a visit. At
first she came trotting after me, then timidly paused, then advanced,
and, as I approached, stood spellbound at my remarkable appearance. At
last recovering herself, she woh-wohed with all the coquetry of a Mganda
woman, and a flirtation followed; she must see my hair, my watch, the
contents of my pockets--everything; but that was not enough. I waved
adieu, but still she followed. I offered my arm, showing her how to
take it in European fashion, and we walked along to the surprise of
everybody, as if we had been in Hyde Park rather than in Central Africa,
flirting and coquetting all the way. I was surprised that no one came to
prevent her forwardness; but not till I almost reached home did any one
appear; and then, with great scolding, she was ordered to return--not,
however, without her begging I would call in and see her on some future
occasion, when she would like to give me some pombe.

14th.--As conflicting reports came about Grant, the king very
courteously, at my request, forwarded letters to him. I passed the day
in distilling pombe, and the evening in calling on Mrs Dumba, with Meri,
Kahala, Lugoi, and a troop of Wanyamuezi women. She was very agreeable;
but as her husband was attending the palace, could not give pombe, and
instead gave my female escort sundry baskets of plaintains and potatoes,
signifying a dinner, and walked half-way home, flirting with me as
before.

15th--I called on the king with all the spirits I had made, as well as
the saccharine residue. We found him holding a levee, and receiving
his offerings of a batch of girls, cows, goats, and other things of an
ordinary nature. One of the goats presented gave me an opportunity of
hearing one of the strangest stories I had yet heard in this strange
country: it was a fine for attempted regicide, which happened yesterday,
when a boy, finding the king alone, which is very unusual, walked up to
him and threatened to kill him, because, he said, he took the lives of
men unjustly. The king explained by description and pantomime how
the affair passed. When the youth attacked him he had in his hand the
revolving pistol I had given him, and showed us, holding the pistol to
his cheek, how he had presented the muzzle to the boy, which, though
it was unloaded, so frightened him that he ran away. All the courtiers
n'yanzigged vigorously for the condescension of the king in telling the
story. There must have been some special reason why, in a court