Even the servants and our black
boys were armed, and occupied the posts assigned to them. Without these
precautions it is highly probable that the station would have been
attacked, in which case it might have been at once overwhelmed by so
immense a superiority of force.
I felt that on the whole we had narrowly escaped from ruin. My
intention, when in the open square, had been to seize a rifle from a
soldier, and at once to shoot Kabba Rega had hostilities commenced after
his appearance; but, even had we been able to hold our own, with a party
of eighty men, we should have lost the entire station, together with all
our ammunition, and every soul would have been massacred.
I had serious misgivings for the future. This demonstration looked
extremely bad after the departure of my thirty-six men with the post to
Fatiko. If Kabba Rega and his people were treacherous, they could easily
murder the party whom they were pretending to escort as friends.
On the other hand, I could not conceive why Kabba Rega or his people
should be ill-disposed, unless he harboured resentment on account of the
discovery of his theft of the muskets and ammunition from the
irregulars, which I had forced him to restore.
My Baris and Molodi all declared that he was suspicious because I had
pardoned the slave-hunters and received them into government service.
This merciless young villain, who had so treacherously murdered his own
kith and kin, had no conception of forgiveness; thus he could not
understand why I had not killed the slave-hunters when they were once in
my power.
There was no doubt that discontent rankled deeply in his heart for some
cause or other; as he had never appeared, or received visits, for many
days, but had sulkily shut himself up within his own court.
He only went out daily, at a certain time, to collect subscriptions for
the pay of his beloved rascals, the bonosoora; but this led him through
the town in the opposite direction to our camp, therefore we never saw
him.
The collection of alms was a most undignified proceeding. At the hour of
his exit from his house, a band of fifes or flageolets struck up a
peculiar air which was well known as the signal for preparing to pay for
the king's visit. The few notes they played was a monotonous repetition
of : -
As his pipes played before him, Kabba Rega called at any houses that he
thought proper to select, and received from the inmates of each, a few
cowrie shells, which are used as the smallest coin in Unyoro.
