The day's sport had been: - One lioness killed by myself; one leucotis
buck by Mr. Baker; one leucotis buck by Abd-el-Kader; two does of the
same species by Ferritch Ajoke; and the natives had speared three
calves. Total, one lioness and seven antelopes, ALL of which were to be
eaten.
We reached home at 5.40 p.m., not having had time to eat anything since
the preceding evening. The lioness measured nine feet six inches from
nose to tail extremity.
As this work is simply an account of the principal events connected with
the Khedive's expedition, I cannot afford space for many sporting
incidents. Game was very abundant, and we generally kept the station
well supplied; at the same time I gave large quantities of flesh to the
natives.
I sometimes sent a party of my "Forty" to hunt, in which sport they took
a great interest, and the practice with the rifle improved their
shooting.
The natives throughout the country were perfectly happy and contented,
but the women had been somewhat disturbed by the accounts they had
received of our encounter with the lioness. They held a meeting in
Gimoro's village.
On the following day both Gimoro and Shooli arrived at my public divan
looking rather dejected.
They informed me that the women, having held a meeting, had arrived at
the conclusion, "that the Pacha must not be allowed to go out hunting,
as he might possibly be killed by a lion or a buffalo." "What would
happen to us?" continued the women, "if any accident should befall our
father? Would not the slave-hunters immediately return to the country
and destroy us, simply because he had protected us? Do we not now sleep
in peace? and were we not always awake at night before he came among
us?"
The women decided that I was to be kept in the camp as a cojoor or
talisman, and that the natives were not to lead me into danger of wild
animals.
This declaration of the ladies of Fatiko could hardly be called
PETTICOAT government, as their total independence of attire precluded
any reference to such a garment; but it was a distinct assertion of
women's right to protect the person who had protected them. They were
excellent people, and were always well cared for and kindly treated by
the men.
My fort at Fatiko was within call of two large villages - those of Gimoro
and the sheik of the country: during my sojourn of seven months, I never
heard a woman scream, neither was there any domestic or civil
disturbance.
There were no police required in that country; there was no pickpockets,
as there were no pockets to pick - which was one advantage in favour of
nudity. A London police magistrate would have died of ennui; the
constables could not even have sworn to a case of intoxication, merely
as a matter of form to afford employment. There were no immoral females
to disgrace the public streets; neither were there any beggars,
vagrants, organ-grinders, or perambulators to worry, deafen, or upset
you. My country was a picture of true harmony. We had no complex
machinery of law; there was no such difficulty as an estate in Chancery;
no Divorce Court, or cases of crim. con. that necessitated an appeal.
Adultery would be settled by flogging respondent and co-respondent, with
a judicial separation after the punishment.
I had no ecclesiastical difficulties; no High Church, Ritualists, Low
Church, Broad Churchmen, Philosophers, Wesleyans, Baptists,
Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Independents, nor even a
Jesuit or a descendant of Israel to bring discord into my harmonious
tabernacle.
My troops were Mohammedans, without an opposing sect, therefore, for
lack of opposition, they were lukewarm believers.
The natives believed in nothing.
The curious fact remained, that without the slightest principle of
worship, or even a natural religious instinct, these people should be
free from many vices that disgrace a civilized community. I endeavoured
to persuade the most intelligent of the existence of a Deity who could
reward or punish; but beyond this I dared not venture, as they would
have asked practical questions, which I could not have explained to
their material understanding.
I extract verbatim from my journal the short entry of 31st December,
1872 : -
"The close of the year finds us, thank God, at peace in this country,
with every prospect of prosperity."
CHAPTER XXVI.
ARRIVAL OF M'TESE'S ENVOYS.
ON 15th January, 1873, the sentry on the rock citadel reported a party
arriving from the Unyoro road. Shortly after, the reports of guns were
heard, and it was made known that envoys had arrived from M'tese, the
king of Uganda, together with an escort of natives, and two of my
soldiers from Rionga. M'tese's people were armed with guns.
The envoys were quickly ushered into the new divan, which was a
circular, lofty building, twenty feet in diameter, neatly plastered, and
painted light grey with a mixture of wood-ashes.
Ali Jusef, the principal envoy, was a native of Sishuaali, on the coasts
of the Red Sea entrance, and the Indian Ocean. I had several officers
who were natives of the same country, including the gallant Ferritch
Agha and Said Agha: thus I had excellent interpreters.
The envoys were beautifully clean, in white Bombay cotton clothes, and
they were quite civilized, and as intelligent as Europeans. They
appeared to have a thorough knowledge of the route to India, and the
various tribes along the eastern coast of equatorial Africa.
These people gave me much useful information; and I shall, as usual in
this work, simply extract from my journal the exact entry made at the
moment whenever I received geographical reports from the natives: thus I
shall give to the public the unpolished statements precisely as I heard
them; upon which data theoretical geographers may form their own
opinions.
"The envoys report, that from Ujiji (pronounced by them Uyeye) you can
travel by lake direct to Magungo, the lake being the M'wootan N'zige.
