I Asked Him, In Kisuahili, If He Knew Where Grant Was?
On
replying in the negative, I proposed sending a letter, which he
approved of; and Budja was again ordered to go with an army for
Petherick.
22d. - Mabruki and Bilal, with Budja, started to meet Petherick,
and three more men, with another letter to Grant. I called on
the king, who appointed the 24th instant for an excursion of
three days' hippopotamus-shooting on the N'yanza.
23d. - To-day occurred a brilliant instance of the capricious
restlessness and self-willedness of this despotic king. At noon,
pages hurried in to say that he had started for the N'yanza, and
wished me to follow him without delay. N'yanza, as I have
mentioned, merely means a piece of water, whether a pond, river,
or lake; and as no one knew which N'yanza he meant, or what
project was on foot, I started off in a hurry, leaving everything
behind, and walked rapidly through gardens, over hills, and
across rushy swamps, down the west flank of the Murchison Creek,
till 3 p.m., when I found the king dressed in red, with his
Wakungu in front and women behind, travelling along in the
confused manner of a pack of hounds, occasionally firing his
rifle that I might know his whereabouts. He had just, it seems,
mingled a little business with pleasure; for noticing, as he
passed, a woman tied by the hands to be punished for some
offence, the nature of which I did not learn, he took the
executioner's duty on himself, fired at her, and killed her
outright.
On this occasion, to test all his followers, and prove their
readiness to serve him, he had started on a sudden freak for the
three days' excursion on the lake one day before the appointed
time, expecting everybody to fall into place by magic, without
the smallest regard to each one's property, feelings, or comfort.
The home must be forsaken without a last adieu, the dinner
untasted, and no provision made for the coming night, in order
that his impetuous majesty should not suffer one moment's
disappointment. The result was natural; many who would have come
were nowhere to be found; my guns, bed, bedding, and note-books,
as well as cooking utensils, were all left behind, and, though
sent for, did not arrive till the following day.
On arriving at the mooring station, not one boat was to be found,
nor did any arrive until after dark, when, on the beating of
drums and firing of guns, some fifty large ones appeared. They
were all painted with red clay, and averaged from ten to thirty
paddles, with long prows standing out like the neck of a syphon
or swan, decorated on the head with the horns of the Nsunnu
(lencotis) antelope, between which was stuck upright a tuft of
feathers exactly like a grenadier's plume. These arrived to
convey us across the mouth of a deep rushy swamp to the royal
yachting establishment, the Cowes of Uganda, distant five hours'
travelling from the palace. We reached the Cowes by torchlight
at 9 p.m., when the king had a picnic dinner with me, turned in
with his women in great comfort, and sent me off to a dreary hut,
where I had to sleep upon a grass-strew floor. I was surprised we
had to walk so far, when, by appearance, we might have boated it
from the head of the creek all the way down; but, on inquiry, was
informed of the swampy nature of the ground at the head of the
creek precluded any approach to the clear water there, and hence
the long overland journey, which, though fatiguing to the
unfortunate women, who had to trot the whole way behind Mtesa's
four-mile-an-hour strides, was very amusing. The whole of the
scenery - hill, dale, and lake - was extremely beautiful. The
Wanguana in my escort compared the view to their own beautiful
Poani (coast); but in my opinion it far surpassed anything I ever
saw, either from the sea or upon the coast of Zanzibar.
The king rose betimes in the morning and called me, unwashed and
very uncomfortable, to picnic with him, during the collection of
the boats. The breakfast, eaten in the open court, consisted of
sundry baskets of roast-beef and plantain-squash, folded in
plantain-leaves. He sometimes ate with a copper knife and
picker, not forked - but more usually like a dog, with both hands.
The bits too tough for his mastication he would take from his
mouth and give as a treat to the pages, who n'yanzigged, and
swallowed them with much seeming relish. Whatever remained over
was then divided by the boys, and the baskets taken to the cooks.
Pombe served as tea, coffee, and beer for the king; but his
guests might think themselves very lucky if they ever got a drop
of it.
Now for the lake. Everybody in a hurry falls into his place the
best way he can - Wakungu leading, and women behind. They rattle
along, through plantains and shrubs, under large trees, seven,
eight, and nine feet in diameter, till the beautiful waters are
reached - a picture of the Rio scenery, barring that of the higher
mountains in the background of that lovely place, which are here
represented by the most beautiful little hills. A band of
fifteen drums of all sizes, called the Mazaguzo, playing with the
regularity of a lot of factory engines at work, announced the
king's arrival, and brought all the boats to the shore - but not
as in England, where Jack, with all the consequence of a lord at
home, invites the ladies to be seated, and enjoys the sight of so
many pretty faces. Here every poor fellow, with his apprehensions
written in his face, leaps over the gunwale into the water -
ducking his head for fear of being accused of gazing on the fair
sex, which is death - and bides patiently his time.
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