As his reputation for strength and courage was well known, the villagers then submissively permitted him to do as he listed.
As he grew up in might and valour, Uni’s regards cooled towards Wanyana, and, as she was not permitted that freedom formerly enjoyed by her, her visits to Kimyera ceased. Mugema sympathised with the mother, and contrived to send Kimyera with pots to sell to the people of the court, with strict charge to discover every piece of news relating to the Princess Wanyana. The mother’s heart dilated with pride every time she saw her son, and she contrived in various ways to lengthen the interview. And each time he returned to his home he carried away some gift from Wanyana, such as leopard-skins, strings of beast claws, beads, and crocodile-teeth, girdles of white monkey-skin, parcels of ground ochre, or camwood, or rare shells, to show Mugema and his wife. And often he used to say, “Wanyana bade me ask you to accept this gift from her as a token of her esteem,” showing them similar articles.
His mother’s presents to him in a short time enabled him to purchase two fine large dogs—one was black as charcoal, which was named by him Msigissa, or “Darkness,” the other was white as a cotton tuft, and called Sema-gimbi, or “Wood-burr.” You must know that it is because of the dog Darkness, that the Baboon clan of Uganda became so attached to black dogs, by which they perpetuate the memory of Kimyera.
When he had become the owner of Darkness and Wood-burr, he began to absent himself from home for longer periods, leaving the herds in charge of the herdsmen. With these he explored the plains, and hills, and woods to a great distance from his home. Sometimes he would be absent for weeks, causing great anxiety to his kind foster-parents. The further he went the more grew his passion to know what lay beyond the furthest ridge he saw, which, when discovered, he would be again tempted to explore another that loomed in the far distance before him. With every man he met he entered into conversation, and obtained a various knowledge of things of interest relating to the country, the people, and the chiefs. In this manner before many months he had a wide knowledge of every road and river, village and tribe, in the neighbouring lands.
On his return from these daring excursions, he would be strictly questioned by Mugema and his wife as to what he had been doing, but he evaded giving the entire truth by rehearsing the hunting incidents that attended his wanderings, so that they knew not the lands he had seen, nor the distances that he travelled. However, being uneasy in their minds they communicated to Wanyana all that was related to them and all they suspected. Wanyana then sought permission to pay a visit to the potter and his wife, and during the visit she asked Kimyera, “Pray tell me, my son, whither dost thou travel on these long journeys of thine to seek for game?”
“Oh! I travel far through woods, and over grassy hills and plains.”
“But is it in the direction of sunrise, or sunset, is it north or is it south of here?”
To which he replied: “I seek game generally in the direction whence the sun rises.”
“Ah!” said Wanyana. “In that way lies Ganda, where thy father lives, and whence he came in former days to exchange cattle for salt and hoes.”
“My father! What may be my father’s name, mother?”