ing to me in every
respect like a dutiful child to a parent. A search was made, and guns
fired, in the hopes of frightening her back again, but without effect.

10th.--I had promised that this morning I would teach the king the art
of guinea-fowl shooting, and when I reached the palace at 6 a.m., I
found him already on the ground. He listened to the tale of the missing
girl, and sent orders for her apprehension at once; then proceeding
with the gun, fired eight shots successively at guinea-birds sitting on
trees, but missed them all. After this, as the birds were scared
away, and both iron shot and bullets were expended, he took us to his
dressing-hut, went inside himself, attended by full-grown naked women,
and ordered a breakfast of pork, beef, fish, and plantains to be served
me outside on the left of the entrance; whilst a large batch of his
women sat on the right side, silently coquetting, and amusing themselves
by mimicking the white man eating. Poor little Lugoi joined in the
repast, and said he longed to return to my hut, for he was half starved
here, and no one took any notice of him; but he was destined to be a
royal page, for the king would not part with him. A cold fit then seized
me, and as I asked for leave to go, the king gave orders for one of
his wives to be flogged. The reason for this act of brutality I did not
discover; but the moment the order was issued, the victim begged the
pages to do it quickly, that the king's wrath might be appeased; and in
an instant I saw a dozen boys tear their cord-turbans from their heads
pull her roughly into the middle of the court, and belabour her
with sticks, whilst she lay floundering about, screeching to me for
protection. All I did was to turn my head away and walk rapidly out of
sight, thinking it better not to interfere again with the discipline of
the palace; indeed, I thought it not improbable that the king did these
things sometimes merely that his guests might see his savage power. On
reaching home I found Kahala standing like a culprit before my door.
She would not admit, what I suspected, that Meri had induced her to run
away; but said she was very happy in my house until yester-evening, when
Rozaro's sister told her she was very stupid living with the Mzungu all
alone, and told her to run away; which she did, taking the direction of
N'yamasore's, until some officers finding her, and noticing beads on her
neck, and her hair cut, according to the common cou