undu now got orders to go to Karague overland for Dr K'yengo; but,
dreading to tell me of it, as I had been so kind to him, he forged a
falsehood, said he had leave to visit his home for six days, and begged
for a wire to sacrifice to his church. I gave him what he wanted,
and away he went. I then heard his servants had received orders to
go overland for Grant and K'yengo; so I wrote another note to Grant,
telling him to come sharp, and bring all the property by boat that he
could carry, leaving what he could not behind in charge of Rumanika.

At noon, the plaguy little imps of pages hurried in to order the
attendance of all my men fully armed before the king, as he wished to
seize some refractory officer. I declined this abuse of my arms, and
said I should first go and speak to the king on the subject myself,
ordering the men on no account to go on such an errand; and saying this,
I proceeded towards the palace, leaving instructions for those men who
were not ready to follow. As the court messengers, however, objected to
our going in detachments, I told Bombay to wait for the rest, and hurry
on to overtake me. Whilst lingering on the way, every minute expecting
to see my men, the Wazinza, who had also received orders to seize the
same officer, passed me, going to the place of attack, and, at the
same time, I heard my men firing in a direction exactly opposite to the
palace. I now saw I had been duped, and returned to my hut to see the
issue. The boys had deceived us all. Bombay, tricked on the plea of
their taking him by a short cut to the palace, suddenly found himself
with all the men opposite the fenced gardens that had to be taken--the
establishment of the recusant officer,--and the boys, knowing how eager
all blacks are to loot, said, "Now, then, at the houses; seize all you
can, sparing nothing--men, women, or children, mbugus or cowries,
all alike--for it is the order of the king;" and in an instant my men
surrounded the place, fired their guns, and rushed upon the inmates. One
was speared forcing his way through the fence, but the rest were taken
and brought triumphantly into my camp. It formed a strange sight in the
establishment of an English gentleman, to see my men flushed with the
excitement of their spoils, staggering under loads of mbugu, or leading
children, mothers, goats, and dogs off in triumph to their respective
huts. Bombay alone, of all my men, obeyed my orders, touching nothing;
and when remonstr