206 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



to the palace. The directions were faithfully followed, but the 

 kin" took so lanje a dose of the medicine that it made him very 



O O 



sick, whereat he imagined that his guest had used "magic" 

 against him, and was very unfriendly for several days. From 

 that time Baker's supplies were cut off, and his subsistence was 

 confined to such articles as he could buy from the natives, princi- 

 pally butter and plantains, which provided an exceedingly slim 

 diet. About a week after these events he was suddenly aroused 

 one night by a horrible din of beating drums, blowing horns and 

 screaming natives. Gathering his rifle and cartridge belt, he 

 rushed out to find Kamrasi's camp in a state of consternation, 

 produced by the report that Debono, with a party of one hundred 

 and fifty men, was marching on Kisoona with the intention of 

 laying waste the country and killing Kamrasi. The old king 

 was not long in making his appearance, dressed simply in a 

 kilt of blue baize which Speke had given him. He was shaking 

 with fright and implored aid. Baker commended his dress, and 

 said it was well adapted to fighting. " Fighting!" the king 

 exclaimed, with the horror of 'Bob Acres,' "I am not going 

 to fight ! I have dressed lightly to be able to run quickly. 

 I mean to run away! Who can fight against guns? Those 

 people have one hundred and fifty guns ; you must run with 

 me ; we can do nothing against them ; you have only thirteen 

 men ; Ibrahim has only ten ; what can twenty-three do against 

 a hundred and fifty? Pack up your things and run ; we must 

 be off into the high grass and hide, at once ; the enemy is 

 expected every moment !" Baker frankly told Kamrasi that his 

 cowardice ill became a king, and that such a man was not a fit 

 ruler for any people ; but this failed to reassure him. To prevent 

 an attack, however, Baker sent eight of his men with Turkish 

 guides to confer with Debono. On the next evening they returned 

 with one of Debono' s headmen, who stated that the Turks had 

 no intention of disturbing Baker's party ; that indeed the report 

 had reached them that both he and his wife had died several 

 weeks before, from starvation, for which Kamrasi was respon- 

 ssiUe, Baker told the officer that Debono must at once recross 



