ping the clear open, which I desired
for the benefit of our guns. It was not getting painfully dark, and the
Wanyoro were stealing on us, as we could hear, though nothing could be
seen. Presently the shade-seeking boat was attacked, spears were thrown,
fortunately into the river instead of into our men, and grappling-hooks
were used to link the boats together. My men cried, "Help, Bana! they
are killing us;" whilst I roared to my crew, "Go in, go in, and the
victory will be ours;" but not a soul would--they were spell-bound to
the place; we might have been cut up in detail, it was all the same to
those cowardly Waganda, whose only action consisted in crying, "N'yawo!
n'yawo!"--mother, mother, help us!

Three shots from the hooked boat now finished the action. The Wanyoro
had caught a Tartar. Two of their men fell--one killed, one wounded.
They were heard saying their opponents were not Waganda, it were better
to leave them alone; and retreated, leaving us, totally uninjured, a
clear passage up the river. But where was Bombay all this while! He did
not return till after us, and then, in considerable excitement, he told
his tale. He reached N'yamyongo's village before noon, asked for the
officer, but was desired to wait in a hut until the chief should arrive,
as he had gone out on business; the villagers inquired, however, why we
had robbed the Wanyoro yesterday, for they had laid a complaint against
us. Bombay replied it was no fault of Bana's, he did everything he could
to prevent it, and returned all that the boatmen took.

These men then departed, and did not return until evening, when they
asked Bombay, impudently, why he was sitting there, as he had received
no invitation to spend the night; and unless he walked off soon they
would set fire to his hut. Bombay, without the smallest intention of
moving, said he had orders to see N'yamyonjo, and until he did so he
would not budge. "Well," said the people, "you have got your warning,
now look our for yourselves;" and Bombay, with his Waganda escort, was
left again. Drums then began to beat, and men to hurry to and fro with
spears and shields, until at last our guns were heard, and, guessing
the cause, Bombay with his Waganda escort rushed out of the hut into
the jungle, and, without daring to venture on the beaten track, through
thorns and thicket worked his way back to me, lame, and scratched all
over with thorns.

Crowds of Waganda, all armed as if for war, came to