people had told us, and passed through N’yakinyama jug^
before I reached it. What had really happened I knew
not, and was puzzled to think. To insist on a treaty, demanding
an answer, to the Queen, seemed the only chance
le ft; so I wrote to Grant to let me know all about it, and
waited the result. He very obligingly came himself, said
he left Unyoro after stopping there an age asking for the
road without effect, and left by the orders of Kamrasi,
thinking obedience the better policy to obtain our ends.
Two great objections had been raised against u s ; one was
that we were reported to be cannibals, and the other that
our advancing by two roads at once was suspicious, the
more especially so as the Waganda were his enemies; had
we come from Rumanika direct, there would have been no
objection to us.
When all was duly considered, it appeared evident to
me that the great king of Unyoro, “ the father of all the
kings,” was merely a nervous, fidgety creature, half afraid
of us because we were attempting his country by the
unusual mode of taking two routes at once, but wholly
so of the Waganda, who had never ceased plundering
his country for years. As it appeared that he would
have accepted us had we come by the friendly route of
Kisuere, a further parley was absolutely necessary, and
the more especially so, as now we were all together
and in Uganda, which, in consequence, must relieve!
him from the fear of our harbouring evil designs against
him. Ho one present, however, could be prevailed on
to go to him in the capacity of ambassador, as the frontier
officer had warned the Wageni or guests that, if
they ever attempted to cross the border again, he was
bound in duty, agreeably to the orders of his king, to
expel them by force; therefore, should the Wagdni attempt
it after this warning, their first appearance would
be considered a casus belli; and so the matter rested for
the day.
To make the best of a bad bargain, and as N’yakin-
To Grant’s yama was “ eaten up,” we repaired to Grant’s
camp, loth. camp to consult with Budja; but Budja was
found firm and inflexible against sending men to Unyoro.
His pride had been injured by the rebuffs we had sustained.
He would wait here three or four days as I proposed,
to see what fortune sent us, if I would not be convinced
that Kamrasi wished to reject us, and he would
communicate with his king in the meanwhile, but nothing
more. Here was altogether a staggerer: I would stop
for three or four days, but if Kamrasi would not have us
by that time, what was to be done ? Would it be prudent
to try Kisudrd now Baraka had been refused the Gani
route ? or would it not be better still for me to sell Kamrasi
altogether, by offering Mte'sa five hundred loads of
ammunition, cloth, and beads, if he would give us a thousand
Waganda as a force to pass through the Masai to
Zanzibar, this property to be sent back by the escort from
the coast ? Kamrasi would no doubt catch it if we took
this course, but it was expensive.
Thus were we ruminating, when lo, to our delight, as if
they had been listening to us, up came Kidgwiga, my old
friend, who, at Mtdsa’s palace, had said Kamrasi would be
very glad to see me, and Vittagirra, Kamrasi’s commander-
in-chief, to say their king was very anxious to see us, and
the Waganda might come or not as they liked. Until
now, the deputation said, Kamrasi had doubted Budja’s
word about our friendly intentions, but since he saw us
withdrawing from his country, those doubts were removed.
The N’yanswengd, they said — meaning, I
thought, Petherick—was still at Gani; no 'English or
others on the Nile ever expressed a wish to enter Unyoro,
otherwise they might have done so; and Baraka
had left for Karague, carrying off an ivory as a present
from Kamrasi.
21st.—I ordered the march to Unyoro; Budja, however,