60 MRULI TO THE CAPITAL OF UNYORO. 



The sun had hardly risen when Katagrua arrived, bringing 

 with him the present he had yesterday led me to expect. Two 

 fat white oxen with long horns, a package of fine white salt (from 

 the Albert Lake), three packages of Telabun corn (Meusine 

 coracana), and two packages of meal of the same kind of corn 

 were laid before me, together with several jars of very good 

 banana wine, accompanied by Kabrega's best greetings. After 

 Katagrua had gone, I had hardly time, before my audience with 

 Kabrega, to prepare the presents which I had brought for 

 him, and which far surpassed anything that he could previously 

 have received. Exactly at midday my guide, Kapempe, ap- 

 peared, this time dressed in a kuftaii and tarbush (presents 

 from me), and our procession started. It was headed by three 

 Matongalis ; then followed my guide, Kapempe, with all his 

 people ; then two porters carrying the presents for Kabrega ; 

 and I, in uniform, on horseback, attended by my soldier, brought 

 up the rear. 



The road led for ten minutes towards the north-west, down- 

 hill across Khor Kyai, which was full of papyrus and amomum, 

 and over which a bridge had been thrown in my honour. Then 

 again uphill, past two small compounds, in the shadow of which 

 stood crowds of staring people. We crossed an open square, 

 leaving to our right the king's cattle zeriba, in which were 

 numerous houses for the Wahiima herdsmen. A circular togul 

 rose before us, with lofty entrances in front and at the back, 

 the space before which was roofed in. The floor of the togul 

 was clean and strewn with green papyrus-leaves ; in the middle 

 of it sat Kabrega upon a high stool, surrounded by his office- 

 bearers, crouching upon the floor ; behind the king stood about 

 ten men and boys, armed with guns. At his feet crouched 

 Manyara, the interpreter, a man with a bird-like face. My 

 stool was placed close to that occupied by the king, and we 

 surveyed each other intently for several moments. 



This, then, was Kabrega, the cowardly, treacherous, beggarly 

 drunkard described by Baker. The graceful folds of a piece 

 of fine salmon-coloured bark cloth covered his body up to the 

 breast, above which it was perfectly bare, except the left shoulder, 

 over which was thrown, like a plaid, a piece of darker-coloured 

 bark cloth. Two burnt scars were visible on the temples of his 



