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.
