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.
"The Victoria N'yanza is called by two names, 'Sessy' or 'Kurewe.'
Although large, it is small in comparison with the M'wootan N'zige"
There was no news of Livingstone; but, according to my request from
Masindi, M'tese had sent everywhere in search of him, and he had
forwarded my two letters addressed to him in different directions.
The king, M'tese, had written me a letter expressing great friendship,
and declaring that when the news of Kabba Rega's treachery had reached
him, he had sent an army under General Congow, to be placed at my
disposal.
This army was now quartered at Mashudi, (two days' march from
Rionga's island, on the road to Masindi) waiting for my orders. M'tese
begged me to visit him as soon as possible, as he only had one desire,
i.e. "to see my face," and that he "did not wish for presents."
This was a model African potentate; at the same time I could not
possibly visit him, as my term of service would expire upon the 1st of
April.
I was much disappointed at this impossibility, as M'tese can do more for
Central Africa than any other potentate. He behaved well to Speke and
Grant, and he had been very true to me.
On 11th February, fresh envoys arrived from M'tese, including my old
friend Waysooah, who was as usual dressed very carefully in Indian
costume, with a handsomely-worked cotton robe.
