Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Slave trade -- Africa
There was no doubt that this fellow, Abou Saood, was confident of
support from some Egyptian authority behind the scenes; he had therefore
determined to be humble before my face, to avoid being pounced upon at
once, but to have his own way when my back was turned, as he trusted
that after the advice he had given to Kabba Rega I should never return
from Unyoro. It would then be said that I had been killed by the
natives, the affair would be ended, and the official supporters of Abou
Saood would reinstate him in his original business for a sufficient
CONSIDERATION.
I made arrangements for the departure of my new irregulars. After many
invitations I at length succeeded in allaying Kabba Rega's
apprehensions, and he promised to pay me a visit on the 11th May.
Lieutenant-Colonel Abd-el-Kader went to meet him, and escorted him to
the new house.
On arrival in the divan he was much astonished and delighted. The room,
twenty-eight feet by fourteen, was arranged with double rows of metal
boxes on all sides, so closely packed that they formed either low tables
or seats, as might be required. These were all covered with blue
blankets, which gave a neat appearance, upon which, at the east end of
the room, were exhibited samples of the various goods that I had brought
for the establishment of a regular trade in Unyoro. There were tin
plates as bright as mirrors, crockery of various kinds, glasses, knives
of many varieties, beautiful Manchester manufactures, such as Indian
scarfs, handkerchiefs, piece-goods, light blue serge, chintzes, scarlet
and blue blankets, blue and crimson cotton cloth, small mirrors,
scissors, razors, watches, clocks, tin whistles, triangles, tambourines,
toys, including small tin steamers, boats, carriages, Japanese spinning
tops, horn snakes, pop-guns, spherical quicksilvered globes, together
with assortments of beads of many varieties.
"Are these all for me?" asked Kabba Rega.
"Certainly," I replied, "if you wish to exchange ivory. All these things
belong to the Khedive of Egypt, and any amount remains in the magazines
of Gondokoro. These are simply a few curiosities that I have brought as
an experiment to prove the possibility of establishing a trade."
Among other things, the wheel of life attracted his attention. This had
frequently been exhibited, but neither Kabba Rega nor his chiefs ever
tired of the performance.
The magnetic battery was now called for, and Kabba Rega insisted upon
each of his chiefs submitting to the operation, although he was afraid
to experiment upon himself. He begged Lieutenant Baker, who managed the
instrument, to give as powerful a shock as he could, and he went into
roars of laughter when he saw a favourite minister rolling on his back
in contortions, without the possibility of letting the cylinders fall
from his grasp.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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