the law into their own hands, drove off the Waganda villagers by firing
their muskets, and relieved the thieves. A complaint was then laid
against Nyamgundu by the chief officer of the village, and I was
requested to halt. That I would not do, leaving the matter in the hands
of the governor-general, Mr Pokino, whom I heard we should find at the
next station, Masaka.

On arrival there at the government establishment--a large collection of
grass huts, separated one from the other within large enclosures, which
overspread the whole top of a low hill--I was requested to withdraw and
put up in some huts a short distance off, and wait until his excellency,
who was from home, could come and see me; which the next day he did,
coming in state with a large number of officers, who brought with them
a cow, sundry pots of pombe, enormous sticks of sugar-cane, and a large
bundle of country coffee. This grows in great profusion all over this
land in large bushy trees, the berries sticking on the branches like
clusters of hollyberries.

I was then introduced, and told that his excellency was the appointed
governor of all the land lying between the Katonga and the Kitangule
rivers. After the first formalities were over, the complaint about the
officers at Sangua was preferred for decision, on which Pokino at once
gave it against the villagers, as they had no right, by the laws of the
land, to lay hands on a king's guest. Just then Maula arrived, and
began to abuse N'yamgundu. Of course I would not stand this; and, after
telling all the facts of the case, I begged Pokino to send Maula away
out of my camp. Pokino said he could not do this, as it was by the
king's order he was appointed; but he put Maula in the background,
laughing at the way he had "let the bird fly out of his hands," and
settled that N'yamgundu should be my guide. I then gave him a wire, and
he gave me three large sheets of mbugu, which he said I should require,
as there were so many water-courses to cross on the road I was going.
A second day's halt was necessitated by many of my men catching fever,
probably owing to the constant crossing of those abominable rush-drains.
There was no want of food here, for I never saw such a profusion of
plantains anywhere. They were literally lying in heaps on the ground,
though the people were brewing pombe all day, and cooking them for
dinner every evening.

After crossing many more hills and miry bottoms, constantly coming in
vi