320 UGANDA AND THE EGYPTIAN SOUDAN.

wine; and tea and coffee followed after dinner.

Such excellent cooking we had only once in Africa.

After dinner Zenab asked us to stay and see the Mudir's other wives ; we accepted the invitation, and they were called in. Three of them were black beauties, and the fourth was a lovely Abyssinian girl of a lighter tint, with expressive gazelle-like eyes. They were neatly and simply attired in print dresses ; but Zenab's gaudy colours would have greatly shocked those aesthetic gentlemen who delight in olive-greens and sickly blues, and worship Mr. Whistler's " Harmonies." They sat down on the ground, while Zenab stood and gave us an account of their history.

The next two days were engaged in finding porters, which was a matter of some difficulty, for Kabrega had heard of our journey, and had given strict injunctions to his people not to carry any of our goods. But Mahomet Aga himself went and procured us porters by holding out to them great promises of reward, and perhaps adding a few judicious threats.

At Magungo we were to bid farewell to the steamer and begin marching. It is a great tribute to British enterprise that a traveller can penetrate so far inland in a steamer. The first suggestion for placing one here was made by Sir Samuel Baker, and though many difficulties had to be encountered before his idea could be carried out, Colonel Gordon