Hence I Could Not Get An Answer Put In; For As All Waganda Are Rapid And Impetuous In Their Conversation, The King, Probably Forgetting He Had Put A Question, Hastily Changed The Conversation And Said, "What Guns Have You Got?

Let me see the one you shoot with." I wished still to answer the first question first, as I

Knew he referred to the direct line to Zanzibar across the Masai, and was anxious, without delay, to open the subject of Petherick and Grant; but no one dared to deliver my statement. Much disappointed, I then said, "I had brought the best shooting-gun in the world - Whitworth's rifle - which I begged he would accept, with a few other trifles; and, with his permission, I would lay them upon a carpet at his feet, as is the custom of my country when visiting sultans." He assented, sent all his women away, and had an mbugu spread for the purpose, on which Bombay, obeying my order, first spread a red blanket, and then opened each article one after the other, when Nasib, according to the usage already mentioned, smoothed them down with his dirty hands, or rubbed them against his sooty face, and handed them to the king to show there was no poison or witchcraft in them. Mtesa appeared quite confused with the various wonders as he handled them, made silly remarks, and pondered over them like a perfect child, until it was quite dark. Torches were then lit, and guns, pistols, powder, boxes, tools, beads - the whole collection, in short - were tossed together topsy-turvy, bundled into mbugus, and carried away by the pages.

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