440 
THE BODY-GUARD . 
[chap. XV 
disposal;—he boasted that “all belonged to him/ 
Thus, when disposed to be liberal, he took from others 
and bestowed upon his favourites ; should any sufferer 
complain, there were no lawyer s costs, but the “ shoe,” 
or death. His power depended upon a perfect system 
of espionage by which he obtained a knowledge of all 
that passed throughout his kingdom;—that being 
divided into numerous small districts, each governed 
by a chief who was responsible for the acts committed 
within his jurisdiction, the government was wonderfully 
simplified. Should a complaint be made against a 
governor, he was summoned before the king; if guilty, 
death, or the “shoe!” To be suspected of rebellion, 
was to die. A body-guard of about 500 men, who 
were allowed to pillage the country at discretion, 
secured the power of the king, as with this organized 
force always at hand he could pounce upon the sus¬ 
pected and extinguish them at once; thus the tyrant 
held his sway over a population so timid that they 
yielded tamely to his oppression. Having now allied 
himself to the Turks, he had conceived the most am¬ 
bitious views of conquering Uganda, and of restoring 
the ancient kingdom of Kittwara; but the total absence 
of physical courage will utterly frustrate such plans 
for extension, and Kamrasi the Cruel will never be 
known as Kamrasi the Conqueror. 
