as I
wished it, and after getting her to sidle and wriggle into the middle
of the hut, I did as I promised, and then took her dimensions as noted
below. [14] All of these are exact except the height, and I believe I
could have obtained this more accurately if I could have her laid on the
floor. Not knowing what difficulties I should have to contend with in
such a piece of engineering, I tried to get her height by raising
her up. This, after infinite exertions on the part of us both, was
accomplished, when she sank down again, fainting, for her blood had
rushed to her head. Meanwhile, the daughter, a lass of sixteen, sat
stark-naked before us, sucking at a milk-pot, on which the father kept
her at work by holding a rod in his hand, for as fattening is the first
duty of fashionable female life, it must be duly enforced by the rod if
necessary. I got up a bit of flirtation with missy, and induced her to
rise and shake hands with me. Her features were lovely, but her body was
as round as a ball.

In the evening we had another row with my head men--Baraka having
accused Bombay of trying to kill him with magic. Bombay, who was so
incessantly bullied by Baraka's officious attempts to form party cliques
opposed to the interests of the journey, and get him turned out of the
camp, indiscreetly went to one of K'yengo's men, and asked him if he
knew of any medicine that would affect the hearts of the Wanguana so as
to incline them towards him; and on the sub-doctor saying Yes, Bombay
gave him some beads, and bought the medicine required, which, put into
a pot of pombe, was placed by Baraka's side. Baraka in the meanwhile got
wind of the matter through K'yengo, who, misunderstanding the true facts
of the case, said it was a charm to deprive Baraka of his life. A court
of inquiry having been convened, with all the parties concerned in
attendance, K'yengo's mistake was discovered, and Bombay was lectured
for his folly, as he had a thousand times before abjured his belief in
such magical follies; moreover, to punish him for the future, I took
Baraka, whenever I could, with me to visit the king, which, little as
it may appear to others, was of the greatest consequence to the hostile
parties.

15th and 16th.--When I next called on Rumanika I gave him a Vautier's
binocular and prismatic compass; on which he politely remarked he was
afraid he was robbing me of everything. More compliments went round, and
then he asked if it was true we c