27th. The Journal of the last two days may perhaps
possess some interest to the reader, as it introduces
him to Ukulima, the sultan, in whose place I was detained
one hundred and nine days. I t is as follows
“ 2 6 th May.—Speke keeps the larder well filled.
Last night, three guinea-fowl and a large tree-goose.
I went early amongst the Watusi; handsome people,
beautiful rounded small heads, prominent large eyes,
thin noses, rather compressed upper jaws; all so clean
and trim; no resemblance to the dirty Wezee, who are
coarse and mannerless in comparison. They make their
own baskets of osier-like twigs, with a sharpened
spear, and work with their feet very neatly. They
got a cow down by pulling its hind-legs to a post,
and then carefully washed its eye, which had been
injured. The blacksmith was working amongst them
making wire anklets from long rods of iron; bellows
very small, of wood, with cane handles, which a man
worked up and down. The hammer was a massive
mason’s chisel: they worked squatting. A whole
family were very curious to hear the tick of my
watch. The fighting Watuta had one open-field
combat with the Watusi, and obtained a victory over
them; both are afraid of each other. I see that the
slaves of the Wezees are very well dressed, and
treated with great kindness, never doing but what they
choose: quite different from slaves at Zanzibar, where,
as Bombay tells me, they would be made to work all
day, and, by some, be made to steal all night. The
orthodox custom at Zanzibar is five days’ labour for
master, and two days’ for the slave* himself. Behan
(the new cook) came to say ‘ there was no grease to
roast with.’ ‘ What are you to roast ? ’ He pointed
to his breast. ‘You ought not to roast a brisket.’
He brought a tongue, hump, and double brisket,
smelling, all of which had been boiled yesterday,
and now he wanted to roast the brisket already
done.
“ 2 7th.—Bombay and I march with 38 porters to
make a start of it to Nunda, in Ukuni, and to see
Sultan Ukulima. Distance was eight miles through a
very pretty country, with rocks jutting out fantastically,
and lying now and then one on another; cultivation
all the way. Sighted the village when within
a mile of i t ; quantities of spring water coming down
from a rocky height to our right. After we had entered
the first milk-bush enclosure, there were several
cleanly-swept windings. Village nearly empty. A
heavy old man sitting on a stool with half-a-dozen men
round him, induced me to say ‘ Yambo;’ he returned it,
and I went looking for a house. Came to the palace,
a very high round hut, smelling strongly of goats and
cattle. I asked permission to live here, and the old
man, who proved to be the sultan, said, ‘Doogoh
yango’—‘Come along, my brother.’ Sweeping out
the verandah of goat-dung, my bed was soon made.
The sultana, a fat, fair, gentle old lady, welcomed me
with both hands as if I had been her son. She was
so surprised at the bedding as she sat upon it, and
everything she saw, saying ‘ Eeh, eeh ! ’ and nodding
her head: indeed, all were surprised. Bombay got
some pombd; the drunken old sultan himself carried
a basket-cup of i t He drank first (through a straw),
and then I had some, and very good it was. Then he
drank again, and I drank again, laughing heartily.
People in hundreds came. I went to sleep, though