VISITS OF THE NATIVES. 
153 
king every morning. Since Speke had left, there was 
considerable difficulty in getting supplies, and the 
sultan was not so kind in this respect as he might 
have been ; but, African like, he had received his 
presents, and until more were given him he withheld 
sending goat, fowls, or other necessaries, which my 
men had to hunt the country for. One poor fellow 
lost his life in doing so. Two were together; the 
natives set upon them while bringing home loads of 
grain; they shot one with arrows, the other ran for 
his life, and slept all night up a tree, afraid to go near 
a village. On asking him, " Did you sleep V s "0 
yes, I tied myself with rope to the boughs, and slept 
several hours." The sultan sought for redress from 
the village, but all the people had decamped in fear. 
Several other natives paid me almost daily calls — offi- 
cers, barbers, ivory-traders, musicians, &c, in whom a 
good deal of character could be observed. At night 
my few men would gather round their fire, and, par- 
ticularly after having an extra allowance of plantain - 
wine, sing a ditty about my health. Frij on the 
single-stringed zeze or guitar would commence — " I 
am Frij, I am Frij ; my brother Grin (meaning Grant), 
my brother Grin, is very sick, is very sick; well get a 
cow, we'll get a cow, when he gets well, when he gets 
well," to which the others would all subscribe in a 
louder voice, "Ameen," with the most perfect solemnity. 
My couch or bed, the height of a table, was* formed 
of the trunks of plantain-trees covered with grass and 
blankets. This was roofed over with a low grass hut, 
having its gable end wide open to the south, where no 
wind blew from at that season. Much to the surprise of 
the natives, there was no fence round our encampment. 
