evening a pot of pombe was brought, when the man in
charge, half-drunk, amused us with frantic charges, as if
he were fighting with his spear; and after settling the
supposed enemy, he delighted in trampling him under
foot, spearing him repeatedly through and through, then
wiping the blade of the spear in the grass, and finally
polishing it on his tufty head, when, with a grunt of satisfaction,
he shouldered arms and walked away a hero.
8th.—As the king seemed entirely to disregard our
comfort on the journey, we made a request for cows,
butter, and coffee, in answer to which we only got ten
cows, the other things not being procurable without delay.
Twenty-four men were appointed to escort us and bring
back our presents from Gani, which were to be—six carbines,
with a magazine of ammunition, a large brass or
iron water-pot, a hair-brush, lucifers, a dinner-knife, and
any other things procurable that had never been seen in
Unyoro.
Two orphan boys, seized by the king as slaves, were
brought for education in England; but as they were both
of the common negro breed, with nothing attractive about
them,-and such as no one could love but their mothers,
we rejected them, fearing lest no English boys would care
to play with them, and told Kamrasi that his offspring
only could play with our children, and unless I got some
princes of that interesting breed, no one would ever
undertake to teach children brought from his country.
The king was very much disappointed at this announcement
; said they were his adopted children, and the only
ones he could part with, for his own boys were mere balls
of fat, and too small to leave home.
CHAP T E R XIX.
T II E MA R C H TO M A D I.
SAIL DOWS THE KAF&— THE NAVIGABLE NILE— FISHING AND
SPORTING POPULATION— THE SCENERY ON THE RIVER— AN
INHOSPITABLE GOVERNOR— KARUMA FALLS— NATIVE SUPERSTITIONS—
THIEVERIES — HOSPITABLE RECEPTION AT KOKI BY
CHONGI.
A f t e r giving Kamrasi a sketching-stool, we dropped
To North cha- down the Kafu two miles in a canoe, in order
giizi, 9th. that the common people might not see u s ;
for the exclusive king would not allow any eyes but his
own to be indulged with the extraordinary sight of white
men in Unyoro ! The palace side of the river, however, as
we paddled away, was thronged with anxious spectators,
amongst whom the most conspicuous was the king’s
favourite nurse. Dr K’yengo’s men were very anxious to
accompany us, even telling the king, if he would allow the
road to be opened to their countrymen, all would hongo,
or pay customs-duty, to him; but the close, narrowminded
king could not be persuaded. Bombay here told
us Kamrasi at the last moment wished to give me some
women and ivory; and when told we never accepted
anything of that sort, wished to give them to my head
servants; but this being contrary to standing orders also,
he said he would smuggle them down to the boats for
Bombay in such a manner that I should not find it out.