Not Satisfied With My First Sketch Of The Falls, I Could Not
Resist Sketching Them Again; And Then, As The
Cloudy state of the
weather prevented my observing for latitude, and the officer of
the place said a magnificent view
Of the lake could be obtained
from the hill alluded to as intercepting the view from the falls,
we proposed going there; but Kasoro, who had been indulged with
nsunnu antelope skins, and with guinea-fowl for dinner, resisted
this, on the plea that I never should be satisfied. There were
orders given only to see the "stones," and if he took me to one
hill I should wish to see another and another, and so on. It
made me laugh, for that had been my nature all my life; but,
vexed at heart, and wishing to trick the young tyrant, I asked
for boats to shoot hippopotami, in the hope of reaching the hills
to picnic; but boating had never been ordered, and he would not
listen to it. "Then bring fish," I said, that I might draw them:
no, that was not ordered. "Then go you to the palace, and leave
me to go to Urondogani to-morrow, after I have taken a latitude;"
but the wilful creature would not go until he saw me under way.
And as nobody would do anything for me without Kasoro's orders, I
amused the people by firing at the ferry-boat upon the Usoga
side, which they defied me to hit, the distance being 500 yards;
but nevertheless a bullet went through her, and was afterwards
brought by the Wasoga nicely folded up in a piece of mbugu.
Bombay then shot a sleeping crocodile with his carbine, whilst I
spent the day out watching the falls.
This day also I spent watching the fish flying at the falls, and
felt as if I only wanted a wife and family, garden and yacht,
rifle and rod, to make me happy here for life, so charming was
the place. What a place, I thought to myself, this would be for
missionaries! They never could fear starvation, the land is so
rich; and, if farming were introduced by them, they might have
hundreds of pupils. I need say no more.
In addition to the rod-and-line fishing, a number of men, armed
with long heavy poles with two iron spikes, tied prong-fashion to
one end, rushed to a place over a break in the falls, which tired
fish seemed to use as a baiting-room, dashed in their forks,
holding on by the shaft, and sent men down to disengaged the
pined fish and relieve their spears. The shot they made in this
manner is a blind one - only on the chance of fish being there -
and therefore always doubtful in its result.
Church Estate again. As the clouds and Kasoro's wilfulness were
still against me, and the weather did not give hopes of a change,
I sacrificed the taking of the latitude to gain time. I sent
Bombay with Kasoro to the palace, asking for the Sakibobo himself
to be sent with an order for five boats, five cows, and five
goats, and also for a general order to go where I like, and do
what I like, and have fish supplied me; "for, though I know the
king likes me, his officers do not;" and then on separating I
retraced my steps to the Church Estate.
1st. - To-day, after marching an hour, as there was now no need
for hurrying, and a fine pongo buck, the Ngubbi of Uganda,
offered a tempting shot, I proposed to shoot it for the men, and
breakfast in a neighbouring village. This being agreed to, the
animal was despatched, and we no sooner entered the village than
we heard that nsamma, a magnificent description of antelope,
abound in the long grasses close by, and that a rogue elephant
frequents the plantains every night. This tempting news created
a halt. In the evening I killed a nsamma doe, an animal very
much like the Kobus Ellipsiprymnus, but without the lunated mark
over the rump; and at night, about 1 a.m., turned out to shoot an
elephant, which we distinctly heard feasting on plantains; but
rain was falling, and the night so dark, he was left till the
morning.
2d. - I followed up the elephant some way, till a pongo offering
an irresistible shot I sent a bullet through him, but he was lost
after hours' tracking in the interminable large grasses. An
enormous snake, with fearful mouth and fangs, was speared by the
men. In the evening I wounded a buck nsamma, which, after
tracking till dark, was left to stiffen ere the following
morning; and just after this on the way home, we heard the rogue
elephant crunching the branches not far off from the track; but
as no one would dare follow me against the monster at this late
hour, he was reluctantly left to do more injury to the gardens.
3d. - After a warm search in the morning we found the nsamma buck
lying in some water; the men tried to spear him, but he stood at
bay, and took another bullet. This was all we wanted, affording
one good specimen; so, after breakfast, we marched to Kirindi,
where the villagers, hearing of the sport we had had, and excited
with the hopes of getting flesh, begged us to halt a day.
4th. - Not crediting the stories told by the people about the
sport here, we packed to leave, but were no sooner ready than
several men ran hastily in to say some fine bucks were waiting to
be shot close by. This was too powerful a temptation to be
withstood, so, shouldering the rifle, and followed by half the
village, if not more, women included, we went to the place, but,
instead of finding a buck - for the men had stretched a point to
keep me at their village - we found a herd of does, and shot one
at the people's urgent request.
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