THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 85 



Central African kings, when he came to the throne, was certainly 

 one of the most singularly unfeeling savages that white men have 

 ever come in contact with. Speke's visit to this dusky potentate, 

 however, was one which he had no reason to regret, for, on 

 account of a message carried forward from the Karasme kins;, 



O O O ' 



requesting Mtesa to receive the white man graciously, Speke's 

 reception was very cordial, the king granting him privileges 

 which even the highest officers in the realm were denied. 



On Speke's second visit to Mtesa at the palace, he carried with 

 him some rifles as presents for the king, being anxious to 

 ingratiate himself into his favor, to the end that he might obtain 

 such assistance as would be needed. Upon being admitted to 

 the palace, which was no more than an unusually large grass hut, 

 the king was found sitting on his throne, while mats were 

 arranged on the ground for the guests to sit on, no one being 

 allowed to sit upon any kind of raised seat in the presence of the 

 monarch. The magic horns, by which his magicians determined 

 his destiny, occupied a prominent place before Mtesa. Four 

 cows were grazing near the palace, unconscious of the presence 

 of royalty or the fate that awaited them. Speke presented 

 the guns to his sable majesty, who immediately requested him to 

 try them on the cows. He did so with fatal accuracy, killing 

 them all, whereat the king was greatly delighted, and directed 

 the carcasses to be delivered to Speke's men. Mtesa then loaded 

 one of the rifles with his own hands, and, cocking it, gave it to a 

 page and ordered him to "go out and shoot a man," with 

 a view to discovering if the weapon would kill men as readily as 

 it had dispatched the cows. The order was obeyed with alacrity, 

 and the young man soon returned in high glee over his success. 

 "Did you do it well?" asked Mtesa. " Oh, yes, capitally," was 

 the response. He spoke the truth, for he dared not trifle with 

 the king. The affair created no special interest, no curiosity 

 being exhibited as to what particular man had been slaughtered. 



A DOUBLE CHARGE ONLY A WOMAN KILLED. 



MTESA was so delighted with fire-arms that he continually 

 begged his guest to shoot before him, usually at cows for a mark, 



