THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 411 



tract of fertile country. On its most desirable site, with the 

 river flowing close under the wall, he built his capital, and called 

 it Simbamwenni, which means "The Lion," or the strongest 

 city. In old age the successful robber and kidnapper changed 

 his name of Kisabengo, which had gained such a notoriety, to 

 Simbamwenni, after his town; and when dying, after desiring 

 that his eldest daughter should succeed him, he bestowed the 

 name of the town upon her also. 



Stanley, after praising the country for its great beauty and 

 marvelous fertility, says: "A railroad from Bagamoyo to Sim- 

 bamwenni might be constructed with as much ease and rapidity 

 as, and at far less cost than, the Union Pacific Railway, whose 

 rapid strides day by day toward completion the world heard oi 

 and admired. A residence in this part of Africa, after a thorough 

 system of drainage had been carried out, would not be attended 

 with any rncra discomfort than generally follows upon the occu- 

 pation of new land. The temperature at this sea?on during the 

 day never exceeded 85 Fahrenheit. The nights were pleasant 

 too cold without a pair of blankets for covering. 

 THE SULTANA'S REVENGE. 



WHILE passing Simbamwenni, Stanley was accosted by some 

 soldiers sent out by the Sultana to collect a tribute for the privi- 

 lege of a passage. He refused to pay anything, and sent back 

 word that he recognized no right by which such a demand should 

 be made. He heard nothing further at that time from the bold 

 princess. 



Five miles further on, a cook belonging to the expedition was 

 arrested for stealing. This being his fourth offense, Stanley 

 ordered him to be flogged with a cowhide over his jacket, a pun- 

 ishment which was hardly as severe as the thief deserved ; and 

 in order to frighten him, Stanley told him that he must leave the 

 camp and get back to Zanzibar the best way he could. The man, 

 thinking the order was given in earnest, bolted off and disap- 

 peared in the jungle. Stanley knew that the man must perish if 

 he really attempted to travel to Zanzibar, and supposing he would 



