20th. - Cloudy, As Usual; Neither Sun, Moon, Nor Stars Will Show
Themselves.
Fortunately, milk can be procured here.
I live upon
buttermilk. Kamrasi came, and gave twenty elephants' tusks as a present
to Ibrahim. There is a report that Debono's people, under the command of
Ras-Galla, are once more at Rionga's; this has frightened him awfully."
Feb. 21st.-This morning Kamrasi was civil enough to allow us to quit the
marsh, the mosquito-nest and fever-bed where we had been in durance,
and we crossed to the other side of the Kafoor river, and quartered in
M'rooli. I went to see him, and, after a long consultation, he promised
to send me to the lake tomorrow. I immediately took off my sword and
belt, and presented them to him, explaining that, as I was now convinced
of his friendship, I had a pleasure in offering my sword as a proof of
my amicable feeling, as I thus placed the weapon of self-defence in his
hand, and I should trust to his protection. As a proof of the temper of
the blade, I offered to cut through the strongest shield he could
produce. This delighted him amazingly. I now trust to be able to reach
the junction of the Somerset with the M-wootan N'zige at Magungo, and
from thence to overtake Ibrahim at Shooa, and to hurry on to Gondokoro,
where a boat will be waiting for me from Khartoum.
"Ibrahim and his men marched this morning, on their return to Karuma,
leaving me here with my little party of thirteen men.
"Should I succeed in discovering the lake I shall thank God most
sincerely. The toil, anxiety, the biting annoyances I have daily been
obliged to put up with in my association with the Turks, added to our
now constant ill-health, are enough to break down the constitution of an
elephant. Every day I must give! - to the Turks, give! - to the natives,
give! If I lend anything to the Turks, it is an insult should I ask for
its return. One hasty word might have upset my boat; and now, for twelve
months, I have had to talk, to explain, to manage, and to lead the
brutes in this direction, like a coachman driving jibbing horses. Hosts
of presents to Ibrahim, combined with a vivid description of the
advantages that he would secure by opening a trade with Kamrasi, at
length led him to this country, which I could not have reached without
his aid, as it would have been impossible for me to have procured
porters without cattle. The porters I have always received from him as
far as Karuma for a payment of six copper rings per head for every
journey. I have now arranged that he shall leave for me thirty head of
cattle at Shooa; thus, should he have started for Gondokoro before my
arrival at Shooa, I shall be able to procure porters, and arrive in time
for the expected boat.
"Up to this day astronomical observations have been impossible, a thick
coat of slate colour obscuring the heavens. Tonight I obtained a good
observation of Canopus, giving latitude 1 degree 38 minutes N. By
Casella's thermometer I made the altitude of the Somerset at M'rooli
4,061 feet above the sea, showing a fall of 65 feet between this point
and below the falls at Karuma in a distance of 37 miles of latitude.
"Just as Ibrahim was leaving this morning I was obliged to secure the
slave Bacheeta as interpreter, at the price of three double-barrelled
guns to purchase her freedom. I explained to her that she was now free,
and that I wished her to act as interpreter during my stay in Unyoro;
and that I would then leave her in her own country, Chopi, on my return
from the lake. Far from being pleased at the change, she regretted the
loss of the Turks, and became excessively sulky, although my wife decked
her out with beads, and gave her a new petticoat to put her in a good
humour."
"Feb. 22d. - Kamrasi promised to send me porters, and that we should
start for the lake today, but there is no sign of preparation; thus am I
delayed when every day is so precious. Added to this trouble, the woman
that I have as an interpreter wall not speak, being the most sulky
individual I ever encountered. In the evening Kamrasi sent to say he
would give a guide and porters tomorrow morning. It is impossible to
depend upon him."
After some delay we were at length honoured by a visit from Kamrasi,
accompanied by a number of his people, and he promised that we should
start on the following day. He pointed out a chief and a guide who were
to have us in their charge, and who were to see that we obtained all
that we should require. He concluded, as usual, by asking for my watch
and for a number of beads; the latter I gave him, together with a
quantity of ammunition for his guns. He showed me a beautiful
double-barrelled rifle by Blissett, that Speke had given him. I wished
to secure this, to give to Speke on my return to England, as he had told
me, when at Gondokoro, how he had been obliged to part with that and
many other articles sorely against his will. I therefore offered to give
him three common double-barrelled guns in exchange for the rifle. This
he declined, as he was quite aware of the difference in quality. He then
produced a large silver chronometer that he had received from Speke. "It
was DEAD," he said, "and he wished me to repair it." This I declared to
be impossible. He then confessed to having explained its construction,
and the cause of the "ticking," to his people, by the aid of a needle,
and that it had never ticked since that occasion.
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