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Late at night orders came announcing that I might write my despatches, as sixty men were ready to start for Karague. 28th. I sent one of my men with despatches to Kamrasi, who detained him half the day, and then ordered him to call to-morrow.
When the next day came, he would not come near me, as he said I must possess a deole, otherwise I would not venture on to Karague; for nobody ever yet "saw" Rumanika without one. This suspension of business was worse than the rows; I felt very miserable, and became worse.
The child-king then changed his dress for another suit of clothes for his brothers to admire, and I retired, much annoyed, as he would neither give pombe for myself, nor plantains for my men: and I was further annoyed on my arrival at home, to find the Wanguana mobbing my hut and clamouring for food, and calling for an order to plunder if I did not give them beads, which, as the stock had run short, I could only do by their returning to Karague for the beads stored there; and, even if they were obtained, it was questionable if the king would revoke his order prohibiting the sale of provisions to us.
I sent Frij with a letter to the king, containing an acknowledgment that, on the arrival of the rear property from Karague, he would be entitled to half of everything, reserving the other half for any person I might in future send to take them from him. He accepted the letter, and put it into his mzungu the tin box I had given him.
Reasoning thus, the Hindu traders alone, in those days, I believed, had a firm basis to stand upon, from their intercourse with the Abyssinians through whom they must have heard of the country of Amara, which they applied to the N'yanza and with the Wanyamuezi or men of the Moon, from whom they heard of the Tanganyika and Karague mountains.
Viarungi made a petition, on Rumanika's behalf, for an army of Waganda to go to Karague, and fight the refractory brother, Rogero; but this was refused, on the plea that the whole army was out fighting at the present moment. The court then broke up and we went home.
I received a letter from Grant, dated 10th February, reporting Baraka's departure for Unyoro on the 30th January, escorted by Kamrasi's men on their return, and a large party of Rumanika's bearing presents as a letter from their king; whilst Grant himself hoped to leave Karague before the end of the month.
I then told them again and again of the messages I had sent on to Rumanika in Karague, and to Suwarora in Usui, and begged them to listen to me, instancing as an example of what could be done by perseverance the success of Columbus, who, opposed by his sailors' misgivings, still when on and triumphed, creating for himself immortal renown.
Further, Abdullah told me of a wonderfully high and steep mountain beyond Karague doubtless the Mfumbiro being constantly covered with clouds; and I heard from him of a salt lake doubtless the Little Luta Nzige which had some connection with the N'yanza. These details were, however, so obscurely given, I feared to place them on my map at that time.
Since we had entered Karague we never could get one drop of milk either for love or for money, and I wished to know what motive the Wahuma had for withholding it.
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