RESIDENCE AT KATUNGA. 
4 5 
possession of the road. He gave me his gooro-nut box, carved in 
the shape of a tortoise in ebony. I promised to let him have thirty 
musquets, with powder and ball ; on which he went away dancing, 
tripped and fell, but was soon picked up by his ladies. He always 
brings us some little present when he comes, and to-day he brought 
us a bottle of honey, and some fruit called agra, about the size of a 
pear, with a hard outer skin, four large black seeds, surrounded by 
a pleasant acid pulp, like tamarinds, of a cream colour. My servant 
Pascoe met in the market to-day some Fellatahs, who told him 
there was no war in Nyffe ; that the king was only afraid of the 
Fellatahs; that the Fellatahs ofRaka had taken nine Yourribanis, 
who had been found in a suspicious place, but were going to return 
them here on the morrow. Raka is only one day's journey north- 
north-east from Katunga. 
Monday, 6th. — In the evening, at the request of the king, 1 
again set off five rockets, one of which having too low an elevation 
ran along the ground, but fortunately only set fire to some grass. 
We afterwards went and saw the king, who, with his ladies and 
principal men, was sitting outside under the verandah to see the 
rockets. He presented us with gooro nuts, and said he would come 
and see us in the morning. 
Tuesday, 7th. — In the middle of the day the king visited me, 
and brought a bottle of honey and two cock fowls. He began 
joking me as to what I was about to give him. I said I had no- 
thing to give him. Says he, “ I ask you to give me one of your 
servants.” “ I can’t do that,” says I ; “ they are free men as well as 
myself.” “What,” says he, “no slaves in England!” “No,” says 
I, “ as soon as a slave sets his feet in England he is free.” “ Then," 
says he, “as you must go, either Mr. Houtson or Richard must 
stop with me. I must have one.” After a good deal of conversa- 
tion of this kind I asked him to fix a day for our departure. He 
artfully shifted the subject of conversation to that of women. Would 
