150 ACROSS AFEICA. [Chap. 



CHAPTEK XII. 



Ugara.— 'A Ludicrous Sight. — Mirambo's Head-quarters. — Destruction and Desola- 

 tion. — The Havoc of the Slave-trade. — A Field for England's Labors. — Leo sur- 

 prises the Natives. — Leg Ornaments. — Liowa. — My Pets. — A Lawless Set of Ruf- 

 fians. — Heavy Rains. — Bee-nesting. — A Stampede. — Lost in Jungle. — A Panic. — 

 Rocky Residences. — An Attempt at Extortion. — I give a Lecture on Hospitality. — 

 Its Good Effect. — Nothing to Eat. — " Jasmin " Dies. — Tameness of my Goat. — 

 Unfriendly Villages. — A Buffalo-charge. 



January, Ugara, in wliicli we were now, is not recognized as being 

 i^*^*- part of Unyamwezi proper, although, owing to the people hav- 

 ing the same manners and tribal marks, and their language be- 

 ing nearly identical, they are not to be easily distinguished 

 from tlieir neighbors. 



On the 8th of January we moved from the banks of the 

 South Ngombe toward Tewere, but were shortly met by about 

 twenty people sent by Taka — chief of the easternmost of the 

 three portions into which Ugara is divided — to inquire our rea- 

 sons for having entered his territory without sending to apjjrise 

 him of our approach. Matters being soon explained, they re- 

 turned with us, and showed us where to halt ; but we were not 

 allowed to camp in Tewere. 



This village was a perfect mass of vegetation, the trees with- 

 in it growing so thickly and closely together that nothing could 

 be seen of the huts ; and even the palisades, constructed of 

 poles of the bark-cloth tree, had taken root and sprouted, and 

 had thus become like the fortifications of Robinson Crusoe. 

 Taka's own village was some seven miles to the northward of 

 us, and would have lain on our route had we been allowed to 

 follow the road taken by us on making our first journey from 

 Hisinene. 



We had scarcely camped, when emissaries arrived from Taka. 

 ^nd demanded twenty doti and two guns as mhongo. The 

 guns I could not spare, and would not give ; so compromised 



