CHAPTER XVIII.

UNYORO-Continued.

The Ceremonies of the New Moon. -Kamrasi's Rule and Discipline.-An Embassy from Uganda, and its Results.-The rebellious Brothers.-An African Sorcerer and his Incantations.-The Kamraviona of Unyoro.-Burial Customs.-Ethiopian Legends. Complicated Diplomacy for our Detention.-Proposal to send Princes to England.-We get away.

26th. WE found that the palace was shut up in consequence of the new moon, seen for the first time last evening; and incessant drumming was the order of the day. Still, private interviews might be granted, and I sent to inquire after the state of the king's health. The reply was that the medicine had not been taken, and the king was very angry because nothing was given him when he took the trouble to call on us. He never called at a big man's house and left it mwiko (empty-handed) before; if there was nothing else to dispose of, could Bana not have given him a bag of beads?

To save us from this kind of incessant annoyance, I now thought it would be our best policy to mount the high horse and bully him. Accordingly, we tied up a bag of the commonest mixed beads, added the king's chronometer, and sent them to Kamrasi with a violent message that we were thoroughly disgusted with all that had happened; the beads were for the poor beggar who came to our house yesterday, not to see us, but to beg; and as we did not desire the acquaintance of beggars, we had made up our minds never to call again, nor receive any more bread or wine from the king.

This appeared to be a hit. Kamrasi, evidently taken aback, said, if he thought he should have offended us by begging, he would not have begged. He was not a poor man, for he had many cows, but he was a beggar, of course, when beads were in the question; and, having unwittingly offended, as he desired our friendship, he trusted his offense would be forgiven. On opening the chronometer, he again wrenched back the seconds-hand, and sent it for repair, together with two pots of pombé as a peace

offering. Frij, who accompanied the deputation, overheard the counselors tell their king that the Waganda were on their way back to Unyoro to snatch us away; on hearing which, the king asked his men if they would ever permit it; and, handling his spear as if for battle, said at the same time he would lose his own head before they should touch his guests. Then, turning to Frij, he said, "What would you do if they came? go back with them?" To which Frij said, "No, never, when Gani is so near; they might cut our heads off, but that is all they could do." The watch being by this time repaired, it gave me the opportunity of sending Kidgwiga back to the palace to say we trusted Kamrasi would allow Budja to come here, if only with one woman to carry his pombé, else Mtésa would take offense, form an alliance with Rionga, and surround the place with warriors, for it was not becoming in great kings to treat civil messengers like dogs.

The reply to this was, that Kamrasi was very much pleased with my fatherly wisdom and advice, and would act up to it, allowing Budja only to approach with one woman; we need, however, be under no apprehensions, for Kamrasi's power was infinite; the Gani road should be opened even at the spear's point; he had been beating the big drum in honor of us the whole day; he would not allow any beggars to come and see us, for he wanted us all to himself, and for this reason had ordered a fence to be built all round our house; but he had got no present from Grant yet, though all he wanted was his musquito-curtains, while he wished my picture-books to show his women, and be returned. We sent a picture of Mtésa as a gift, the two books to look at, and an acknowledgment that the musquito-curtains were his, only he must have patience until Bombay arrived; but his proposition about the fence we rejected with scorn. The king had been raising an army to fight Rionga-the true reason, we suspect, for the beating of the drum.

27th and 28th. There was drumming and music all day and night, and the army was being increased to a thousand men, but we poor prisoners could see nothing of it. Frij was therefore sent to inspect the armament and bring us all the news. Some of N'yamyonjo's men, seeing mine armed with carbines, became very inquisitive about them, and asked if they were the instruments which shot their men on the Nile-one in the arm, who died; the other on the top of the shoulder, who was recovering. The drums were kept in private rooms, to which a select few only

were admitted. Kamrasi conducts all business himself, awarding punishments and seeing them carried out. The most severe instrument of chastisement is a knob-stick, sharpened at the back, like that used in Uganda, for breaking a man's neck before he is thrown into the N'yanza; but this severity is seldom resorted to, Kamrasi being of a mild disposition compared with Mtésa, whom he invariably alludes to when ordering men to be flogged, telling them that, were they in Uganda, their heads would suffer instead of their backs. In the day's work at the palace, army collecting, ten officers were bound because they failed to bring a' sufficient number of fighting men, but were afterward released on their promising to bring more.

Nothing could be more filthy than the state of the palace and all the lanes leading up to it: it was well, perhaps, that we were never expected to go there, for without stilts and respirators it would have been impracticable, such is the dirty nature of the people. The king's cows, even, are kept in his palace inclosure, the calves actually entering the hut, where, like a farmer, Kamrasi walks among them up to his ankles in filth, and, inspecting them, issues his orders concerning them. What has to be selected for his guests he singles out himself.

Dr. K'yengo's men, who had been sent three times into action against the refractory brothers, asked leave to return to Karagué; but the king, who did not fear for their lives when his work was to be done, would not give them leave, lest accident should befall them on the way. We found no prejudice against eating butter among these Wahuma, for they not only sold us some, but mixed it with porridge and ate it themselves.

