24 



THE LAKE EE G IONS OF CENTRAL AFEICA. 



Cutchee, and even able to distinguish between the debits 

 and the credits of his voluminous sheets. 



During the conversation, the loud wail of death rang 

 wildly through the grave- like stillness of night. " 0 

 son, hope of my life ! 0 brother, dearest of brothers ! 



0 husband! 0 husband!" these were the cries which 

 reached our ears. We ran to the door of the Gurayza. 

 The only son of the venerable Diwan Ukwere, who had 

 been ascending the Kingani river on a mercantile expe- 

 dition, with five slaves, had' been upset by a vengeful 

 hippopotamus, and, with two of his attendants, had lost 

 his life. 



" Insaf Karo ! be honest!" said the Banyan, with 

 whom I had had many discussions as to whether it be 

 lawful or unlawful to shoot the hippopotamus, " and own 

 that this is the first calamity which you have brought 

 upon the country by your presence." 



I could only reply with the common-places of pole- 

 mics. Why should Ladha, who by purchasing their 

 spoils encouraged the destruction of herds of elephants, 

 object to the death of a " creek-bull" ? and why should 

 the man who would not kill the u creek-bull " be ready 

 to ruin a brother-man for making a better bargain 

 about its tusks? Ladha received these futile objections 

 contemptuously, as you would, right reverend father, 

 were I to suggest that you, primate and spiritual peer, 

 are not exactly following in the footsteps of certain 

 paupers whom you fondly deem to have been your pro- 

 totypes, — your exemplars. 



When Ladha left, my spirits went with him. In 

 the solitude and the silence of the dark Gurayza, I 

 felt myself the plaything of misfortune. At Cairo 



1 had received from the East India House an order 

 to return to London, to appear as a witness on a 



