the hut, when his wife produced a scroll of plantain-
leaf, in which was a black paste. This was moistened
from the mouth and rubbed into the bleed in g cuts, O 3
making them smart; afterwards a small piece of lava
was dangled against my leg and tied as a charm
round the ankle. Two days afterwards he found no
improvement, and, having repeated some mystic words
behind me, another charm of wood and goat’s flesh
was tied above the knee and round the ankle, much
in the same way as a kind lady-friend in Scotland
once sent me a string of soda-water corks to be worn
at night as a cure for cramp ! Paste, very like gunpowder,
was rubbed into fresh cuts, and this was repeated
without any result, although the charms had
been on for two days. M’nanagee, seeing his medical
adviser had failed, sent an herb to soak in water
and rub over the part; it had a very soothing effect,
but did not allay the pain. He had seen me apply
the leaves of the castor-oil plant as a hot bandage,
and forbade their use a second time as being injurious,
having given me a delirious fever, and causing a
counter-action of profuse discharge of water from the
limb. By the fifth month the complaint had exhausted
itself; at last I was able to be out of the hut
inhaling the sweet air, and once more permitted to
behold the works of God’s creation in the beautiful
lake and hills below me. Never did I experience a
happier moment! During this illness, the family at
the palace were very kind in coming to sit by me;
the young sons brought me plants in flower, birds’
nests, eggs, or other things which they thought might
interest me; while I sketched for them or their father,
and sent a servant to get the news, and ask for the
king every morning.. Since Speke had left, there was
considerable difficulty in getting supplies, and the
sultan was not so kind in this respect as he might
have been; but, African like, he had received his
presents, and until more were given him he withheld
sending goat, fowls, or other necessaries, which my
men had to hunt the country for. One poor fellow
lost his life in doing so. Two were together; the
natives set upon them while bringing home loads of
grain; they shot one with arrows, the other ran for
Ids life, and slept all night up a tree, afraid to go near
a village. On asking him, “ Did you sleep Vh “ 0
yes, I tied myself with rope to the boughs, and slept
several hours.” The sultan sought for redress from
the village, but all the people had decamped in fear.
Several other natives paid me almost daily calls—officers,
barbers, ivory-traders, musicians, &c., in whom a
good deal of character could be observed. At night
my few men would gather round their fire, and, particularly
after having an extra allowance of plantain-
wine, sing a ditty about my health. Frij on the
single-stringed zeze or guitar would commence—“ I
am Frij, I am Frij; my brother Grin (meaning Grant),
my brother Grin, is very sick, is very sick; we’ll get a
cow, we’ll get a cow, when he gets well, when he gets
well,” to which the others would all subscribe in a
louder voice, “ Ameen,” with the most perfect solemnity.
My couch or bed, the height of a table, was formed
of the trunks of plantain-trees covered with grass and
blankets. This was roofed over with a low grass hut,
having its gable end wide open to the south, where no
wind blew from at that season. Much to the surprise of
the natives, there was no fence round our encampment.