Wanyamuezi Were Lying About Dead From Starvation In All
Directions, And He Did Not Think We Should Ever Get Through
Usui,
as Suwarora, the chief, was so extortionate he would "tear us to
pieces"; but advised our waiting until the
War was settled, when
all the Arabs would combine and go with us. Musa even showed
fear, but arranged, at my suggestion, that he should send some
men to Rumanika, informing him of our intention to visit him, and
begging, at the same time, he would use his influence in
preventing our being detained in Usui.
I may here explain that the country Uzinza was once a large
kingdom, governed by a king named Ruma, of Wahuma blood. At his
death, which took place in Dagara's time (the present Rumanika's
father), the kingdom was contested by his two sons, Rohinda and
Suwarora, but, at the intercession of Dagara, was divided -
Rohinda taking the eastern, called Ukhanga, and Suwarora the
western half of the country, called Usui. This measure made Usui
feudatory to Karague, so that much of the produce of the
extortions committed in Usui went to Karague, and therefore they
were recognised, though the odium always rested on Suwarora, "the
savage extortioner," rather than on the mild-disposed king of
Karague, who kept up the most amicable relations with every one
who visited him.
Musa, I must say, was most loud in his praises of Rumanika; and
on the other hand, as Musa, eight years ago, had saved Rumanika's
throne for him against an insurrection got up by his younger
brother Rogero, Rumanika, always regarding Musa as his saviour,
never lost an opportunity to show his gratitude, and would have
done anything that Musa might have asked him.
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