and more suspicious that some foul plot was being brewed.
He and his company had walked ten miles, and the lake was but two
miles away, divided from them by a wood. Suddenly there leapt out from
behind the trees of the wood hundreds of men headed by Mujasi himself.

They levelled their guns and spears at Mackay and his friends and
yelled, "Go back! Go back!"

"We are the King's friends," replied Mackay, "and we have his leave to
travel. How dare you insult us?"

And they pushed forward. But the soldiers rushed at them; snatched
their walking-sticks from them and began to jostle them. Mackay and
Ashe sat down by the side of the path. Mujasi came up to them.

"Where are you walking?" he asked.

"We are travelling to the port with the permission of King M'wanga and
the Katikiro."

"You are a liar!" replied Mujasi.

Mujasi stood back and the soldiers rushed at the missionaries, dragged
them to their feet and held the muzzles of their guns within a few
inches of their chests. Mackay turned with his boys and marched back
to the capital.

He and Ashe were allowed to go back to their own home on the side of
the hill, but the five boys were marched to the King's headquarters
and imprisoned. The Katikiro, when Mackay went to him, refused to
listen at first. Then he declared that Mackay was always taking boys
out of the country, and returning with armies of white men and hiding
them with the intention of conquering Uganda.

The Katikiro waved them aside and the angry waiting mob rushed on the
missionaries yelling, "Mine shall be his coat!" "Mine his trousers!"
"No, mine!" shouted another, as the men scuffled with one another.

Mackay and Ashe at last got back to their home and knelt in prayer.
Later on the same evening, they decided to attempt to win back
the King and the Prime Minister and Mujasi by gifts, so that their
imprisoned boys would be freed from danger.

Mackay spoke to his other boys, telling them to go and fly for their
lives or they would be killed.

In the morning Mackay heard that three of the boys who had been
captured on the previous day were not only bound as prisoners, but
that Mujasi was threatening to burn them to death. The boys were named
Seruwanga, Kakumba, and Lugalama. The eldest was fifteen, the youngest
twelve.

The boys were led out with a mob of howling men and boys around them.
Mujasi shouted to them: "Oh, you know Isa Masiya (Jesus Christ). You
believe you will rise from the dead.