and my last of everything, because he had assured me -I
should have to pay no more chiefs, and he would give me
the road at once. If he did not intend now to fulfil his
promise, I begged he would take hack his spears, for I
would only accept them as a farewell present. The Kam-
raviona finding me rather warm, with the usual pertinacious
duplicity of a negro, then said, “Well, let that subject
drop, and consider the present Kamrasi promised you
when you gave him the Uganga M (meaning the watch);
Kamrasi s horn is not ready yet.” This second prevarication
completely set my dander up. If I did not believe in
his dangers of the way before, it quite settled my opinion
of the worth of his words now. I therefore tendered him
what might be called the ultimatum to this effect. There
was no sincerity in such haggling; I would not submit to
being told lies by kings or anybody else. He must take
back the spears, or give us the road to - morrow; and
unless the Kamraviona would tell him this and bring me
an answer at once, the spears should not remain in my
hut during the night. Evidently in alarm, the Kamraviona,
with Kidgwiga and Frij in company to bear him
witness, returned to the palace, telling Kamrasi that he
saw we were in thorough earnest. He extracted a promise
that Kamrasi would have a farewell meeting with
us either to-morrow or the next day, when we should have
a large escort to Petherick’s boats, and the men would he
able to bring back anything that he wanted I but he could
not let us go without a parting interview, such as we had
at Uganda with Mtesa.
The deputation, delighted with their success and the
manner in which it was effected, hurried back to me at
once, and said they were so frightened themselves that
they would have skulked away to their homes and not
come near me if they could not have arranged matters
to my satisfaction. Kamrasi would not believe I had
threatened to turn out his spears until Frij testified to their
statements; and he then said, “ Let Bana keep the spears
and drink the pombd, for I would not wish him to be a
prisoner against his will.” Bombay, after taking back the
dwarf, met one of bPyamasore’s officers, just arrived from
Uganda on some important business, and upbraided Mtesa
for not having carried out my instructions. The officer in
turn tried to defend Mtesa’s conduct by saying he had
given the deserters seventy cows and four women, as well
as orders to join us quickly; but they had been delayed
on the road, because wherever they went they plundered,
and no one liked their company. Had we returned to
Uganda, Mtdsa would have given us the road through
Masai, which, in their opinion, is nearer for us than this
one.
This officer had been wishing to see us as much as we
had been to see him; but Kamrasi would not allow him
to get access to us, from fear, it was said, lest the Waganda
should know where we were hidden, and enable Mtesa to
send an army to come and snatch us away. As the
officer said he would deliver any message I might wish to
send to Uganda, I folded a visiting-card as a letter to the
queen-dowager, intimating that I wished the two men
whom I sent back to Mtesa to be forwarded on to Karagtffi;
but desired that the remainder, who deserted their master
in difficulty, should be placed on an island of the N’yanza
to live in exile until some other Englishmen should come
to release them; that their arms should be taken from
them and kept in the palace. I said further, that should
Mt&a act up to my desires, I would then know; he was
my friend, and other white men would not fear to enter
Uganda; but if he acted otherwise, they would fear lest
he should imprison them, or seize their property or their
men. If these deserters escaped punishment, no white
men would ever dare trust their lives with such men
again. The officer said he should be afraid to deliver
such a message to Mtdsa direct; but he certainly would