assed
that he did not see one, and sometimes more, of the unhappy female
inmates of the palace dragged off to execution by one of the body-guard,
the poor creature shrieking out, as she went to premature death: "Oh, my
lord, my king, my mother!" and yet no one dared to lift a hand to
preserve her.

He made several sporting excursions with the king, who was always
delighted when he shot a bird or an animal, jumping and leaping, and
shouting: "_Woh! woh! woh_!" to express his delight. One of these was
to the Lake Nyanza, after Speke had somewhat ingratiated himself with
the sovereign. It was somewhat of a picnic party, and the king was
accompanied as usual by a choice selection of his wives. Having crossed
over to a woody island some distance from the shore, the party sat down
to a repast, when large bowls of _pomba_ were served out. They then
took a walk among the trees, the ladies apparently enjoying themselves
and picking fruit, till, unhappily, one of the most attractive of them
plucked a fruit and offered it to the king, thinking, probably, to
please him. He took it, however, as a dire offence, and, declaring that
it was the first time a woman had had the audacity to offer him food,
ordered the pages to lead her off to execution. No sooner had the words
been uttered than the abominable little black imps rushed at her like a
pack of beagles, slipping off their cord turbans and throwing the ropes
round her limbs. She, indignant at being touched, remonstrated and
attempted to beat them off, but was soon overcome and dragged away,
crying out the names of "_Kamraviona! Mzungu_!" the title applied to
Speke, for help and protection, while the other women clasped the king
round the legs, imploring him to pardon their unhappy sister. His only
reply was to belabour the miserable victim with a thick stick. Speke
had carefully abstained heretofore from interfering with any of the
king's acts of arbitrary cruelty. On hearing, however, his own name
imploringly pronounced, his English blood was up, and, rushing at the
tyrant, he stayed his uplifted arm, and demanded the poor creature's
life. He, of course, ran a great risk of losing his own; but the
novelty of the event seemed to tickle the capricious chief, and he at
once ordered the woman to be released.

This was, however, one of the only occasions on which he was successful.

Day after day both men and women were led off to execution. On one
occasion a poor girl