UGANDA JOURNAL.


 kindness. He was stout, white of hair, bristling of moustache, and pink of
 face. He referred to himself constantly as 'the man on the spot.' He worked
 -as a motor-engine works, by a series, of explosions. He exploded at his over-
 worked secretary; he exploded at his officers; he exploded at anything or
 anybody that thwarted or annoyed him".
 This man caused real trouble. Without any reference to the Colonial Office,
 he decreed that the rate of taxation in Sanders' Territories must be increased.
 Sanders reported that any such action would provoke a wholesale rebellion,
 and, when Sir Harry persisted, he cunningly issued orders for the evacuation of
 all the missionaries. Their Societies protested to the Colonial Office, which politely
 asked Sir Harry to explain wlwt it was all about. This caused an explosion of
 more than usual severity, and in an evil moment the Administrator penned
 a vitriolic despatch to the Secretary of State, in which the importance of trusting
 the 'man on the spot' was definitely over-emphasized. On a previous occasion
 in his career, these tactics had worked, but not so this time, with Joseph Chamber-
 lain at the Colonial Office. Sir Harry was informed by cable that his successor
 had been appointed, and that he was to return to England by the first available
 steamer.

 A third Administrator was a Scotsman, Sir Macalister Campbell Cairns. In
 appearance and temper he was not unlike Sir Harry, but he was much more
 manageable. By day he was the stern Administrator, talking perfect official
 English, and out to reform all abuses, particularly abuses connected with Mr.
 Sanders' monstrous methods of administering justice. But he had his moments
 of relaxation. His habits from sun-down onwards were convivial, and by the
 end of most evenings his speech became that type of Higher Standard Scots;
 which good Caledonian Societies telegraph to each other round about St. Andrew's
 tide; and the precincts of Government House resounded to the music of the
 bag-pipes on which Sir Macalister was an expert performer. At such times he
 was approachable, and reasonable, even on official matters.
 He made a considerable favourite of Bones. The latter when summoned to
Headquarters to answer for his sins, volunteered to learn the pipes, and the
Administrator's heart at once melted towards him, and he proceeded then and
there to instruct him, with a fair amount of success.

 It was through the joint efforts of Sir Macalister and Bones on the pipes
that serious trouble on Sanders' northern frontier, with possible international
complications, was shortly afterwards averted. The "Old King" had been giving
trouble and Sir Macalister insisted on taking the matter out of Sanders' hands
and going up personally to the Ochori border to settle the palaver, and on taking
Bones with him as guide, companion, and fellow-musician.
 A meeting-place was appointed at which the "Old King" had prepared a very
pretty little ambush. While proceeding to this rendez-vous the Administrator and
Bones beguiled the time pleasantly by practising on the pipes. By a fortunate
coincidence it so happened that the witch-doctors had recently, by dire pro-
phecies, been putting the "Old King's" people in mortal terror of certain dreadful