[The Discovery of the Source of the Nile by John Hanning Speke]@TWC D-Link book
The Discovery of the Source of the Nile

CHAPTER VII
12/31

It was not in the palace, but outside, without a tree near it; anything but a nice-looking residence." I then sent Bombay to work at the hongo business; but, after haggling till night with Kariwami, he was told he must bring fourteen brass wires, two cloths, and five mukhnai of kanyera, or white porcelain beads--which, reduced, amounted to three hundred necklaces; else he said I might stop there for a month.
At last I settled this confounded hongo, by paying seven additional wires in lieu of the cloth; and, delighted at the termination of this tedious affair, I ordered a march.

Like magic, however, Vikora turned up, and said we must wait until he was settled with.

His rank was the same as the others, and one bead less than I had given them he would not take.

I fought all the day out, but the next morning, as he deputed his officers to take nine wires, these were given, and then we went on with the journey.
Tripping along over the hill, we descended to a deep miry watercourse, full of bulrushes, then over another hill, from the heights of which we saw Suwarora's palace, lying down in the Uthungu valley, behind which again rose another hill of sandstone, faced on the top with a dyke of white quartz.

The scene was very striking, for the palace enclosures, of great extent, were well laid out to give effect.


<<Back  Index  Next>>

D-Link book Top

TWC mobile books