al
messenger to Kamrasi, who, in return, sent one of his horns; from which
date, the two kings, whenever one of them wishes to communicate with the
other, sends, on the messenger's neck, the horn that had been given him,
which both serves for credentials and security, as no one dare touch a
Mbakka with one of these horns upon his neck.

A common source of conversation among our men now was the desertion of
their comrades, all fancying how bitterly they would repent it when they
heard how we had succeeded, eating beef every day; and Uledi now, in a
joking manner, abused Mektub for having urged him to desert. He would
not leave Bana, and if he had not stopped, Mektub would have gone,
for they both served one master at Zanzibar, and therefore were like
brothers; whilst Mektub, laughing over the matter as if it were a good
joke, said, "I packed up my things to go, it is true; but I reflected if
I got back to the coast Said Majid would only make a slave of me again."
M'yinzuggi, the head of Rumanika's party, gave me to-day a tippet
monkey-skin in return for the cow I had given him on the 14th. These
men, taking their natures from their king Rumanika, are by far the
most gentle, polite, and attentive of any black men we have travelled
amongst.

17th.--Tired and out of patience with our prison--a river of crocodiles
on one side, and swamps in every other direction, while we could not go
out shooting without a specific order from the king--I sent Kidgwiga and
Kajunju to inform Kamrasi that we could bear this life no longer. As he
did not wish to see white men, our residing here could be of no earthly
use. I hoped he would accept our present from Bombay, and give us leave
to depart for Gani. The Wakungu, who thought, as well as ourselves, that
we were in nothing better than a prison, hurried off with the message,
and soon returned with a message from their king that he was busily
engaged decorating his palace to give us a triumphant reception; for he
was anxious to pay us more respect than anybody who had ever visited him
before. We should have seen him yesterday, only that it rained; and,
as a precaution against our meeting being broken up, a shed was being
built. He could not hear of our leaving the country without seeing him.

18th.--At last we were summoned to attend the king's levee; but the
suspicious creature wished his officers to inspect the things we had
brought for him before we went there. Here was another hitch. I