Unprepared For This Social Addition In My Camp, I Must Now
Confess I Felt In A Fix, Knowing Full Well
That nothing so
offends as rejecting an offer at once, so I kept her for the time
being, intending in
The morning to send her back with a string of
blue beads on her neck; but during the night she relieved me of
my anxieties by running away, which Bombay said was no wonder,
for she had obviously been seized as part of some confiscated
estate, and without doubt knew where to find some of her friends.
To-day, for the first time since I have been here, I received a
quantity of plantains. This was in consequence of my complaining
that the king's orders to my men to feed themselves at others'
expense was virtually making them a pack of thieves.
1st. - I received a letter from Grant, dated 10th February,
reporting Baraka's departure for Unyoro on the 30th January,
escorted by Kamrasi's men on their return, and a large party of
Rumanika's bearing presents as a letter from their king; whilst
Grant himself hoped to leave Karague before the end of the month.
I then sent Bombay to see the queen, to ask after her health, beg
for a hut in the palace enclosures, and say I should have gone
myself, only I feared her gate might be shut, and I cannot go
backwards and forwards so far in the sun without a horse or an
elephant to ride upon. She begged I would come next morning. A
wonderful report came that the king put two tops of powder into
his Whitworth rifle to shoot a cow, and the bullet not only
passed through the cow, but through the court fence, then through
the centre of a woman, and, after passing the outer fence, flew
whizzing along no one knew where.
2d. - Calling on the queen early, she admitted me at once,
scolding me severely for not having come or sent my men to see
her after she had taken the pills. She said they did her no
good, and prevailed on me to give her another prescription. Then
sending her servant for a bag full of drinking-gourds, she made
me select six of the best, and begged for my watch. That, of
course, I could not part with; but I took the opportunity of
telling her I did not like my residence; it was not only far away
from everybody, but it was unworthy of my dignity. I came to
Uganda to see the king and queen, because the Arabs said they
were always treated with great respect; but now I could perceive
those Arabs did not know what true respect means. Being poor
men, they thought much of a cow or goat given gratis, and were
content to live in any hovels. Such, I must inform her, was not
my case. I could neither sit in the sun nor live in a poor man's
hut. When I rose to leave for breakfast, she requested me to
stop, but I declined, and walked away. I saw, however, there was
something wrong; for Maula, always ordered to be in attendance
when anybody visits, was retained by her order to answer why I
would not stay with her longer. If I wanted food or pombe, there
was plenty of it in her palace, and her cooks were the cleverest
in the world; she hoped I would return to see her in the morning.
3d. - Our cross purposes seemed to increase; for, while I could
not get a satisfactory interview, the king sent for N'yamgundu to
ascertain why I had given him good guns and many pretty things
which he did not know the use of, and yet I would not visit him
to explain their several uses. N'yamgundu told him I lived too
far off, and wanted a palace. After this I walked off to see
N'yamasore, taking my blankets, a pillow, and some cooking-pots
to make a day of it, and try to win the affections of the queen
with sixteen cubits bindera, three pints peke, and three pints
mtende beads, which, as Waganda are all fond of figurative
language, I called a trifle for her servants.
I was shown in at once, and found her majesty sitting on an
Indian carpet, dressed in a red linen wrapper with a gold border,
and a box, in shape of a lady's work-box, prettily coloured in
divers patters with minute beads, by her side. Her councillors
were in attendance; and in the yard a band of music, with many
minor Wakungu squatting in a semicircle, completed her levee.
Maula on my behalf opened conversation, in allusion to her
yesterday's question, by saying I had applied to Mtesa for a
palace, that I might be near enough both their majesties to pay
them constant visits. She replied, in a good hearty manner, that
indeed was a very proper request, which showed my good sense, and
ought to have been complied with at once; but Mtesa was only a
Kijana or stripling, and as she influenced all the government of
the country, she would have it carried into effect. Compliments
were now passed, my presents given and approved of; and the
queen, thinking I must be hungry, for she wanted to eat herself,
requested me to refresh myself in another hut. I complied,
spread my bedding, and ordered in my breakfast; but as the hut
was full of men, I suspended a Scotch plain, and quite eclipsed
her mbugu curtain.
Reports of this magnificence at once flew to the queen, who sent
to know how many more blankets I had in my possession, and
whether, if she asked for one, she would get it. She also
desired to see my spoons, fork, and pipe - an English meerschaum,
mounted with silver; so, after breakfast, I returned to see her,
showed her the spoons and forks, and smoked my pipe, but told her
I had no blankets left but what formed my bed.
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