ng, as I could not obtain a regular supply
of food from his house, I did not wish to accept anything further at his
hands, but intended foraging for the future in the jungles. The king, as
might be imagined, did not believe the boy's story, and sent other pages
to ascertain the truth of the case, bidding them listen well, and beware
of what they were about. This second lot of boys conveyed the story
rightly, when the king sent me a cow. As I afterwards heard, he cut
off the ears of the unfortunate little mischief-maker for not making a
proper use of those organs; and then, as the lad was the son of one
of his own officers he was sent home to have the sores healed. After
breakfast the king called me to go boating, when I used my grass throne,
to the annoyance of the attendants. This induced the king to say before
them, laughing, "Bana, you see, is not to be done; he is accustomed to
sit before kings, and sit he will." Then by way of a change, he ordered
all the drums to embark and play upon the waters; whilst he and his
attendants paddled and steered by turns, first up the creek, and then
down nearly to the broad waters of the lake.

There was a passage this way, it was said, leading up to Usoga, but very
circuitous, on account of reefs or shoals, and on the way the Kitiri
island was passed; but no other Kitiri was known to the Waganda, though
boats went sometimes coasting down the western side of the lake to
Ukerewe. The largest island on the lake is the Sese, [20] off the mouth
of the Katonga river, where another of the high priests of the Neptune
of the N'yanza resides. The king's largest vessels are kept there, and
it is famous for its supply of mbugu barks. We next went on shore to
picnic, when a young hippopotamus, speared by harpoon, one pig, and
a pongo or bush-boc, were presented to the king. I now advised
boat-racing, which was duly ordered, and afforded much amusement as the
whole fifty boats formed in line, and paddle furiously to the beat of
drum to the goal which I indicated.

The day was done. In great glee the king, ever much attached to the
blackguard Maula, in consequence of his amusing stories, appointed him
to the office of seizer, or chief kidnapper of Wakungu; observing that,
after the return of so many officers from war, much business in that
line would naturally have to be done, and there was none so trustworthy
now at court to carry out the king's orders. All now went to the camp;
but what was m