cially when they recognised any of the animals, than the
subject was turned by my inquiring what they did with
so many milk-pots. This was easily explained by Waze-
zerix himself, who, pointing to his wife, said, “ This is all
the product of those pots : from early youth upwards we
keep those pots to their mouths, as it is the fashion at
court to have very fat wives.”
27th.—Ever anxious to push on with the journey, as I
felt every day’s delay only tended to diminish my means
—that is, my heads and copper wire—I instructed Bombay
to take the under-mentioned articles to Rtimanika as
a small sample of the products of my country ;* to say I
felt quite ashamed of their being so few and so poor, but
I hoped he would forgive my shortcomings, as he knew
I had been so often robbed on the way to him; and I
trusted, in recollection of Musa, he would give me leave
to go on to Uganda, for every day’s delay was consuming
my supplies. Nnanaji, however, it was said, should get
something; so, in addition to the king’s present, I apportioned
one out for him, and Bombay took both up to the
palace.t Everybody, I was pleased to hear, was surprised
with both the quantity and quality of what I had been
able to find for them; for, after the plundering in Ugogo,
the immense consumption caused by such long delays on
the road, the fearful prices I had had to pay for my porters’
wages, the enormous taxes I had been forced to give
both in Msfl.1a.la and Uzinza, besides the constant thiev-
ings in camp, all of which was made public by the constantly
recurring tales of my men, nobody thought I had
got anything left.
* Eumanika’s present.—One block-tin box, one Raglan coat, five yards
scarlet broadcloth, two coils copper wire, a hundred large blue egg-beads,
five bundles best variegated beads, three bundles minute beads—pink, blue,
and white.
t Nnanajis present.—One deoli or gold-embroidered silk, two coils copper
wire, fifty large blue egg-beads, five bundles best variegated beads, three
bundles minute beads—pink, blue, and whiter
Rtimanika, above all, was as delighted as if he had
come in for a fortune, and sent to say the Raglan coat
was a marvel, and the scarlet broadcloth the finest thing
he had ever seen. Nobody but Musa had ever given him
such beautiful beads before, and none ever gave with such
free liberality. Whatever I wanted I should have in
return for it, as it was evident to him I had really done
him a great honour in visiting him. Neither his father
nor any of his forefathers had had such a great favour
shown them. He was alarmed, he confessed, when he
heard we were coming to visit him, thinking we might
prove some fearful monsters that were not quite human,
but now he was delighted beyond all measure with what
he saw of us. A messenger should be sent at once to the
king of Uganda to inform him of our intention to visit
him, with his own favourable report of us. This was
necessary according to the etiquette of the country. Without
such a recommendation our progress would be stopped
by the people, whilst with one word from him all would
go straight; for was he not the gatekeeper, enjoying the
full confidence of Uganda ? A month, however, must
elapse, as the distance to the palace of Uganda was great;
but, in the mean time, he would give me leave to go about
in his country to do and see what I liked,-Nnanaji and
his sons escorting me everywhere. Moreover, when the
time came for my going on to Uganda, if I had not
enough presents to give the king, he would fill up the
complement from his own stores, and either go with me
himself, or send Nnanaji to conduct me as far as the
boundary of Uganda, in order that Rogero might not
molest us on the way. In the evening, Masiidi, with
Sangoro and several other merchants, came up from Kufro
to pay us a visit of respect.
28th and 29th.—A gentle hint having come to us that
the king’s brother, Wazezeru, expected a trifle in virtue
of his rank, I sent him a blanket and seventy-five blue