atisfied until we had exchanged presents, to prove that we were the
best of friends. To do this last act properly, I was to get ready
whatever I wished to give him, whilst he would come and visit me with
a bullock; but I was to give him a royal salute, or the drums would not
beat. I never felt so degraded as when I complied, and gave orders to my
men to fire a volley as he approached my tent; but I ate the dirt with a
good grace, and met the young chief as if nothing had happened. My men,
however, could not fire the salute fast enough for him; for he was
one of those excitable impulsive creatures who expect others to do
everything in as great a hurry as their minds wander. The moment the
first volley was fired, he said, "Now, fire again, fire again; be quick,
be quick! What's the use of those things?" (meaning the guns). "We could
spear you all whilst you are loading: be quick, be quick, I tell you."
But Baraka, to give himself law, said: "No; I must ask Bana" (master)
"first, as we do everything by order; this is not fighting at all."

The men being ready, file-firing was ordered, and then the young chief
came into my tent. I motioned him to take my chair, which, after he sat
down upon it, I was very sorry for, as he stained the seat all black
with the running colour of one of the new barsati cloths he had got from
me, which, to improve its appearance, he had saturated with stinking
butter, and had tied round his loins. A fine-looking man of about
thirty, he wore the butt-end of a large sea-shell cut in a circle, and
tied on his forehead, for a coronet, and sundry small saltiana antelope
horns, stuffed with magic powder, to keep off the evil eye. His
attendants all fawned on him, and snapped their fingers whenever he
sneezed. After passing the first compliment, I gave him a barsati, as my
token of friendship, and asked him what he saw when he went to the Masai
country. He assured me "that there were two lakes, and not one"; for, on
going from Usoga to the Masai country, he crossed over a broad strait,
which connected the big N'yanza with another one at its north-east
corner. Fearfully impetuous, as soon as this answer was given, he said,
"Now I have replied to your questions, do you show me all the things you
have got, for I want to see everything, and be very good friends. I
did not see you the first day, because you being a stranger, it was
necessary I should first look into the magic horn to see if all was
right and