The girls and women-servants were as usual extremely industrious; they
also had formed little companies, and the merits of the rival gardens
were often warmly discussed.
Three acres of land, thus carefully cultivated, made a very civilized
appearance. The cucumber plants had grown wonderfully, and had already
formed fruit. Not a leaf was withered or attacked by insects, and both
the soil and climate of Masindi were perfection for agricultural
experiments. The thermometer generally stood at 62 degrees F at six
a.m., and at 78 degrees F at noon. The air was always fresh and
invigorating, as the altitude above the sea-level was nearly 4,000 feet.
An industrious population would have made a paradise of this country,
but the Unyoro people are the laziest that I have ever seen. The days
were passed either in sleep, or by the assembly of large crowds of
idlers, who stood at the entrance of the broad, gravelled approach, and
simply watched our proceedings.
The only excitement was produced by the sudden rush of Kabba Rega's
guards (bonosoora) with big sticks among the crowd, whom they belaboured
and chased, generally possessed themselves of the best garments of those
who were captured, with which they returned to their quarters, as lawful
prizes.
This daring system of thieving was considered as great fun by all those
members of the crowd who had escaped; and the unfortunates who had been
reduced to nudity by the loss of their garments were jeered and
ridiculed by the mob with true Unyoro want of charity.
These bonosoora were an extraordinary collection of scoundrels.
The readers of "The Albert N'yanza" may remember the "Satanic Escort,"
with which I was furnished by Kamrasi for my journey from M'rooli to the
lake; these were bonosoora. I could never learn the exact number that
formed Kabba Rega's celebrated regiment of blackguards, but I should
imagine there were above 1,000 men who constantly surrounded him, and
gained their living by pillaging others.
Any slave who ran away from his master might find an asylum if he
volunteered to enlist in the bonosoora. Every man who had committed some
crime, or who could not pay his debts, could find a refuge by devoting
himself to the personal care of the young king, and enrolling within the
ranks of the royal guards. The general character of these ruffians may
be easily imagined. They lounged away their time, and simply relieved
the monotony of their existence by robbing passers-by of anything that
attracted their cupidity.
Umbogo belonged to this celebrated corps, and he informed me that hardly
a night passed without some person being murdered by these people, who
would always kill a man after dark, unless he yielded up his property
without resistance. The great number of vultures that continually
hovered over Masindi were proofs of Umbogo's story, as these birds
generally denote the presence of carrion. My men had, on several
occasions, found bodies lying in the high grass, neatly picked to the
bone, which had only recently died.
There was much to be done before the brutal customs of Unyoro could be
reformed: and I was by no means satisfied with the conduct exhibited by
Kabba Rega. He had promised faithfully that he would send a large force
to clear away the high grass by which our station was surrounded; this
was never fulfilled, neither could I engage the natives to work for
hire.
I had observed for some time past that his people were rapidly extending
the town of Masindi, by erecting new buildings upon both our flanks,
which, although only a few yards from our clearing, were half obscured
by the high grass; thus it appeared that we were being gradually
surrounded.
Since the departure of the post with my escort and the irregular levy,
nothing was done by the natives, except the usual lounging by day, and
drinking and howling, with drums and horns as an accompaniment,
throughout the night.
Kabba Rega had always declared that the natives would work for me and
obey every order when the slave-hunters should have been expelled from
the country. Although the people who were lately a portion of the
slave-hunter's company had now been enlisted in the service of
government, not one man remained in Masindi, as I had sent them all away
to Fatiko, at the particular request of Kabba Rega.
The real fact was, that so long as the slave-trader's people were in the
country, both the king and his people knew that we were independent of
native guides, as Suleiman's men knew all the paths, from their long
experience of the country when engaged in the civil wars. It was
considered that in the absence of the new levy of irregulars we should
be perfectly helpless to move, as we were dependent upon Kabba Rega for
guides.
From the general conduct of the people since the departure of my party
with the post to Fatiko, I had a strong suspicion that some foul play
was intended, and that, when the 300 native carriers should have taken
the people across the Victoria Nile, they would desert them in the
night, and return with the boats. I therefore wrote a letter addressed
to the second vakeel, Eddrees, ordering him to return at once to Masindi
with the entire party if he had any suspicion of treachery.
I concealed this note in a packet of blue cloth, together with a few
little presents for Shooli and Gimoro, at Fatiko; but I had written on
the brown paper cover of the parcel, instructions that Eddrees or
Mohammed, the dragoman, should search the contents, as a letter was
hidden within. I gave this packet to Umbogo, telling him that it was a
present for Shooli, and begging him to despatch a messenger without
delay to overtake the party before they should have crossed the Victoria
Nile.
