A Halt Of Some Days Had Become Necessary At Kari To Collect The
Cows Given By The King; And, As
It is one of the most extensive
pasture- grounds, I strolled with my rifle (11th) to see what new
animals
Could be found; but no sooner did I wound a zebra than
messengers came running after me to say Kari, one of my men, had
been murdered by the villagers three miles off; and such was the
fact. He, with others of my men, had been induced to go
plundering, with a few boys of the Waganda escort, to a certain
village of potters, as pots were required by Budja for making
plantain-wine, the first thing ever thought of when a camp is
formed. On nearing the place, however, the women of the village,
who were the only people visible, instead of running away, as our
braves expected, commenced hullalooing, and brought out their
husbands. Flight was now the only thought of our men, and all
would have escaped had Kari not been slow and his musket empty.
The potters overtook him, and, as he pointed his gun, which they
considered a magic-horn, they speared him to death, and then fled
at once. Our survivors were not long in bringing the news into
camp, when a party went out, and in the evening brought in the
man's corpse and everything belonging to him, for nothing had
been taken.
12th. - To enable me at my leisure to trace up the Nile to its
exit from the lake, and then go on with the journey as quickly as
possible, I wished the cattle to be collected and taken by Budja
and some of my men with the heavy baggage overland to Kamrasi's.
Another reason for doing so was, that I thought it advisable
Kamrasi should be forewarned that we were coming by the water
route, lest we should be suspected and stopped as spies by his
officers on the river, or regarded as enemies, which would
provoke a fight.
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