224 UGANDA AND THE EGYPTIAN SOUDAN.

increased by the fact, that spite of the large excess of females existing, many of the lower classes cannot obtain wives. In common with all savage tribes, truth is held in very low estimation, and it is never considered wrong to tell lies ; indeed, a successful liar is considered a smart, clever fellow, and rather admired. Consequently they judge all travellers by their own standard, and if anything is told them which appears astounding, their reply is " Ulimba ! " " What a lie !

" The same applies to theft. The distinctions between meum and tuum are very ill-defined ; and indeed all sin is only relative, the crime consisting in being detected. The average Mganda, while dreadfully shocked if any one steals from him, or murders any of his friends, does not hesitate to do the like if there be a moderate chance of his escaping discovery. Human life is held at a very low estimate, and murder is very common. The following incident will show this. A young page of Mtesa's, son of a subordinate chief, was frequently employed to bring me messages from the palace, and one morning came down to my house, and informed me with great glee that he had just killed his father. I inquired why he had done this, and he said that he was tired of being merely a servant, and wished to become a chief, and said so to Mtesa, who replied, "Oh, kill your father, and you will become a chief; " and the boy did so.