114 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



shot the buffalo and the village of Koki, in the province of 

 Gani. The weather now was fine, and the view afforded was 

 very beautiful, looking toward the village, which was composed 

 of about fifty conical huts, located on the ridge of a small chain 

 of granitic hills. As they approached nearer, knots of naked 

 rnen could be seen perched like monkeys on the granite blocks 

 awaiting their arrival. According to the usage of the country, 

 Speke and his porters halted while the guides were sent forward 

 to notify Chongi, the governor-general, that a party of visitors 

 from Kamrasi were coming to be his guests for a day or more. 

 This information was very pleasing to Chongi, who had been 

 appointed governor of the district by Kamrasi. All the notables 

 of the place, covered with war-paints, and dressed, so far as their 

 nakedness was covered at all, like clowns in a fair, charged 

 down the hill full tilt with their spears, and, after performing 

 their customary evolutions, mingled with Speke's men and 

 invited them up the hill, where they no sooner arrived than 

 Chongi, a very old man, attended by his familiar, advanced to 

 receive them one holding a white hen, the other a small gourd 

 of pombe and a little twig. 



Chongi gave the party a friendly harangue byway of greeting, 

 and, taking the fowl by one leg, swayed it to and fro close to the 

 ground in front of his assembled visitors. After this ceremony 

 had been repeated by the familiar, Chongi took the gourd and 

 twig and sprinkled the contents all over the travellers ; retired 

 to the Uganda, or magic house a very diminutive hut sprinkled 

 pornbe over it ; and, finally, spreading a cowskin under a free, 

 bade Speke and Grant sit, and gave them a jorum of pombe, 

 making many apologies that he could not show them more hospi 

 tality, as famine had reduced his stores. What politeness in the 

 midst of such barbarism ! Nowhere had they seen such naked 

 creatures, whose sole dress consisted of bead, iron, or brass orna- 

 ments, with some feathers or cowrie-beads on the head. Even 

 the women contented themselves with a few fibres hung like tails 

 before and behind. The hair of the men was dressed in the same 

 fantastic fashion. Babies were carried at their mother's backs, 



