116 ACROSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



August, ness and rendered much assistance, I am compelled to add that 

 i^*^'^- many of the smaller traders threw every possible obstacle in 

 our way, tempting our men to desert, and even carrying them 

 off in some cases against their will. 



One case was especially galling, some of our pagazi, while 

 drunk, being enticed a\yay by a man on the point of starting 

 for the coast, although he well knew they belonged to us. On 

 hearing of this proceeding, I sent to remonstrate, and in reply 

 received a message to the effect that he should retain the pa- 

 gazi unless I agreed to pay him three doti a man, which he 

 averred he had advanced to them. 



Not feeling inclined to submit to this extortion, I represented 

 • the matter to the governor, who investigated the case, and oi'- 

 dered the men to be given up. Before the conclusion of the 

 affair, another attack of fever laid me low, and Dillon, not 

 knowing the full particulars of the case, yielded to the man's 

 demand. When I recovered, I found, to my chagrin, that not 

 only had the cloth gone, but the men had also disappeared, hav- 

 ing been marched out of Unyanyembe in chains. 



While remaining here, a caravan belonging to Mtesa, Chief 

 of Uganda, ari-ived, bringing a letter from Sir Samuel Baker 

 addressed to Dr. Livingstone. I thought it advisable to open 

 the letter, to ascertain whether it contained any news of Liv- 

 ingstone. It was dated from Fort Fatiko, and in it Sir Samuel 

 mentioned having had some trouble with Kabba liegga (Kam- 

 rasi). Chief of Unyoro, by which he had lost many followers, 

 but that, Mtesa having sent men to assist him, he had passed 

 through the difficulty. 



As these people said tliey should at once return to Mtesa s, I 

 intrusted them with a letter for Sir Samuel, and also two for 

 ]y;tesa — one in English, wdiich was, of course, only a matter of 

 form ; the other in Arabic, the contents of which would, I 

 knew, be explained by a Mohammedan missionary who had 

 resided w^itli him for some years. I also forwarded two good 

 cloths as a present, for at that time there appeared some possi- 

 bility of receiving directions from Dr. Livingstone to proceed 

 to the Victoria Nyanza. 



We heard that the only obstacle in converting Mtesa to the 

 Mohannnedan religion was the difficulty experienced in find- 



