DOGS AND CATTLE. 
281 
We had no sport while here. The king was such a 
morose autocrat he would not allow us to go beyond 
our dwellings ; but this was no great loss, the country 
being mostly covered with water. It had been said 
of this country that the fences of the huts were made 
of elephants' tusks; but we found that the natives 
rarely killed the elephant, and when they did, used 
only the rudest uncertain methods. No pitfalls were 
seen, merely a heavy wedge of iron suspended from 
a tree. A leopard-kitten was one day brought us ; he 
had been caught in the rushes, and Speke desired to 
buy him and make a pet of him, but his owner would 
take nothing for him in case he should happen to 
die ; if, however, he survived, a present would be 
acceptable. The little animal seemed to pine away for 
want of its natural food, and died in a few days, when 
it was given back to be eaten by its original owner. 
The king had a large coarse breed of dogs, foxhound 
colour, although he never seemed to employ them for 
any purpose. He wished us to give him a medicine 
to prevent disease amongst cattle ; but our own soon 
became affected, and we knew of no remedy. The 
complaint attacked grown-up animals of all ages ; they 
became thin, with a staring coat, refused food, some- 
times frothed at the mouth ; and as certain as they 
were attacked, although showing no signs of actual 
distress, their death was inevitable. The natives 
always ate the carcass, but the meat looked fly-blown 
and discoloured. Calves appear to suffer from a weak- 
ness in the limbs. Our cowherd came, with a five- 
days-old calf following him, to our door, asking for a 
thread to tie round each of its hocks. On being asked 
what charm this had, the reply was, " Don't you see 
