382 MGAMBI HAS IMPERSONATED TEE KING. [chap, xiii; 
I now remembered, that the woman Bacheeta had 
on several occasions during the journey told us that 
the Kamrasi we had seen was not the true M'Kamma 
Kamrasi, but at the time I had paid little attention to 
her, as she was constantly grumbling, and I imagined 
that this was merely said in ill temper, referring to her 
murdered master Sali as the rightful king. 
I called the vakeel of the Turks, Eddrees: he said, 
that he also had heard long since that M'Gambi was 
not Kamrasi as we had all supposed, but that he had 
never seen the great king, as M'Gambi had always 
acted as viceroy; he confirmed the accounts I had 
just received, that the real Kamrasi was not far from 
this village, the name of which was “ Kisoona.” I told 
M'Gambi that I did not wish to see his brother the 
king, as I should perhaps be again deceived and be 
introduced to some impostor like himself; and that as 
I did not choose to be made a fool of, I should decline 
the introduction. This distressed him exceedingly; 
he said, that the “ king was really so great a man that 
lie, his own brother, dared not sit on a stool in his 
presence, and that he had only kept in retirement as a 
matter of precaution, as Debono’s people had allied 
themselves with his enemy Rionga in the preceding year, 
and he dreaded treachery/' I laughed contemptuously 
at M'Gambi, telling him that if a woman like my wife 
dgxed to trust herself far from her own country among 
such savages as Kamrasi's people, their king must be 
weaker than a woman if he dare not show himself in 
his own territory. I concluded by saying, that I should 
not go to see Kamrasi, but that he should come to visit 
me. M'Gambi promised to send a good cow on the 
following morning, as we had not tasted milk for some 
months, and we were in great want of strengthening 
food. He took his leave, having received a small 
present of minute beads of various colours. 
I could not help wondering at the curious combi¬ 
nation of pride and abject cowardice that had been 
displayed by the redoubted Kamrasi ever since our 
