orm the king. "Now," says Rumanika, "I no sooner went there
and saw the iron, and brought it here as you see it. What can such
a sign mean?" "Of course that you are the rightful king," said his
flatterers. "Then," said Rumanika, in exuberant spirits, "during
Dagara's time, as the king was sitting with many other men outside his
hut, a fearful storm of thunder and lightning arose, and a thunderbolt
struck the ground in the midst of them, which dispersed all the men but
Dagara, who calmly took up the thunderbolt and places it in the palace.
I, however, no sooner came into possession, and Rogero began to contend
with me, than the thunderbolt vanished. How would you account for
this?" The flatterers said, "It is as clear as possible; God gave the
thunderbolt to Dagaro as a sign he was pleased with him and his rule;
but when he found two brothers contending, he withdrew it to show their
conduct was wicked."

5th.--Rumanika in the morning sent me a young male nzoe (water-boc) [13]
which his canoe-men had caught in the high rushes at the head of the
lake, by the king's order, to please me; for I had heard this peculiar
animal described in such strange ways at Kaze, both by Musa and the
Arabs, I was desirous of having a look at one. It proved to be closely
allied to a water-boc found by Livingstone on the Ngami Lake; but,
instead of being striped, was very faintly spotted, and so long were its
toes, it could hardly walk on the dry ground; whilst its coat, also
well adapted to the moist element it lived in, was long, and of such
excellent quality that the natives prize it for wearing almost more than
any other of the antelope tribe. The only food it would eat were the
tops of the tall papyrus rushes; but though it ate and drank freely, and
lay down very quietly, it always charged with ferocity any person who
went near it.

In the afternoon Rumanika invited both Grant and myself to witness his
New Moon Levee, a ceremony which takes place every month with a view of
ascertaining how many of his subjects are loyal. On entering his palace
enclosure, the first thing we saw was a blaue boc's horn stuffed full
of magic powder, with very imposing effect, by K'yengo, and stuck in
the ground, with its mouth pointing in the direction of Rogero. In the
second court, we found thirty-five drums ranged on the ground, with
as many drummers standing behind them, and a knot of young princes and
officers of high dignity waiting to escort us into t