144 
STORIES TOLD BY THE SULTAN. 
and they gradually beat the drums quicker, till end- 
ing in a tremendous roll. This continues for three 
hours, with intervals, and is repeated the day follow- 
ing. A band of hand-drums is near the sultan s hut, 
giving lighter dance-music for the amusement of the 
boys and girls, who must make merry as the new- 
moon term comes round. 
Eumanika was on excellent terms with the neigh- 
bouring kings of Uganda and Unyoro, often exchang- 
ing presents with them. He had sent to M'tesa of 
Uganda a book printed in English (" Kaffir Laws"), 
which we saw on getting to Uganda ; and they would 
send to him for powder, cloth, &c, he being supposed 
by the chiefs living further north to have easier access 
to the coast. In return for these favours, or for the 
gift of a porcelain cup, or neatly-made ankle or wrist 
ornaments in brass or copper, &c, he would expect to 
receive ivory, cattle, or slaves. Curious enough, none 
of these kings had ever visited each other, consequently 
their ideas of foreign countries were very limited, and 
they believed any story a designing traveller might 
choose to tell them. Eumanika, for instance, expected 
to have seen us always dressed in white cambric shirts, 
instead of which we had no soap to wash our flannel 
ones ! Was it true that we made doors out of his 
ivory ? He told us the road to the north was a most 
dangerous one ; we could not march through it without 
200 guns ! One race we should have to pass through 
were pigmies ; others lived in trees, and seized women ; 
dogs we should come across with horns, sheep with three 
horns, and men travelled about with a stool tied be- 
hind them. This last was partly true, for we found 
the Wagani carrying little stools on their arms; and 
