d
several officers to draw around him, when, in a very low tone, he gave
them all the orders of the deep, and walked away. His revelations seemed
unpropitious, for we immediately repaired to our boats and returned to
our quarters. Here we no sooner arrived than a host of Wakungu, lately
returned from the Unyoro war, came to pay their respects to the king:
they had returned six days or more, but etiquette had forbidden their
approaching majesty sooner. Their successes had been great, their
losses, nil, for not one man had lost his life fighting. To these
men the king narrated all the adventures of the day; dwelling more
particularly on my defending his wife's life, whom he had destined for
execution. This was highly approved of by all; and they unanimously said
Bana knew what he was about, because he dispenses justice like a king in
his own country.

Early in the morning a great hue and cry was made because the Wanguana
had been seen bathing in the N'yanza naked, without the slightest regard
to decency. We went boating as usual all day long, sometimes after
hippopotami, at others racing up and down the lake, the king and Wakungu
paddling and steering by turns, the only break to this fatigue being
when we went ashore to picnic, or the king took a turn at the drums.
During the evening some of the principal Wakungu were collected
to listen to an intellectual discourse on the peculiarities of the
different women in the royal establishment, and the king in good-honour
described the benefits he had derived from this pleasant tour on the
water.

Whilst I was preparing my Massey's log to show the use of it to the
king, he went off boating without me; and as the few remaining boats
would not take me off because they had received no orders to do so, I
fired guns, but, getting no reply, went into the country hoping to find
game; but, disappointed in that also, I spent the first half of the day
with a hospitable old lady, who treated us to the last drop of pombe
in her house--for the king's servants had robbed her of nearly
everything--smoked her pipe with me, and chatted incessantly on the
honour paid her by the white king's visit, as well as of the horrors
of Uganda punishment, when my servants told her I saved the life of
one queen. Returning homewards, the afternoon was spent at a hospitable
officer's, who would not allow us to depart until my men were all
fuddled with pombe, and the evening setting in warned us to wend our
w