SQUABBLES. 



255 



that we were about to traverse Ugogo by another route, 

 he demanded his Ada or customs, which being newly- 

 imposed were at once refused by Kidogo. The sultan, 

 a small man, a " mere thief," — as a poor noble is graphi- 

 cally described in these lands, — threatened violence, 

 whereupon the asses were brought in from grazing and 

 were ostentatiously loaded before his eyes : when he 

 changed his tone from threats to beggary. Kidogo 

 relenting gave him two cloths with a few strings of 

 beads, preferring this slender disbursement to the 

 chance of a flight of arrows during the night. His 

 good judgment was evidenced by the speedy appearance 

 of the country-people, who brought with them bullocks, 

 sheep, goats and poultry, water-melons and pumpkins, 

 honey, butter-milk, whey and curded-milk, an abundance 

 of holcus and calabash-flour. The latter is made from 

 the hard dry pulp surrounding the bean-like seed con- 

 tained in the ripe gourd : the taste is a not unpleasant 

 agro-dolce, and the people declare it to be strengthening 

 food, especially for children ; they convert it into por- 

 ridge and rude cakes. 



This abundance of provaunt caused a halt of four 

 days at the Ziwa, and it was spent in disputes between 

 the great Said and the greater Kidogo. The ostensible 

 " bone of contention," was cloth advanced by the former 

 to the porters — who claimed as their perquisite a bul- 

 lock before entering Ugogo — without consulting the 

 hard-headed slave, who wounded in his tenderest place 

 of pride, had influence enough to halt the caravan. The 

 real cause of the dispute was kept from my ears till 

 some months afterwards, but secrets in this land are as 

 the Arabs say, " Like musk, murder, and Basrah-garlic," 

 they must out, and Bombay, who could never help blurt- 

 ing forth the tacenda with the dicenda, at last accident- 