29th. The king has appointed a special officer to keep our table supplied with sweet potatoes, and sent us a pot of pombé, with his excuses for not seeing us, as business was so pressing, and would continue to be so until the army marched. Budja and Kasoro were again reported to be near with a force of fifty Waganda, prepared to snatch us away; and the king, fearing the consequences, had sent to inform Budja, that if he dared attempt to approach, he would slip us off in boats to Gani, and then fight it out with the Waganda; for his guests, since they had been handed over to him, had been treated with every possible respect.

To keep Kamrasi to his promise, as we particularly wished to hear the Uganda news, Frij was sent to inform him on my behalf

that Mtésa only wished to make friends with all the great kings surrounding his country before his coronation took place, when his brothers would be burnt, and he would cease to take advice from his mother. To treat his messengers disrespectfully could do no good, and might provoke a war, when we should see my deserters, joined with the Waganda, really coming in force against us; whereas, if we saw Budja, we could satisfy him, and Mtésa too, and obviate any such calamity. The reply was, that Kamrasi would arrange for our having a meeting with Budja alone if we wished it; he did not fear my deserters siding with King Mtésa, but he detested the Waganda, and could not bear to see them in his country.

30th. At breakfast-time we heard that my old friend Kasoro had come to our camp without permission, to the surprise of every body, attended by all his boys, leaving Budja and his children, on account of sickness, at the camp assigned to the Waganda, five miles off. Kasoro wished to speak to us, and we invited him into the hut; but the interview could not be permitted until Kamrasi's wishes on the subject had been ascertained. In a little while the kamraviona, having seen Kamrasi, said we might converse with one another while his officers were present listening, and sent a cow as a present for the Waganda. Kasoro, with his children, now came before us in their usual merry manner, and, after saluting, told us how the deserters, on reaching Uganda, begged for leave to proceed to Karagŭé; but Mtésa, who would only allow two of them to approach him, abused them, saying, "Did I not command you to take Bana to Gani at all risks? If there was no road by land, you were to go by water; or, if that failed, to go under ground, or in the air above; and if he died, you were to die with him: what, then, do you mean by deserting him and flying here? You shall not move a yard from this until I receive a messenger from him to hear what he has got to say on the matter." Mtésa would not take their arms, even at the desire of Budja, on my behalf; for, as no messenger on my behalf came to him, he would not believe what Budja said, and feared to touch any of our property. The chief item of court news was, that Mtésa had shot a buffalo which was attacking him behind his palace, and made his wakungu carry the animal bodily, while life was in it, into his court. The ammunition I wrote for to Rumanika had been brought by Maula.

As Kasoro still remained silent with regard to Mtésa's message,

I told him we shot two of N'yamyonjo's men on our retreat up the Nile, and that Kamrasi turned us back because some miscreant Waganda had forged lies and told him we were terrible monsters, who ate hills and human flesh, and drank up all the water of the lake. He laughed, but still was silent; so I said, "What message have you brought from Mtésa?" To which, in a timid, modest kind of manner, he said, "Bana knows-what more need I say?. Has he forgotten Mtésa, who loves him so?" I said, "No, indeed, I have not forgotten Mtésa; and, moreover, as I expected you back again, I have sent Bombay to bring the stimulants and all the things I promised Mtésa from Gani; in two or three days he will return." "No," said Kasoro, "that is not it; we must go to Gani with you; for Mtésa says he loves you so much he will never allow you to part from his hand until his servants have seen you safely at your homes."

I replied, "If Mtésa wishes you to see my vessels and all the wonders they contain, as far as I am concerned you may do so, and I shall be only too happy to show you a little English hospitality; but the road is in Kamrasi's hands, and his wishes must now be heard." The commander-in-chief, now content with all he had heard, went to Kamrasi to receive his orders, while I gave Kasoro a feast of porridge and salt, with pombé to wash it down, and a cow to take home with him; for the poor creatures said they were all starving, as the Wanyoro would not allow them to take a single plantain from the field until Kamrasi's permission had been given.

Kamrasi's reply now arrived; it was to the following effect: "Tell my children, the Waganda, they were never turned out of Unyoro by my orders: if they wish to go to Gani, they can do so; but, first of all, they must return to Mtésa, and ask him to deliver up all of Bana's men." I answered, "No; if any one of those scoundrels who has deserted me ever dares show his face to me again, I will shoot him like a dog. Moreover, I want Mtésa to take their guns from them, and, without taking life, to transport them all to an island on the N'yanza, where they can spend their days in growing plantains; for it is such men who prevent our traveling in the country and visiting kings." Kasoro on this said, "Mtésa will do so in a minute if you send a servant to him, but he won't if we only say you wish it."

The commander-in-chief then added, as to Kasoro's wish to ac company me, "If Mtésa will send another time one of his people