THE WORLD'S WONDKRS. 4(33 



woman approached the lake to bathe, as was her dally custom, 

 and then seize and convey her without injury across the eight 

 mile channel to Ukara. The next day, at noon, the woman was 

 in the Ukara chief's house. "Ask Lukongeh, and he will confirm 

 what I have told you," said the honest Khamis. 



He then added, " Machunda, Lukongeh's father, owned a 

 crocodile that stole an Arab's wife and carried her across the 

 country to the king's house." Kaduma of Kagehyi, according 

 to Khamis, possessed a hippopotamus which came to him each 

 morning, for a long period, to be milked ! 



Families in mourning are distinguished by bands of plantain 

 leaf around their heads, and by a sable pigment of a mixture of 

 pulverized charcoal and butter. The clothing of men and women 

 consists of half-dressed ox-hides, goat-skins, a cincture of 

 banana leaves, or kirtles of a coarsely-made grass cloth. 



On the 7th of June Stanley obtained twenty-seven canoes from 

 the king, who cautioned him particularly against allowing any 

 of his subjects to know that they were to be used for any purpose 

 except to convey him back to his camp, as they were a very 

 suspicious people and might raise a disturbance. In the canoes, 

 accompanied by 216 of Lukongeh's men, Stanley returned to his 

 camp, and as a preliminary to securing the vessels he had them 

 hauled about two hundred yards on shore, and the paddles stored 

 in a strong house. The natives were not long in discovering that 

 something was wrong ; they then raised a big row and threatened 

 bloodshed, which was only averted by a strong show of force 

 backed by numerous guns. 



A FIERCE BATTLE. 



HAVING got rid of the dissatisfied and quarrelsome Ukereweans 

 by intimidating some and hiring others, Stanley prepared for 

 the lake voyage to Uganda, and on the morning of June 20th 

 embarked his entire force of 150 men, women and children in 

 the canoes and led the flotilla with the Lady Alice, which carried 

 fifteen persons and the ammunition. 



Owing to the very bad condition of the canoes five of them 

 sunk the first night out, and several persons eume .nea,r being 



