■women, called by some Wichwdzi, by others Mabandwa,
all -wearing the most fantastic dresses of mbiigii, covered
-with beads, shells, and sticks, danced before us, singing a
comic song, the chorus of which was a long shrill rolling
Coo-roo-coo-roo, coo-roo-coo-roo, delivered as they came to
a standstill. Their true functions were just as obscure as
the religion of the negroes generally; some called them
devil-drivers, others evil-eye averters; but, whatever it
was for, they imposed a tax on the people, whose minds
being governed by a necessity for making some self-sacrifice
to propitiate something, they could not tell what, for
their welfare in the world, they always gave them a trifle
in the same way as the East Indians do their fakirs.
After crossing another low swampy flat, we reached a
To Kistt€r<s, much larger group, or rather ramification, of
2oth. hill-spurs pointing to the N’yanza, called
Kisuere, and commanded by M’yombo, Rumanika’s
frontier officer. Immediately behind this, to the northward,
commenced the kingdom of Unyoro; and here it
was, they said, Baraka would branch off my line on his
way to Kamrasi. Matda’s home was one march distant
from this, so the scoundrel now left me to enjoy himself
there, giving as his pretext for doing so, that Mtesa required
him, as soon as I arrived here, to send on a
messenger that order might be taken for my proper protection
on the line of march; for the Waganda were a
turbulent set of people, who could only be kept in order
by the executioner; and doubtless many, as was customary
on such occasions, would be beheaded, as soon as Mtesa
heard of my coming, to put the rest in a fright. I knew
this was all humbug, of course, and I told him so; but it
was of no use, and I was compelled to halt.
On the 23d another officer, named Maribii, came to me
Halt, 20th to and said, Mtesa, having heard that Grant was
left sick behind at Karagtie, had given him
orders to go there and fetch him, whether sick or well, for