by some men who wore
clothes. They said white men were coming from Karague, and requested the
beads might be shown them should they do so. They left this two moons
before Baraka arrived here, and I told them the white men would not come
here, as I heard they had gone to Uganda."

Bombay then, finding the king very communicative, went at him for his
inhospitality towards us, his turning us back from his country twice,
and now, after inviting us, treating us as Suwarora did. On this
he gave, by Bombay's account, the following curious reason for his
conduct:--"You don't understand the matter. At the time the white men
were living in Uganda, many of the people who had seen them there came
and described them as such monsters, they ate up mountains and drank the
N'yanza dry; and although they fed on both beef and mutton, they were
not satisfied until they got a dish of the 'tender parts' of human
beings three times a-day. Now, I was extremely anxious to see men of
such wonderful natures. I could have stood their mountain-eating and
N'yanzi-drinking capacities, but on no consideration would I submit to
sacrifice my subjects to their appetites, and for this reason I first
sent to turn them back; but afterwards, on hearing from Dr K'yengo's men
that, although the white men had travelled all through their country,
and brought all the pretty and wonderful things of the world there,
they had never heard such monstrous imputations cast upon them, I sent a
second time to call them on: these are the facts of the case. Now, with
regard to your accusation of my treating them badly, it is all their own
fault. I ordered them to advance slowly and pick up food by the way, as
there is a famine here; but they, instead, hurried on against my
wishes. That they want to see and give me presents you have told me
repeatedly--so do I them; for I want them to teach me the way to shoot,
and when that is accomplished, I will take them to an island near
Kidi, where there are some men [his refractory brothers] whom I wish
to frighten away with guns; but still there is no hurry,--they can come
when I choose to call them, and not before." Bombay to this said, "I
cannot deliver such a message to Bana; I have told so many falsehoods
about your saying you will have an interview to-morrow, I shall only
catch a flogging"; and forthwith departed.

13th.--More disgusted with Kamrasi than ever, I called Kidgwiga up, and
told him I was led to expect from Rumanika