No Food, However, Was Given To My Men, Though The King,
Anticipating Bombay's Coming, Sent Me One Load Of Tobacco, One Of
Butter, And One Of Coffee.
My residence in Uganda became much
more merry now, for all the women of the camp came daily to call
on my two little girls; during which time they smoked my tobacco,
chewed my coffee, drank my pombe, and used to amuse me with queer
stories of their native land.
Rozaro's sister also came, and
proposed to marry me, for Maula, she said, was a brutal man; he
killed one of his women because he did not like her, and now he
had clipped one of this poor creature's ears off for trying to
run away from him; and when abused for his brutality, he only
replied, "It was no fault of his, as the king set the example in
the country."
In the evening I took a walk with Kahala, dressed in a red scarf,
and in company with Lugoi, to show my children off in the gardens
to my fair friends of yesterday. Everybody was surprised. The
Mgemma begged us to sit with him and drink pombe, which he
generously supplied to our heart's content; wondered at the
beauty of Kahala, wished I would give him a wife like her, and
lamented that the king would not allow his to wear such pretty
clothes. We passed on a little farther, and were invited to sit
with another man, Lukanikka, to drink pombe and chew coffee -
which we did as before, meeting with the same remarks; for all
Waganda, instructed by the court, know the art of flattery better
than any people in the world, even including the French.
7th. - In the morning, whilst it rained hard, the king sent to say
that he had started buffalo-shooting, and expected me to join
him. After walking a mile beyond the palace, we found him in a
plantain garden, dressed in imitation of myself, wideawake and
all, the perfect picture of a snob. He sent me a pot of pombe,
which I sent home to the women, and walked off for the shooting-
ground, two miles further on, the band playing in the front,
followed by some hundred Wakungu - then the pages, then the king,
next myself, and finally the women - the best in front, the worst
bringing up the rear, with the king's spears and shield, as also
pots of pombe, a luxury the king never moves without. It was
easy to see there would be no sport, still more useless of offer
any remarks, therefore all did as they were bid. The broad road,
like all in Uganda, went straight over hill and dale, the heights
covered with high grass or plantain groves, and the valleys with
dense masses of magnificent forest-trees surrounding swamps
covered with tall rushes half bridged. Proceeding on, as we came
to the first water, I commenced flirtations with Mtesa's women,
much to the surprise of the king and every one. The bridge was
broken, as a matter of course; and the logs which composed it,
lying concealed beneath the water, were toed successively by the
leading men, that those who followed should not be tripped up by
them. This favour the king did for me, and I in return for the
women behind; they had never been favoured in their lives with
such gallantry, and therefore could not refrain from laughing,
which attracted the king's notice and set everybody in a giggle;
for till now no mortal man had ever dared communicate with his
women.
Shortly after this we left the highway, and, turning westwards,
passed through a dense jungle towards the eastern shores of the
Murchison Creek, cut by runnels and rivulets, where on one
occasion I offered, by dumb signs to carry the fair ones pick-a-
back over, and after crossing a second myself by a floating log,
offered my hand. The leading wife first fears to take it, then
grows bold and accepts it; when the prime beauty, Lubuga,
following in her wake, and anxious to feel, I fancy, what the
white man is like, with an imploring face holds out both her
hands in such a captivating manner, that though I feared to draw
attention by waiting any longer, I could not resist compliance.
The king noticed it; but instead of upbraiding me, passed it off
as a joke, and running up to the Kamraviona, gave him a poke in
the ribs, and whispered what he had seen, as if it had been a
secret. "Woh, woh!" says the Kamraviona, "what wonders will
happen next?"
We were now on the buffalo ground; but nothing could be seen save
some old footprints of buffaloes, and a pitfall made for catching
them. By this time the king was tired; and as he saw me
searching for a log to sit upon, he made one of his pages kneel
upon all fours and sat upon his back, acting the monkey in aping
myself; for otherwise he would have sat on a mbugu, in his
customary manner, spread on the ground. We returned, pushing
along, up one way, then another, without a word, in thorough
confusion, for the king delights in boyish tricks, which he has
learned to play successfully. Leaving the road and plunging into
thickets of tall grass, the band and Wakungu must run for their
lives, to maintain the order of march, by heading him at some
distant point of exit from the jungle; whilst the Kamraviona,
leading the pages and my men, must push head first, like a herd
of buffaloes, through the sharp-cutting grass, at a sufficient
rate to prevent the royal walk from being impeded; and the poor
women, ready to sink with exhaustion, can only be kept in their
places by fear of losing their lives.
We had been out the whole day; still he did not tire of these
tricks, and played them incessantly till near sundown, when we
entered the palace.
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