There Was A Passage This Way, It Was Said, Leading Up To Usoga,
But Very Circuitous, On Account Of Reefs
Or shoals, and on the
way the Kitiri island was passed; but no other Kitiri was known
to the Waganda,
Though boats went sometimes coasting down the
western side of the lake to Ukerewe. The largest island on the
lake is the Sese,[FN#20] off the mouth of the Katonga river,
where another of the high priests of the Neptune of the N'yanza
resides. The king's largest vessels are kept there, and it is
famous for its supply of mbugu barks. We next went on shore to
picnic, when a young hippopotamus, speared by harpoon, one pig,
and a pongo or bush-boc, were presented to the king. I now
advised boat-racing, which was duly ordered, and afforded much
amusement as the whole fifty boats formed in line, and paddle
furiously to the beat of drum to the goal which I indicated.
The day was done. In great glee the king, ever much attached to
the blackguard Maula, in consequence of his amusing stories,
appointed him to the office of seizer, or chief kidnapper of
Wakungu; observing that, after the return of so many officers
from war, much business in that line would naturally have to be
done, and there was none so trustworthy now at court to carry out
the king's orders. All now went to the camp; but what was my
astonishment on reaching the hut to find every servant gone,
along with the pots, pans, meat, everything; and all in
consequence of the king's having taken the drums on board, which,
being unusual, was regarded as one of his delusive tricks, and a
sign of immediate departure. He had told no one he was going to
the N'yanza, and now it was thought he would return in the same
way. I fired for my supper, but fired in vain. Boys came out,
by the king's order to inquire what I wanted, but left again
without doing anything further.
At my request the king sent off boats to inquire after the one
that left, or was supposed to have left, for Grant on the 3d of
March, and he then ordered the return home, much to my delight;
for, beautiful as the N'yanza was, the want of consideration for
other people's comfort, the tiring, incessant boating, all day
long and every day, in the sun, as well as the king's hurry-
scurry about everything he undertook to do, without the smallest
forethought, preparation, or warning, made me dream of my
children, and look forward with pleasure to rejoining them.
Strange as it may appear to Englishmen, I had a sort of paternal
love for those little blackamoors as if they had been my
offspring; and I enjoyed the simple stories that their sable
visitors told me every day they came over to smoke their pipes,
which they did with the utmost familiarity, helping themselves
from my stores just as they liked.
Without any breakfast, we returned by the same route by which we
had come, at four miles an hour, till half the way was cleared,
when the king said, laughing, "Bana, are you hungry?" - a
ridiculous question after twenty-four hours of starvation, which
he knew full well - and led the way into a plantain-grove, where
the first hut that was found was turned inside out for the king's
accommodation, and picnic was prepared. As, however, he ordered
my portion to be given outside with the pages', and allowed
neither pombe or water, I gave him the slip, and walked hurriedly
home, where I found Kahala smirking, and apparently glad to see
us, but Meri shamming ill in bed, whilst Manamaka, the governess,
was full of smiles and conversation. She declared Meri had
neither tasted food or slept since my departure, but had been
retching all the time. Dreadfully concerned at the doleful story
I immediately thought of giving relief with medicines, but
neither pulse, tongue, nor anything else indicated the slightest
disorder; and to add to these troubles, Ilmas's woman had tried
during my absence to hang herself, because she would not serve as
servant but wished to be my wife; and Bombay's wife, after taking
a doze of quinine, was delivered of a still-born child.
1st. - I visited the king, at his request, with the medicine-
chest. He had caught a cold. He showed me several of his women
grievously affected with boils, and expected me to cure them at
once. I then went home, and found twenty men who had passed
Grant, coming on a stretcher from Karague, without any of the
rear property. Meri, still persistent, rejected strengthening
medicines, but said, in a confidential manner, if I would give
her a goat to sacrifice to the Uganga she would recover in no
time. There was something in her manner when she said this that
I did not like - it looked suspicious; and I contented myself by
saying, "No, I am a wiser doctor than any in these lands; if
anybody could cure you, that person is myself: and further, if I
gave you a goat to sacrifice, God would be angry with both of us
for our superstitious credulity; you must therefore say no more
about it."
2d. - The whole country around the palace was in a state of
commotion to-day, from Maula and his children hunting down those
officers who had returned from the war, yet had not paid their
respects to the king at the N'yanza, because they thought they
would not be justified in calling on him so quickly after their
arrival. Maula's house, in consequence of this, was full of beef
and pombe; whilst, in his courtyard, men, women, and children,
with feet in stocks, very like the old parish stocks in England,
waited his pleasure, to see what demands he would make upon them
as the price of their release. After anxiously watching, I found
out that Meri was angry with me for not allowing Ilmas's woman to
live in my house; and, to conquer my resolution against it -
although I ordered it with a view to please Ilmas, for he was
desperately in love with her - she made herself sick by putting
her finger down her throat.
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