Hearing this, Dr K'yengo's men, who happened to be as well off
here as anywhere, accepted the advice; but Rumanika's
Men said,
"We are starving; we have been here too long already doing
nothing, and must go, let what will happen to us." Kamrasi said,
"What will be the use of your going empty-handed? I cannot send
cows and slaves to Rumanika when the road is so unsafe; you must
wait a bit." But they still urged as before, and so forced the
king reluctantly to acquiesce, but only on the condition that two
of their head men should remain behind until some more of
Rumanika's men came to fetch them away - in fact, as we had been
accredited to him by Rumanika, he wanted to keep some of that
king's people as a security until we were out of his hands.
27th. - I sent Frij to the palace to ask once more for leave to
visit the Luta Nzige river-lake to the westward, and to request
Kamrasi would send men to fetch my property from Karague. He
sent four loads of small fish and one pot of pombe, to say he
would see me on the morrow, when every arrangement would be made.
Late at night orders came announcing that I might write my
despatches, as sixty men were ready to start for Karague.
28th. - I sent one of my men with despatches to Kamrasi, who
detained him half the day, and then ordered him to call to-
morrow. This being the fifteenth or twentieth time Kamrasi had
disappointed me, after promising an interview, that we might have
a proper understanding about everything, and when no begging on
his party was to interrupt our conversation, I sent him a
threatening message, to see what effect that would have. The
purport of it was, that I was afraid to send men to Karague, now
I had seen his disposition to make prisoners of all who visit
him. Here had I been kept six weeks waiting for Bombay's return
from Gani, where I only permitted him to go because I was told
the journey to and fro would only occupy from eight to ten days
at most. Then Rumanika's men, who came here with Baraka, though
daily crying to get away, were still imprisoned here, without any
hope before them. If I sent Msalima, he would be kept ten years
on the road. If I went to the lake Luta Nzige, God only knows
when he would let me come back; and now, for once and for all, I
wished to sacrifice my property, and leave the countries of black
kings; for what Kamrasi had done, Mtesa had done likewise,
detaining the two men I detached on a friendly mission, which
made me fear to send any more and inquire after my guns, lest he
should seize them likewise. I would stay no longer among such
people.
Kamrasi, in answer, begged I would not be afraid; there was no
occasion for alarm; Bombay would be here shortly. I had promised
to wait patiently for his return, and as soon as he did return, I
would be sent off without one day's delay, for I was not his
slave, that he should use violence upon me. Rumanika's men, too,
would be allowed to go, only that the road was unsafe, and he
feared Rumanika would abuse him if any harm befell them.
29th. - To-day I met Kamrasi at his new reception-palace on this
side the Kafu - taking a Bible to explain all I fancied I knew
about the origin and present condition of the Wahuma branch of
the Ethiopians, beginning with Adam, to show how it was the king
had heard by tradition that at one time the people of his race
were half white and half black. Then, proceeding with the Flood,
I pointed out that the Europeans remained white, retaining
Japhet's blood; whilst the Arabs are tawny, after Shem; and the
African's black, after Ham. And, finally, to show the greatness
of the tribe, I read the 14th chapter of 2d Chronicles, in which
it is written how Zerah, the Ethiopian, with a host of a thousand
thousand, met the Jew Asa with a large army, in the valley of
Zephathah, near Mareshah; adding to it that again, at a much
later date, we find the Ethiopians battling with the Arabs in the
Somali country, and with the Arabs and Portuguese at Omwita
(Mombas) - in all of which places they have taken possession of
certain tracts of land, and left their sons to people it.
To explain the way in which the type or physical features of
people undergo great changes by interbreeding, Mtesa was
instanced as having lost nearly every feature of his Mhuma blood,
but the kings of Uganda having been produced, probably for
several generations running, of Waganda mothers. This amused
Kamrasi greatly, and induced me to inquire how his purity of
blood was maintained - "Was the king of Unyoro chosen, as in
Uganda, haphazard by the chief men - or did the eldest son sit by
succession on the throne?" The reply was, "The brothers fought
for it, and the best man gained the crown."
Kamrasi then began counting the leaves of the Bible, an amusement
that every negro that gets hold of a book indulges in; and,
concluding in his mind that each page or leaf represented one
year of time since the beginning of creation, continued his
labour till one quarter of the way through the book, and then
only shut it up on being told, if he desired to ascertain the
number more closely, he had better count the words.
I begged for my picture-books, which were only lent him at his
request for a few days; and then began a badgering verbal
conflict: he would not return them until I drew others like them;
he would not allow me to go to the Little Luta Nzige, west of
this, until Bombay returned, when he would send me with an army
of spears to lead the way, and my men with their guns behind to
protect the rear.
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