up my patience, and said: “ I do not see much
use in my saying anything, because I know you
will act against all advice I can giv e ; but, that
yo u may not blame me for not giving the advice,
and pointing out the danger yo u run into in*
returning, I will speak. Y o u , Sambuzi, at Lau-
gurwe, told me you were not a child, but a man.
I f yo u are a man, how comes it that you allow
a b o y like Bugomba, whose fears have run away
with his wits, to speak in a council o f tried
warriors such as I see here? Do yo u think that
Bugomba can save your head when the Emperor
hears o f your cowardly flight? No; that b o y ’s
lo v e , which he professes to have for yo u , will
fly when he sees the frown on Mtesa’s face.
Will the Katekiro stand b y yo u because yo u
love his brother Bugomba? No; the Premier
will scourge Bugomba, and be the first to slay
you. I f yo u are a man and a chief, w h y is it
that you listen to this slave Sabadu, who no
more dares approach the footstool o f Mtesa
than he would dare meet the Wanyoro to morrow
in battle? Is Sabadu the chief and g e neral
o f the Waganda, or is it Sambuzi, the
chief who fought so well at Uvuma? If your
chiefs, Lukoma and Sekajugu, advise yo u to run
aw ay , you do wrong to listen to them, for it
is not th ey whom Mtesa will punish, but you.
I therefore, as yo u r friend, advise yo u to stay
here two days, while I fix the boat and canoe.
r ja n . 13, 1876.-1 S A M B U Z I I S R E S O L V E D T O R E T U R N . 263 I Unyampaka. J
A t the end o f two days I will write a letter to
Mtesa, which will absolve yo u from all blame;
and if y o u so far concede to me two days, I
will give one-fourth o f my moneys— nay, I will
give one-half o f all beads, wire , and cloth I
have to you, with which yo u may reward yourself
and your friends. Be not afraid o f the
Wanyoro; to -night we can build a palisade so
strong that, were Kabba Rega himself here, he
could do nothing against us. There is no great
danger in staying a couple o f days, but in returning
to Uganda without my letter yo u g o to
certain death. I have spoken.”
After a little pause, during which he interchanged
some remarks with his p eople, Sambuzi
said: “ Stamlee, y o u are my friend, the
Emperor’s friend, and a son o f Uganda, and I
want to do my duty towards y o u as well as I
am able to; but y o u must hear the truth. W e
cannot do what yo u want us to do. W e cannot
wait here two days, nor one day. W e shall
fight to-morrow, that is certain; and if yo u think
I speak from fear, yo u shall see me handle the
spear. These people know me from past times,
and th ey are well aware that my spear is sharp
and fatal. W e shall fight to-morrow at sunrise,
and we must cut our w a y through the Wanyoro
to Uganda. W e cannot fight and continue in
camp; for, once the war is begun, it is war which
will last as long as we are a liv e— for these