310 ACROSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



CHAPTER XXIY. 



A Fair Deceiver. — Marriage Ceremony. — The Youthful but Unblushing Bride. — A 

 Mountain Gap. — Grand Thunder-storm. — Lake Kassali. — Not allowed to visit It. — 

 Return of a Chief. — Medicine-men. — Their Dress. — Ventriloquism. — They impose 

 upon the Public. — Am Suspected of possessing Power to dry up the Lake. — Nar- 

 row Escape of my Messengers. — Manufacture of Floating Islands. — Jumah Meri- 

 kani's Kindness. — Strange Tales. — Lion -tamers. — Deadly Shade. — Sculpture. — 

 Cave-dwellings. — Poisonous Water. — A Tribe of Lepers. — My Occupations.— Ka- 

 songo's Wives. — Their Shocking Behavior. — A Performer of Tricks. — Kasongo 

 returns. — An Afternoon Call. — His Appearance. — His Band plays me Home. — 

 Their Excruciating Performance. — They will not "move on." — My Anxiety to 

 do so. 



November, As there appeared no prospect of Kasongo's return, and no 

 1874. intelligence of his whereabouts could be procured, I anxiously 

 ' asked his wife from day to day for guides to the lake of which 



I had heard. 



She continually made fair promises, but never kept her word : 

 and at last, tired of the delay and disappointment, I induced Ju- 

 mah Merikani to provide me with men who knew the road, and 

 started on the 14th of November for Lake Kassali. 



Marching across the salt plain a little south of the route by 

 which we had previously traversed it, we arrived the next day 

 at Kibaiyeli, a village of fair proportions, having in it numerous 

 oil-palms, and intersected by a stream of clear water. 



Unfortunately for my repose and comfort, the ceremonies at- 

 tendant on a native wedding were at their height when I ar- 

 rived. As the bride was a niece of the chief, and the bride- 

 groom a head-man, it was an unusually grand affair, and the 

 shouts and yells with vrhich it was celebrated continued both 

 day and night, and rendered sleep impossible. 



A dozen men were constantly eugaged in wheeling around 

 and about two others i)laying drums. The dancers Avere pro- 

 vided with rude pan-pipes producing most discordant sounds, 

 and an admiring crowd assisted with y.ells and clapping of 



