CAUSE OF DELAY. 
109 
leaf and exchanged by the surgeons, who rub it 
with butter twice into the wound with the leaf, 
which is now torn in pieces and strewn over the 
" brothers' " heads. A solemn address is made by the 
older of the attendants, and they conclude the cere- 
mony by rubbing their own sides with butter, shaking 
hands, and wishing each other success. Ten rounds of 
ammunition are then fired off; a compliment from 
each of the four drums is sounded, and they parade 
the village all the afternoon. This was the form ob- 
served by the Wanyamuezi. An Uganda lad, the 
magician of the sultan, made brotherhood with Rehan, 
the cook, by cutting marks on his chest and rubbing 
in the fat of lions. This young wizard of Uganda, 
with his bamboo tube, could blow away all the 
enemies of the sultan, or, if persuaded to go out shoot- 
ing with you, a second blast from his trumpet would 
make the animals of the forest stand before you ! 
The last of their unintelligible customs I shall men- 
tion, was that of a number of men amusing themselves 
by running fast through and about the village, singing, 
at every third or fourth step, " Queri" or " Hairy," and 
" Queri Mahamba." I had seen the same custom across 
country, outside the village ; and on the nights of this 
great stir, dancing would also take place. 
To give a description of the difficulties and disap- 
pointments we experienced for nearly four months in 
procuring men to carry our luggage, would be tiresome. 
I shall only mention a few instances. Speke was away 
sixty miles in advance of me with a portion of the pro- 
perty : neither he nor I could proceed a step ; we were 
like two planets compelled by a fixed law to preserve 
our distances. He resolved on making a flying march 
