NEWS ABOUT UGANDA. 
217 
pleasure to get amongst them to see order once more. 
Sheep, goats, and cattle were safe grazing at the road- 
side — not one of my escort dared touch them. It must 
have been very trying to them, for provision was 
scarce, and could not be purchased. We passed some 
small lakes, and the residence of the present king 
when he was a youth — all was now a wilderness, but 
pointed to with as great reverence as we should regard 
a sacred or historical spot. When within one march 
of the capital, Mariboo refused to convey me nearer 
"till an order came, because all travellers remained 
there a fortnight and more — it was the custom of the 
country ! " However, the detention was only for one 
day, and on the morning of the 26 th of May a dashing 
party of Seedees came with their usual joyful demon- 
strations, bearing a letter and a fore-quarter of goat 
from my friend Speke ! Cheering thought, to have 
him once more so near ! We now heard a great deal of 
news. First, " there was no food, only boiled plantain, 
in Uganda, and this could only be had by risking their 
lives ! My arrival would be celebrated by a great 
deal of bloodshed. Captain Speke was a favourite 
with the king, because he was not, like the Arabs, 
particular about having the cattle or goats killed ac- 
cording to Mohammedan rites/' This last bit of news 
led me to ask Frij whether all Mohammedans ate 
fish. His reply was, " They do not eat every fish — 
only those that have the finger and thumb mark of God 
making them lawful." They continued : " Baraka, 
who had been sent to the north with letters for the 
boats from Egypt, had been seen in Unyoro all safe, 
but its king would not allow him to come to join us 
vid Uganda. The ships were still at Ugani. The 
