brella, indulging in angry reflections against the haughty
king for not inviting me into his hut.
When the rain had ceased, and we were again called
in, he was found sitting in state as before, but this time
with the head of a black bull placed before him, one horn
of which, knocked off, was placed alongside, whilst four
living cows walked about the court.
I was now requested to shoot the four cows as quickly
as possible ; but having no bullets for my gun, I borrowed
the revolving pistol I had given him, and shot all four in
a second of time; but as the last one, only wounded,
turned sharply upon me, I gave him the fifth and settled
him. Great applause followed this wonderful feat, and
the cows were given to my men. The king now loaded
one of the carbines I had given him with his own hands,
and giving it full-cock to a page, told him to go out and
shoot a man in the outer court; which was no sooner
accomplished than the little urchin returned to announce
his success, with a look of glee such as one would see
in the face of a boy who had robbed a bird’s nest, caught
a trout, or done any other boyish trick. The king said
to him, “ And did you do it well V’ “ Oh yes, capitally.”
He spoke the truth, no doubt, for he dared not have
trifled with the king; but the affair created hardly any
interest. I never heard, and there appeared no curiosity
to know, what individual human being the urchin had
deprived of life.
The Wakungii were now dismissed, and I asked to
draw near, when the king showed me a book I had given
to Rumanika, and begged for the inspiring medicine which
he had before applied for through the mystic stick. The
day was now gone, so torches were lit, and we were ordered
to go, though as yet I had not been able to speak one word
I wished to impart about Petherick and Grant; for my
interpreters were so afraid of the king they dared not open
their mouths until they were spoken to. The king was
now rising to go, when, in great fear and anxiety that the
day would be lost, I said, in Kisiiahili, “ I wish you would
send a letter by post to Grant, and also send a boat up
the Kitangule, as far as Rhmanika’s palace, for him, for he
is totally unable to walk.” I thus attracted his notice,
though he did not understand one word I uttered. The
result was, that he waited for the interpretation, and
replied that a post would be no use, for no one would be
responsible for the safe delivery of the message ; he would
send N’yamgundtL to fetch him, but he thought Riimanika
would not consent to his sending boats up the Kitangule
as far as the Little Windermere; and then, turning
round with true Mganda impetuosity, he walked away
without taking a word from me in exchange.
24 th.—Early this morning the pages came to say Mtdsa
desired I would send him three of my Wanguana to shoot
cows before bim. This was just what I wanted. It had
struck me that personal conferences with me so roused the
excitable king, that there was no bringing plain matters
of business home to him; so, detaching seven men with
Bombay, 1 told him, before shooting, to be sure and elicit
the matter I wanted — which was, to excite the king’s
cupidity by telling him I had a boat full of stores with
two white men at Gani, whom I wished to call to me if
he would furnish some guides to accompany my men; and
further, as Grant could not walk, I wished boats sent for
him, at least as far as the ferry on the Kitangule, to which
place Rumanika, at any rate, would slip him down in
canoes. At once, on arriving, Mtesa admitted the men,
and ordered them to shoot at some cows; but Bombay,
obeying my orders to first have his talk out, said, No—
before he could shoot he must obey master and deliver his
message; which no sooner was told than the king, in a
hurry, excited by the prospects of sport, impatiently said,