could
not submit to such disrespectful suspicions, but if he wished Bombay
to convey my present to him, I saw no harm in the proposition. The king
waived the point, and we all started, carrying as a present the things
enumerated in the note. [24] The Union Jack led the way. At the ferry
three shots were fired, when, stepping into two large canoes, we all
went across the Kafu together, and found, to our surprise, a small hut
built for the reception, low down on the opposite bank, where no strange
eyes could see us.

Within this, sitting on a low wooden stool placed upon a double matting
of skins--cows' below and leopards' above--on an elevated platform of
grass, was the great king Kamrasi, looking, enshrouded in his mbugu
dress, for all the world like a pope in state--calm and actionless.
One bracelet of fine-twisted brass wire adorned his left wrist, and his
hair, half an inch long, was worked up into small peppercorn-like knobs
by rubbing the hand circularly over the crown of the head. His eyes were
long, face narrow, and nose prominent, after the true fashion of his
breed; and though a finely-made man, considerably above six feet high,
he was not so large as Rumanika. A cow-skin, stretched out and fastened
to the roof, acted as a canopy to prevent dust falling, and a curtain of
mbugu concealed the lower parts of the hut, in front of which, on both
sides of the king, sat about a dozen head men.

This was all. We entered and took seats on our own iron stools, whilst
Bombay placed all the presents upon the ground before the throne. As no
greetings were exchanged, and all at first remained as silent as death,
I commenced, after asking about his health, by saying I had journeyed
six long years (by the African computation of five months in the year)
for the pleasure of this meeting, coming by Karague instead of by the
Nile, because the "Wanya Beri" (Bari people at Gondokoro) had defeated
the projects of all former attempts made by white men to reach Unyoro.
The purpose of my coming was to ascertain whether his majesty would like
to trade with our country, exchanging ivory for articles of European
manufacture; as, should he do so, merchants would come here in the same
way as they went from Zanzibar to Karague. Rumanika and Mtesa were both
anxious for trade, and I felt sorry he would not listen to my advice and
make friend with Mtesa; for unless the influence of trade was brought in
to check the Waganda from pillaging the c