204 THE GREAT TOURNEY FROM SEA TO SEA. 
to utilize his precious medical stores, and wisely, for the people were 
famishing: medical comforts for the dead had no meaning. So 
he made a quantity of gruel, which kept the expedition alive for 
eight and forty hours, and then the men he had despatched to Suma 
for provisions returned with food. Refreshed, they all marched on. 
The explorer had received a cordial invitation to visit King 
Mtesa. Accordingly five canoes escorted the traveler to Usavara, 
the capital of the king. The explorer was most kindly received, 
and closely questioned upon subjects of so diverse a character as to 
remind Stanley of a college examination for a degree. 
A GREAT NAVAL PARADE. 
King Mtesa appeared quite a civilized monarch, quite a differ¬ 
ent being from what he had been when Speke and Grant had visited 
him as a young man. He had become an adherent of Mahomet, 
wore Arab dress, and conducted himself well. He entertained 
Stanley with reviews of canoes, a naval ‘‘demonstration’’ of eighty- 
four “ships” and 2,500 men! Shooting matches, parades, and many 
other civilized modes of entertainment were practiced for the amuse¬ 
ment of the white man. In Uganda the traveler is welcomed, and 
perfectly safe. 
King Mtesa’s country is situated on the equator, and is a much 
more pleasant land than might be supposed from its geographical 
position, being fertile, and covered with vegetation. It is a pecu¬ 
liarly pleasant land for a traveler, as it is covered with roads, which 
are not only broad and firm, but are cut almost in a straight line 
from one point to another. Uganda seems to be unique in the mat¬ 
ter of roads, the like of which are not to be found in any part of 
Africa, except those districts which are held by Europeans. 
The roads are wide enough for carriages, but far too steep in 
places for any wheeled conveyance; but as the Waganda (the name 
given to the inhabitants of Uganda) do not use carriages of any 
kind, the roads are amply sufficient for their purposes. The Wa¬ 
ganda have even built bridges across swamps and rivers, but their 
knowledge of engineering has not enabled them to build a bridge 
that would not decay in a few years. 
