HIS VENERATION FOR LIONS. 
141 
This sovereign several times came to call while I 
lay sick, one day bringing me a fish alive in a jar 
from the lake ; this pleased me, as the Wahuma have a 
prejudice against fish. But his chief delight seemed 
to be in medicines and pictures. It was an anxious 
moment when our tent was emptied of all listeners, 
and we were pressed for a medicinal charm to bring 
about the death of his brother Kogeerah. Then, 
during the visit, the weight of the mercury, its reflec- 
tions, &c, were looked at in amazement ; the compass 
— "was there water in it?" — our shoes, our bedding — 
all were marvels. With the sextant he looked through 
at the sun without fear; and when consulted one morn- 
ing by my servant about some strange large animals 
that came in at night to our camp, he recommended 
that the next time they appeared we should challenge 
them three times, and if no answer were received, to 
fire at them; for "depend upon it they were enemies 
sent by his rebel brother to lay a trap for him." 
Should they, however, prove to be leopards, they were 
not to be molested. For all leopards they have a 
great reverence, asDagara, the late sovereign, is believed 
to be still protected by them; and on an invading army 
coming from Uganda, this sultan had the power to 
send leopards to disperse them. Their skins are only 
worn by royalty or its followers. The sultan, on 
seeing the picture of some of his milk-carriers, sent 
for the sketch-book, turned out all idlers, and showed 
them to a few favourite servants about his family. 
His wives were quite clamorous about seeing them, 
asking why Eumanika had not been drawn. The 
back view of a naked young prince, enormously fat, 
with clotted long hair concealing his neck, gave them 
