The only women that I saw were two, one of whom was the pretty
wife of Umbogo the dragoman. It has already been explained, that the
absence of women generally denotes hostility, but as the rainy season
necessitated hard work, I accepted the explanation.
The corn for the supply of Masindi was brought from a distance of two
days' journey, and numbers of people were daily employed in going to and
fro for the general provisions of the station.
The slave-hunters belonging to Suleiman, who were now prisoners under a
guard, numbered twenty-five men: I employed these people daily to clear
away the high grass, which was piled and burnt, the ashes were then
spread, and the ground was hoed up and thoroughly prepared by the
troops.
It was in vain that I urged upon Kabba Rega and his chiefs the necessity
of cultivation for the supply of corn requisite for the troops. Every
day they promised to clear away the grass, provided the soldiers would
then dig and prepare the ground. This I agreed to do, but the natives
showed no intention of working.
I began to suspect that Kabba Rega had an objection to a large open
clearing. The tactics of all natives are concealment; if a man is
frightened, he hides in the grass; in case of hostilities, the high
grass is a fortress to the negro. It became evident that we were to
remain surrounded by this dense herbage, which not only obstructed the
view, but rendered the station damp and dreary.
I explained to the chiefs the folly of Kabba Rega in thus neglecting
such magnificent soil, which, with a little labour, would produce all
that we could require, and would save both him and his people the
trouble of feeding us. At the same time I set all hands of my own people
to clear a large space and to make gardens.
Unyoro had always been a country of cowardice and suspicion, and I could
plainly see that we were narrowly watched. Kabba Rega usually sat in his
public divan from about two p.m. till 4 daily, to transact public
business. This large circular building was extremely neat, and the
ground was carefully strewed with the long fringes of the papyrus rush,
after the fashion of our ancestors in England, who, before the
introduction of carpets, strewed the floor with rushes.
The young king informed me that, as he wished to be in constant
communication with me personally, he should build a new divan within a
few yards of my residence, so that we could converse upon all occasions
without being watched by his people.
This was merely an excuse for erecting a building within fifty yards of
my house, from which his guards could watch all that happened, and
report everything to their master.
