Nnanaji, However, It Was Said, Should Get Something; So, In
Addition To The King's Present, I Apportioned One Out For
Him,
and Bombay took both up to the palace.[FN#12] Everybody, I was
pleased to hear, was surprised with
Both the quantity and quality
of what I had been able to find for them; for, after the
plundering in Ugogo, the immense consumption caused by such long
delays on the road, the fearful prices I had had to pay for my
porters' wages, the enormous taxes I had been forced to give both
in Msalala and Uzinza, besides the constant thievings in camp,
all of which was made public by the constantly-recurring tales of
my men, nobody thought I had got anything left.
Rumanika, above all, was as delighted as if he had come in for a
fortune, and sent to say the Raglan coat was a marvel, and the
scarlet broadcloth the finest thing he had ever seen. Nobody but
Musa had ever given him such beautiful beads before, and none
ever gave with such free liberality. Whatever I wanted I should
have in return for it, as it was evident to him I had really done
him a great honour in visiting him. Neither his father nor any
of his forefathers had had such a great favour shown them. He
was alarmed, he confessed, when he heard we were coming to visit
him, thinking we might prove some fearful monsters that were not
quite human, but now he was delighted beyond all measure with
what he saw of us. A messenger should be sent at once to the king
of Uganda to inform him of our intention to visit him, with his
own favourable report of us. This was necessary according to the
etiquette of the country. Without such a recommendation our
progress would be stopped by the people, whilst with one word
from him all would go straight; for was he not the gatekeeper,
enjoying the full confidence of Uganda? A month, however, must
elapse, as the distance to the palace of Uganda was great; but,
in the meantime, he would give me leave to go about in his
country to do and see what I liked, Nnanaji and his sons
escorting me everywhere. Moreover, when the time came for my
going on to Uganda, if I had not enough presents to give the
king, he would fill up the complement from his own stores, and
either go with me himself, or send Nnanaji to conduct me as far
as the boundary of Uganda, in order that Rogero might not molest
us on the way. In the evening, Masudi, with Sangoro and several
other merchants, came up from Kufro to pay us a visit of respect.
28th and 29th. - A gentle hint having come to us that the king's
brother, Wazezeru, expected a trifle in virtue of his rank, I
sent him a blanket and seventy-five blue egg-beads. These were
accepted with the usual good grace of these people.
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