptance
of the bullock, or be offended by my refusing
her kind offer to remain there, but permit our immediate
departure. She replied that the word had gone
forth, so the animal must be given; and if I still persisted
in going, at any rate three porters could remain
behind, and drive it on afterwards. To this I reluctantly
consented, and only on the Kirangozi’s promise
to march the following morning. Then, with the
usual farewell salutation, “ Kuahere, Mzungu,” from
my pertinacious hostess, I was not sorry to retrace my
steps, a good five hours’ walk. We re-entered camp
at 7.20 p .m., which is long after dark in regions so
near to the equator. All palaces here are like all
the common villages beyond Unyamuezi proper, and
are usually constructed on the same principle as this
one They consist of a number of mushroom-shaped
grass huts, surrounded by a tall slender palisading,
and having streets or passages of the same wooden
construction, some winding, some straight, and others
crosswise, with outlets at certain distances leading into
the different courts, each court usually containing five
or six huts partitioned off with poles as the streets are.
These courts serve for dividing the different families,
uncles and cousins occupying some, whilst slaves and
their relatives live in others. Besides this they have
their cattle-yards. If the site of the village be on
moist or soft ground, it is usual, in addition to the
palisading, to have it further fortified by a moat or
evergreen fence.
15 £^.—We left Unyambdwa at 7 A.M., and reached
a village in the Ibanda district, having marched seven
miles over flat ground, growing fine crops in some
places, with the remainder covered by the usual slender
forest-trees. The road was very good and regular.
In the afternoon the three porters arrived with the
sultana’s bullock, and were attended by her nephew
and managing man, and by some of her slaves as
drivers. The nephew asked first for more presents
in her name; as this was refused, he requested
something for the drivers. I gave them a cloth, and
he then pleaded for himself, as he had sacrificed so
much time and trouble for me. I satisfied him with
one fundo of beads (a bunch of beads sufficient to form
ten khetes or necklaces), and we parted : a full khete
is a string of beads double the length of the fore-arm,
or sufficiently long to encircle the neck twice. The
Beluches, finding that nothing but the coarsest grains
were obtainable with the white beads they had received,
petitioned for and obtained a shukka, but
under the proviso of their always assisting me to urge
on the lazy porters. This they not only agreed to do,
but also declared themselves willing to execute any
orders I might give them : they looked upon me as