298 
OUR SOLITARY SITUATION. 
lower jaw-bone ornamented, buried, and a tomb-bouse 
built over it. The bands and bair of kings' officers 
are preserved in a similar manner. The umbilical 
cord of male children is buried inside the doorway, 
and those of females outside, as was the custom also 
at Zanzibar. We had not much sickness while at 
Unyoro, but there were some cases of tertian fever and 
dysentery. Amongst the inhabitants there were no 
remarkable diseases ; the only complaint of the men 
was that their progeny did not always live; they 
could not have the number of children they wanted — 
a fact which can only be explained by the poverty of 
their diet and the abuses of polygamy. 
Our situation was little better than that of a 
prisoner in a solitary cell. We certainly had our 
" morning post" after breakfast — the king's messenger 
— but there was seldom any news, and the day hung 
heavily. No one was allowed to visit us but these 
postmen coming to ask how we had passed the 
night. Natives from interesting countries all round 
would visit the king, but we could not see them ! 
Dances and parties went on, and we could not attend 
them. Eain was felt as a relief, as it employed one 
in reading the gauge every morning. The insects at 
night were interesting, particularly a species of glow- 
worm half an inch long, seen amongst the roots of the 
grasses. If placed upon the hand or sleeve, it travel- 
led quickly, throwing out a constantly twinkling light 
at shorter intervals than the firefly, which also was 
numerous. We slept in separate huts. Mine was 
occupied by my two servants, who, though only 
screened from me, talked incessantly to themselves 
or to me, and sometimes got up to eat in the middle 
