took no slaves. What Arab would have refused
slaves like these white men? Though we deal
in slaves, it is no reason w h y it should not be
bad; and when I think that the Arabs and the
white men do as th ey are taught, I sa y that
the white men are greatly superior to the Arabs,
and I think therefore that their b ook must be
a better book than Mohammed’s, and o f all that
Stamlee has read from his b ook I see nothing
too hard for me to believe. The book begins
from tjie v e ry beginning o f this world, tells us
how it was made, and in how many days; gives
us the words o f God Himself, and o f Moses,
and the prophet Solomon, and Jesus, the son
o f Mary. I have listened to it all well pleased,
and now I ask you, shall we accept this book
or Mohammed’s b o o k as our guide?”
T o which question, no doubt seeing the
evident bent o f Mtesa’s own mind, they all
replied, W e will take the white man’s b o o k ” ;
and at hearing their answer a manifest g low o f
pleasure lighted up the Emperor’s face.
In this manner Mtesa renounced Islamism, and
professed himself a convert to the Christian
Faith, and he now announced his determination
to adhere to his new religion, to build a church,
and to do all in his power to promote the
propagation o f Christian sentiments among his
people, and to conform to the best o f his ability
to the h o ly precepts contained in the Bible.
I, on the other hand, proud o f my convert,
with whom I had diligently laboured during
three months, promised that, since Dallington
wished it, I would release him from my service,
that he might assist to confirm him in his new
faith, that he might read the Bible for him, and
perform the service o f a Bible reader until the
good people o f Europe should send a priest to
baptize him and teach him the duties o f the
Christian religion.
“ Stamlee,” said Mtesa to me, as we parted,
nearly two months after the massacre o f the
peace party, “ say to the white people, when
you write to them, that I am like a man sitting
in darkness, or born blind, and that all I 9-sk is
that I may be taught how to see, and I shall
continue a Christian while I live.