and it was now of no further use to me, but, being an
instrument of complicated structure, it would be a valuable
addition to the king’s museum of magic charms. I
added I should like the king to send me the robes of
honour and spears he had once promised me, in order
that I might, on reaching England, be able to show my
countrymen a specimen of the manufactures of his country.
The men who were with Kari were now sent to the palace,
under accusation of having led him into ambush, and a
complaint was made against the villagers, which we
waited the reply to. As Budja forbade it, no men would
follow me out shooting, saying the villagers were out
surrounding our camp, and threatening destruction on
any one who dared show his face; for this was not the
highroad to Uganda, and therefore no one had a right
to turn them out of their houses and pillage their
gardens.
13th.—Budja lost two cows given to his party last
night, and seeing ours securely tied by their legs to trees,
asked by what spells we had secured them; and would
not believe our assurance that the ropes that bound them
were all the medicines we knew of. One of the queen’s
sisters, hearing of Kari’s murder, came on a visit to condole
with us, bringing a pot of pombe, for which she
received some beads. On being asked how many sisters
the queen had, for we could not help suspecting some
imposition, she replied she was the only one, till assured
ten other ladies had presented themselves as the queen’s
sisters before, when she changed her tone, and said, “ That
is true, I am not the only one; but if I had told you
the truth I might have lost my head.” This was a
significant expression of the danger of telling court
secrets.
I suspected that there must be a considerable quantity
of game in this district, as stake-nets and other traps were
found in all the huts, as well as numbers of small antelope
hoofs spitted on pipe-sticks—an ornament which is
counted the special badge of the sportsman in this part
of Africa. Despite, therefore, of the warnings of Budja,
I strolled again with my rifle, and saw pallah, small
plovers, and green antelopes with straight horns, called
mpdo, the skin of which makes a favourite apron for the
Mabandwa.
lith .—I met to-day a Mhfima cowherd in my strolls
with the rifle, and asked him if he knew where the game
lay. The unmannerly creature, standing among a thousand
of the sleekest cattle, gruffishly replied, “What can
I know of any other animals than cows ?” and went on
with his work, as if nothing in the world could interest
him but his cattle-tending. I shot a doe, leucotis, called
here nsunnfi, the first one seen upon the journey.
15 th.—In the morning, when our men went for water
to the springs, some Waganda in ambush threw a spear
at them, and this time caught a Tartar, for the “ horns,”
as they called their guns, were loaded, and two of them
received shot-wounds. In the evening, whilst we were
returning from shooting, a party of Waganda, also lying in
the bush, called out to know what we were about; saying,
“Is it not enough that you have turned us out of our
homes and plantations, leaving us to live like animals in
the wilderness ? ” and when told we were only searching
for sport, would not believe that our motive was any other
than hostility to themselves.
At night one of Budja’s men returned from the palace,
to say the king was highly pleased with the measures
adopted by his Wakungu, in prosecution of Kari’s affair.
He hoped now, as we had cows to eat, there would be
no necessity for wandering for food, but all would keep
together I in one garden.” At present no notice would be
taken of the murderers, as all the culprits would have fled
far away in their fright to escape chastisement. But when
a little time had elapsed, and all would appear to have