THE WORLD S WONDERS. 



465 



ceremony and many evidences of friendship. Stanley took 

 this occasion to inform him of the object of his visit, which 

 was to procure guides and an escort to conduct him to Albert 

 Lake. Mtesa replied that he was now engaged in a war 

 with the rebellious people of Uvuma, who refused to pay 

 their tribute, harassed the cost of Chagwe, and abducted his 

 people, " selling them afterward for a few bunches of bananas," 

 and that it was not customary in Uganda to permit strangers to 

 proceed on their journeys while the Kabaka was engaged in war; 

 but as soon as peace should be obtained he would send a chief 



MTESA'S COUNCIL CHAMBER 



with an army to give him safe conduct by the shortest route t& 

 the lake. Being assured that the war would not last long, Stan- 

 ley resolved to stay and witness it as a novelty, and take advan- 

 tage of the time to acquire information about the country and 

 its people. 



On the 27th of August Mtesa struck his camp, and began the 



march to Nakaranga, a point of land lying within seven hundred 



yards of the island of Ingira, which had been chosen by the 



Wavuma as their depot and stronghold. He had collected an 



3O 



