Then Laughing, He Inquired - For He Knew
All The Story - What We Thought Of Suwarora, And The Reception We
Had Met With In Usui.
When this was explained to him, I showed
him that it was for the interest of his own kingdom to keep a
check on Suwarora, whose exorbitant taxations prevented the Arabs
from coming to see him and bringing things from all parts of the
world.
He made inquiries for the purpose of knowing how we found
our way all over the world; for on the former expedition a letter
had come to him for Musa, who no sooner read it than he said I
had called him and he must leave, as I was bound for Ujiji.
This of course led to a long story, describing the world, the
proportions of land and water, and the power of ships, which
conveyed even elephants and rhinoceros - in fact, all the animals
in the world - to fill our menageries at home, - etc., etc.; as
well as the strange announcement that we lived to the northward,
and had only come this way because his friend Musa had assured me
without doubt that he would give us the road on through Uganda.
Time flew like magic, the king's mind was so quick and enquiring;
but as the day was wasting away, he generously gave us our option
to choose a place for our residence in or out of his palace, and
allowed us time to select one. We found the view overlooking the
lake to be so charming, that we preferred camping outside, and
set our men at once to work cutting sticks and long grass to
erect themselves sheds.
One of the young princes - for the king ordered them all to be
constantly in attendance on us - happening to see me sit on an
iron chair, rushed back to his father and told him about it.
This set all the royals in the palace in a state of high wonder,
and ended by my getting a summons to show off the white man
sitting on his throne; for of course I could only be, as all of
them called me, a king of great dignity, to indulge in such
state. Rather reluctantly I did as I was bid, and allowed myself
once more to be dragged into court. Rumanika, as gentle as ever,
then burst into a fresh fit of merriment, and after making sundry
enlightened remarks of enquire, which of course were responded to
with the greatest satisfaction, finished off by saying, with a
very expressive shake of the head, "Oh, these Wazungu, these
Wazungu! they know and do everything."
I then put in a word for myself. Since we had entered Karague we
never could get one drop of milk either for love or for money,
and I wished to know what motive the Wahuma had for withholding
it. We had heard they held superstitious dreads; that any one who
ate the flesh of pigs, fish, or fowls, or the bean called
Maharague, if he tasted the products of their cows, would destroy
their cattle - and I hoped he did not labour under any such
absurd delusions.
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