29th July.—Halt. Coarse, rainy morning and afternoon.
This month, when no rain is falling at 5° south
lat., we have had several heavy showers; rain seems
to fall here every month in the year, which accounts
for the continuity of crop. A dozen armed Wanyoro,
with capped spears, pay us a visit, their chief bringing
me two bunches of plantain as a present. They get
some beef and beads, and say that Speke will never
be allowed to proceed by the water-route he is trying.
He will have to return and approach by the regular
beaten track on which I had travelled. On my
appealing for aid to Budja, he says it is impossible to
communicate this information to Speke; he will find
it out himself, and there is no fear of him.
My valet, whom I considered honest, I found helping
a brother Seedee to some m’wengd On reprimanding
through an interpreter, he begged pardon
for the offence, while lolling on his bed with a quid of
tobacco in his mouth. These Seedees are not to be
trusted unless the most rigorous discipline is enforced.
Two of my men start with their guns, carrying
beef and cowries with which to purchase plantain or
potato from the villagers. They meet a party of
Waganda there, who say to them, “You fools ! what
do you mean by paying for food, when you can get
it like us for nothing?” The custom was for the
Waganda to go to the Wanyoro and make a polite
request for provisions, which were generally given
free.A
n infectious disease has broken out amongst the
cattle. One of them has the roof of its mouth so
affected that it cannot eat. Its tongue has become
discoloured, and there is an appearance of irritation
between the hoofs. This does not prevent the men
from wishing to eat it before it should become worse.
30 ¿A—Halt. Rain during the night. We are
haunted by three different coloured vultures. The
first is the ragged-looking, wedge-headed vulture of
Uganda notoriety, the “m’ssega,” easily caught in a
trap by a bent bough and two nooses. His plumage
is a dull sepia colour. The whole neck is red and
bare, with a ruff of white feathers circling the root
of the neck. The second, probably the female, is a
much bolder bird, larger, and of a dun colour, with
a bare, dark grey, or black neck, called “ m’foongoo ”
by the Seedees. The third was a very shy bird,
quite as large as, and plumper than the last, and
much handsomer than either. His plumage was jet-
black, with the rump, thigh feathers, and rear half of
the wings snowy white.
The hut I am in is full of small lizards about six
inches long. In fighting, two chased each other round
and round, with intervals, in a small circle, keeping
their tails everted, for fear of being bitten off. The
largest got hold of the other’s foot, held it most
viciously, while the other, struggling, made its escape.
They live by stalking up to. flies, and suddenly
pouncing on them. At night they have the power,
like flies, of sleeping while on the ceiling of the hut.
After rain, when small red centipedes were on the
ground, I have seen these little animals make a rush
at the insect, shake it as a dog would a rat, leave it
there, and run back to the hut. On examining the
insect, which remained motionless, its head was found
to have been eaten off.
31s£.—Halt. I was roused out of a fast sleep by