14 UGANDA AND TEE EGYPTIAN SOUDAN.

after lier death, one of his sisters seemed to take her place as his confidential adviser, but he felt his wife's loss very deeply. One day I gave the king a smoking-cap, which had been made and embroidered by my sister ; he was highly pleased, and showed it to his wives as a specimen of English ladies' work. A few days afterwards, I saw a copy of it, made by one of his wives out of the native bark cloth, the embroidery being imitated by bead-work. It was very well done, and showed great ingenuity and skill. The bead and wicker-work of the Waganda is of a very superior order, as is also their grassplaiting. I have a drinking- tube, given me by Mtesa ; the spiral portion is wonderfully regular, and it is also curious to note that they use the " crown knot," which can be seen at the end of the tube.

In my interviews with Mtesa, I always endeavoured to induce him to talk on general subjects, and was often successful ; indeed, many of my afternoon visits lasted for two and three hours. His interest in religious conversations has already been mentioned, so that here I will merely say that at nearly all our interviews the subject was introduced.

Sometimes I would talk to him about England, sometimes about medical matters. I had with me some large anatomical plates, and he was never tired of looking at them. He soon understood them himself, and then he would explain them to his