On Seeing Me, He Took Me Affectionately By The Hand, And, As We
Walked Along Together, He Asked Me What I Wanted, Showed Me The
House Which Was Burnt Down, And Promised To Settle The Road
Question In The Morning.
3d. - With Kaddu, K'yengo, and Viarungi all in attendance, we went
to the palace, where there was a large assemblage prepared for a
levee, and fired a gun, which brought the king out in state.
The
Sakibobo, or provincial governor, arrived with a body of soldiers
armed with sticks, made a speech, and danced at the head of his
men, all pointing sticks upwards, and singing fidelity to their
king.
The king then turned to me, and said, "I have come out to listen
to your request of last night. What is it you do want?" I said,
"To open the country to the north, that an uninterrupted line of
commerce might exist between England and this country by means of
the Nile. I might go round by Nkole" (K'yengo looked daggers at
me); "but that is out of the way, and not suitable to the
purpose." The queen's deputation was now ordered to draw near,
and questioned in a whisper. As K'yengo was supposed to know all
about me, and spoke fluently both in Kiganda and Kisuahili, he
had to speak first; but K'yengo, to everybody's surprise, said,
"One white man wishes to go to Kamrasi's, whilst the other wishes
to return through Unyamuezi." This announcement made the king
reflect; for he had been privately primed by his mother's
attendants, that we both wished to go to Gani, and therefore
shrewdly inquired if Rumanika knew we wished to visit Kamrasi,
and whether he was aware we should attempt the passage north from
Uganda. "Oh yes! of course Bana wrote to Bana Mdogo" (the little
master) "as soon as he arrived in Uganda and told him and
Rumanika all about it." "Wrote! what does that mean?" and I was
called upon to explain. Mtesa, then seeing a flaw in K'yengo's
statements, called him a story-teller; ordered him and his party
away, and bade me draw near.
The moment of triumph had come at last, and suddenly the road was
granted! The king presently let us see the motive by which he
had been influenced. He said he did not like having to send to
Rumanika for everything: he wanted his visitors to come to him
direct; moreover, Rumanika had sent him a message to the effect
that we were not to be shown anything out of Uganda, and when we
had done with it, were to be returned to him. Rumanika, indeed!
who cared about Rumanika? Was not Mtesa the king of the country,
to do as he liked? and we all laughed. Then the king, swelling
with pride, asked me whom I liked best - Rumanika or himself, - an
awkward question, which I disposed of by saying I liked Rumanika
very much because he spoke well, and was very communicative; but
I also liked Mtesa, because his habits were much like my own -
fond of shooting and roaming about; whilst he had learned so many
things from my teaching, I must ever feel a yearning towards him.
With much satisfaction I felt that my business was now done; for
Budja was appointed to escort us to Unyoro, and Jumba to prepare
us boats, that we might go all the way to Kamrasi's by water.
Viarungi made a petition, on Rumanika's behalf, for an army of
Waganda to go to Karague, and fight the refractory brother,
Rogero; but this was refused, on the plea that the whole army was
out fighting at the present moment. The court then broke up and
we went home.
To keep the king up to the mark, and seal our passage, in the
evening I took a Lancaster rifle, with ammunition, and the iron
chair he formerly asked for, as a parting present, to the palace,
but did not find him, as he had gone out shooting with his
brothers.
4th. - Grant and I now called together on the king to present the
rifle, chair, and ammunition, as we could not thank him in words
sufficiently for the favour he had done us in granting the road
through Unyoro. I said the parting gift was not half as much as
I should like to have been able to give; but we hoped, on
reaching Gani, to send Petherick up to him with everything that
he could desire. We regretted we had no more powder or shot, as
what was intended, and actually placed out expressly to be
presented on this occasion, was stolen. The king looked hard at
his head page, who was once sent to get these very things now
given, and then turning the subject adroitly, asked me how many
cows and women I would like, holding his hand up with spread
fingers, and desiring me to count by hundreds; but the reply was,
Five cows and goats would be enough, for we wished to travel
lightly in boats, starting from the Murchison Creek. Women were
declined on such grounds as would seem rational to him. But if
the king would clothe my naked men with one mbugu (bark cloth)
each, and give a small tusk each to nine Wanyamuezi porters, who
desired to return to their home, the obligation would be great.
Everything was granted without the slightest hesitation; and then
the king, turning to me, said, "Well, Bana, so you really wish to
go?" "Yes, for I have not seen my home for four years and
upwards" - reckoning five months to the year, Uganda fashion.
"And you can give no stimulants?" "No." "Then you will send me
some from Gani - brandy if you like; it makes people sleep sound,
and gives them strength." Next we went to the queen to bid her
farewell, but did not see her.
On returning home I found half my men in a state of mutiny.
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