a downright abomination to a follower o f Mtesa’s
court, and even the poorest peasants frown and
sneer at absolute nudity.
It has been mentioned above that the Waganda
surpass other African tribes in craft and fraud,
but this may, at the same time, be taken as an
indication o f their superior intelligence. This is
borne out b y many other proofs. Their cloths
are o f finer make; their habitations are better
and neater; their spears are the most perfect,
I should say, in Africa, and th ey exhibit extraordinary
skill and knowledge o f that deadly
weapon; their shields are such as would attract
admiration in any land, while the canoes surpass
all canoes in the savage world.
T he Waganda frequently have recourse to drawing
on the ground to illustrate imperfect oral
description, and I have often been surprised b y
the cleverness and truthfulness o f these rough
illustrations. When giving reasons firstly, secondly,
and thirdly, th ey have a curious w a y o f taking
a stick and breaking it into small pieces.
One piece o f a stick delivered with emphasis,
and g ra v e ly received b y the listener in his palm,
concludes the first reason, another stick announces
the conclusion o f the second reason, until they
come to the “ thirdly,” when they raise both
hands with the palms turned from them, as if to
say 1 There, I’ve given yo u my reasons, and
you must perforce understand it all n ow !”
Nearly all the principal attendants at the court
can write the Arabic letters. The Emperor and
many o f the chiefs both read and write that
character with facility, and frequently employ it
to send messages to one another, or to strangers
at a distance. The materials which they use
for this are v e ry thin smooth slabs o f cottonwood.
Mtesa possesses several score o f these,
on which are written his “ books o f wisdom,”
as he styles the results o f his interviews with
European travellers. Some day a curious traveller
may think it worth while to give us translations
o f these proceedings and interviews.
T he power o f sight of these natives is extraordinary.
Frequently a six-guinea field-glasS was
excelled b y them. Their sense o f hearing is
also v e ry acute.
It is really wonderful into how many uses the
ingenious savage o f these regions can convert a
simple plant. Regard the banana-plant, for in?
stance. A t first v iew , in the eyes o f the- untaught
civilized man, it seems to be o f no other
use than to bear fruit after its kind,, for the
stalk o f it cannot be employed- as fuel*, and its
fronds soon fade and wither and rend, and unless
the savage pointed out its various uses, I fear
the civilized man would, consider it as o f slight
value. It is, however, o f exceeding utility to
the native o f Uganda.
1. Its fruit, green or ripe, forms his principal
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT. VOL. II. Q