when some was brought, croaked again because it was
not the purest of the lake’s produce—had the first cup
changed, wetted her lips with the second, and hobbled
away in the same manner as she came.
At this juncture the Mgussa’s familiar motioned the
Kamraviona and several officers to draw around him,
when, in a very low tone, he gave them all the orders of
the deep, and walked away. His revelations seemed un-
propitious, for we immediately repaired to our boats and
returned to our quarters. Here we no sooner arrived than
a host of Wakungii, lately returned from the Unyoro war,
came to pay their respects to the king: they had returned
six days or more, but etiquette had forbidden their approaching
majesty sooner. Their successes had been great,
their losses nil, for, not one man had lost his life fighting.
To these men the king narrated all the adventures of the
day; dwelling more particularly on my defending his wife’s
life, whom he had destined for execution. This was
highly approved of by a ll; and they unanimously said
Bana knew what he was about, because he dispenses
justice like a king in his own country.
Early in the morning a great hue and cry was made
i c because the Wanguana had been seen bath-
Cowes, 27*A. . , ' 8 . . . . , i mg m the JN yanza naked, without the slightest
regard to decency. We went boating as usual all day
long, sometimes after hippopotami, at others racing up
and down the lake, the king and Wakungii paddling and
steering by turns, the only break to this fatigue being
when we went ashore to picnic, or the king took a turn
at the drums. During the evening some of the principal
Wakungii were collected to listen to an intellectual discourse
on the peculiarities of the different women in the
royal establishment, and the king in good-humour described
the benefits he had derived from this pleasant
tour on the water.
Whilst I was preparing my Massey’s log to show the
use of it to the king, he went off boating without me;
and as the few remaining boats would not take
me off because they had received no orders
to do so, I fired guns, but, getting no reply, went into the
country hoping to find game; but, disappointed in that
also, I spent the first half of the day with a hospitable old
lady, who treated us to the last drop of pomb<3 in her
house—for the king’s servants had robbed her of nearly
everything—smoked her pipe with me, and chatted incessantly
on the honour paid her by the white king’s
visit, as well as of the horrors of Uganda punishment,
when my servants told her I saved the life of one queen.
Returning homewards, the afternoon was spent at a
hospitable officer’s, who would not allow us to depart
until my men were all fuddled with pombd, and the
evening setting in warned us to wend our way. On
arrival at camp, the king, quite shocked with himself for
having deserted me, asked me if I did not hear his guns
fire. He had sent twenty officers to scour the country,
looking for me everywhere. He had been on the lake the
whole day himself, and was now amusing his officers with
a little archery practice, even using the bow himself, and
making them shoot by turns. A lucky shot brought forth
immense applause, all jumping and n’yanzigging with delight,
whether it was done by their own bows or the king s.
A shield was the mark, stuck up at only thirty paces;
still they were such bad shots that they hardly ever hit it.
Now tired of this slow sport, and to show his superior
prowess, the king ordered sixteen shields to be placed
before him, one in front of the other, and with one shot
from Whitworth pierced the whole of them, the bullet
passing through the bosses of nearly every one. “ A h!
says the king, strutting about with gigantic strides, and
brandishing the rifle over his head before all his men,
“ what is the use of spears and bows ? I shall never fight
with anything but guns in future.” These Wakungii, hav