doing. It was the first and last time I had ever occasion
to lose my dignity by striking a blow with my own
hands; but I could not help it on this occasion without
losing command and respect; for although I often had
occasion to award 100 and even 150 lashes to my men
for stealing, I could not, for the sake of due subordination,
allow any inferior officer to strike Bombay, and therefore
had to do the work myself.
Skirting the hills on the left, with a large low plain to the
right, we soon came on one of those numerous rush-drains
that appear to me to be the last waters left of the old
bed of the N’yanza. This one in particular was rather
large, being 150 yards wide. It was sunk where I crossed
it, like a canal, 14 feet below the plain; and what with
mire and water combined, so deep, I was obliged to take
off my trousers whilst fording it. Once across, we sought
for and put up in a village beneath a small hill, from the
top of which I saw the Victoria N’yanza for the first time
on this march. N’yamgundu delighted me much: treating
me as a king, he always fell down on his knees to
address me, and made all his “ children ” look after my-
comfort in camp.
We marched on again over the same kind of ground,
To Tikara, 29tk. alternately crossing rush-drains of minor importance,
though provokingly frequent, and
rich gardens, from which, as we passed, all the inhabitants
bolted at the sound of our drums, knowing well that they
would be seized and punished if found gazing at the
king’s visitors. Even on our arrival at Ukara not one
soul was visible. The huts of the villagers were shown
to myself and my men without any ceremony. The
Wanyambo escort stole what they liked out of them, and
I got into no end of troubles trying to stop the practice ;
for they said the Waganda served them the same way
when they went to Karagfie, and they had a right to
retaliate now. To obviate this distressing sort of plundering,
I still served out beads to my men, and so kept them
in hand a little; but they were fearfully unruly, and did
not like my interference with what by the laws of the
country they considered their right.
Here I had to stop a day for some of N’yamgundu s
Halt 30a women, who, in my hurry at leaving Maüla’s,
were left behind. A letter from Grant was
now brought to me by a very nice-looking young man, who
had the skin of a leopard-cat (F. Serval) tied round, his
neck—a badge which royal personages only were entitled
to wear. N’yamgundu seeing this, as he knew the young
man was not entitled to wear it, immediately ordered his
“ children ” to wrench it from him. Two ruffianly fellows
then seized him by his hands, and twisted his arms round
and round until I thought they would come out of their
sockets. Without uttering a sound the young man
resisted, until N’yamgundu told them to be quiet, for he
would hold a court on the subject, and.see if the young
man could defend himself. The ruffians then sat on the
ground, but still holding on to him; whilst N’yamgundü
took up a long stick, and breaking it into sundry bits of
equal length, placed one by one in front of him, each of
which was supposed to represent one number in line of
succession to his forefathers. By this it was proved he
did not branch in any way from the royal stock. N’yamgundu
then turning to the company said, ’What would
he do now to expiate his folly ? If the matter was
taken before Mtésa he would lose his head; was it not
better he should pay one hundred cows ? All agreeing to
this, the young man said he would do so, and quietly allowed
the skin to be untied and taken off by the ruffians.
Next day, after crossing more of those abominable rush-
To Méraka, 3is¡. <^rains) whilst in sight of the Victoria N’yanza,
we ascended, the most beautiful hills, covered
with verdure of all descriptions. At Mérüka„ where I
s