then all agreed to this view, and further assured me it
went to Kamrasi’s palace in Unyoro, where it joined the
-N yanza, meaning the Nile.
Pushing on again we arrived at N’yama Goma, where
1 found Irungii—the great ambassador I had first met in
TJstu, with all his “ children”—my enemy Makinga, and
buwarora s deputation with wire,-altogether, a collection
of one hundred souls. They had been here a month
waiting for leave to approach the king’s palace. Not a
villager was to be seen for miles round; not a plantain
remained on the trees, nor was there even a sweet potato
to be found in the ground. The whole of the provisions
tlliS beautiful place had been devoured by the king’s
guests, simply because he had been too proud to see them
m a hurry This was alarming, for I feared I should
be served the same trick, especially as. all the people said
this kind of treatment was a mere matter of custom which
those great kings demanded as a respect due to their dignity;
add Bombay added, with laughter, they make all
manner of fuss to entice one to come when in the distance,
but when they have got you in their power they
become haughty about it, and. think only of how they
° V 1*5 lmi5 8e v hich they affect b,0enf,o rye0 Uthre imr oMwn tpheeo ple. S K S
Here I was also brought to a standstill, for N’yamgundii
Halt, uth. sabl I must wait for leave to approach the
palace. He wished to have a look at the
presents I had brought for Mtdsa. I declined to gratify
it, taking my stand on my dignity; there was no occasion
for any distrust on such a trifling matter as' that, for I was
not a merchant who sought for gain, but had come, at
p e a t expense, to see the king of this region. I begged
however, he would go as fast as possible to announce my
arrival, explain my motive for coming here, and ask for
an early interview, as I had left my brother Grant behind
at Karague, and found my position, for want of a friend
to talk to, almost intolerable. I t was not the custom of
my country for great men to consort with servants, and
until I saw him, and made friends, I should not be happy.
I had a great deal to tell him about, as he was the father
of the Nile, which river drained the N’yanza down to my
country to the northward. With this message N’yamgundii
hurried off as fast as possible.
Next day (15 th) I gave each of my men a fez cap, and
a piece of red blanket to make up military jackets. I
then instructed them how to form a guard of honour
when I went to the palace, and taught Bombay the way
Nazirs were presented at courts in India. Altogether we
made a good show. When this was concluded I went
with Nasib up a hill, from which we could see the
lake on one side, and on the other a large range of huts
said to belong to the king’s uncle, the second of the
late king Sunna’s brothers, who was not burnt to death
when he ascended the throne.
I then (16th) very much wished to go and see the
escape of the Mwerango river, as I still felt a little sceptical
as to its origin, whether or not it came off those smaller
lakes I had seen on the road the day before I crossed the
river; but no one would listen to my project. They all
said I must have the king’s sanction first, else people, from
not knowing my object, would accuse me of practising
witchcraft, and would tell their king so. They still all
maintained that the river did come out of the lake, and
said, if I liked to ask the king’s leave to visit the spot, then
they would go and show it me. I gave way, thinking it
prudent to do so, but resolved in m,y mind I would get
Grant to see it in boats on his voyage from Karague.
There were no guinea-fowls to be found here, nor a fowl,
in any of the huts, so I requested Rozaro to hurry off to
Mtesa, and ask him to send me something to eat. He
simply laughed at my request, and said I did not know
what I was doing. It would be as much as his life was