I Then Made Friends With Him, And Found He Was A Great Doctor As
Well As An Officer.
In front of his hut he had his church or
uganga - a tree, in which was fixed a blaue boc's horn charged
with magic powder, and a zebra's hoof, suspended by a string over
a pot of water sunk in the earth below it.
His badges of office
he had tied on his head; the butt of a shell, representing the
officer's badge, being fixed on the forehead, whilst a small
sheep's horn, fixed jauntily over the temple, denoted that he was
a magician. Wishing to try my powers in magical arts, as I
laughed at his church, he begged me to produce an everlasting
spring of water by simply scratching the ground. He, however,
drew short up, to the intense delight of my men, on my promising
that I would do so if he made one first.
At night, 22d, a steel scabbard and some cloths were extracted
from our camp, so I begged my friend the great doctor would show
us the use of his horn. This was promised, but never performed.
I then wished to leave, as the Wasui guides, on receiving their
pay, promised we should; but they deferred, on the plea that one
of them must see their chief first, and get him to frank us
through, else, they said, we should be torn to pieces. I said I
thought the Kaquenzingiriri could do this; but they said, "No;
Suwarora must be told first of your arrival, to prepare him
properly for your coming; so stop here for three days with two of
us, whilst the third one goes to the palace and returns again;
for you know the chiefs of these countries do not feel safe until
they have a look at the uganga."
One of them then went away, but no sooner had left than a man
named Makinga arrived to invite us on, as he said, at his adopted
brother K'yengo's request.
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