4th. - We Halted Again, It Was Said, In Order That Kwibeya Might
Give Us All The King Had Desired Him To Present.
I sent Bombay
off with a message to Kamrasi explaining everything, and begging
for an early interview, as I had much of importance to
communicate, and wished, of all things, to see the letter he had
from Gani, as it must have come from our dear friends at home.
Seven goats, flour, and plantains, were now brought to us; and as
Kidgwiga begged for the flour without success, he flew into a fit
of high indignation because these things were given and received
without his having first been consulted. He was the big man and
appointed go-between, and no one could dispute it. This was
rather startling news to us, for Vittagura said he was commander-
in-chief; Kajunju thought himself biggest, so did Kwibeya, and
even Dr K'yengo's men justified Budja's speech.
5th and 6th. - Still another halt, with all sorts of excuses.
Frij, it appeared, dreamt last night that the king of Uganda came
to fight us for not complying with his orders, and that all my
men ran away except Uledi and himself. This, according to the
interpretation of the coast, would turn out the reverse,
otherwise his head must be wrong, and, according to local
science, should be set right again by actual cautery of the
temples; and as Grant dreamt a letter came from Gani which I
opened and ran away with, he thought it would turn out no letter
at all, and therefore Kamrasi had been humbugging us. We heard
that Bombay had shot a cow before Kamrasi and would not be
allowed to return until he had eaten it.
At last we made a move, but only of two hours' duration, through
the usual forest, in which elephants walked about as if it were
their park. We hoped at starting to reach the palace, but found
we must stop here until the king should send for us. We were
informed that doubtless he was looking into his Uganga, or magic
horn, to discover what he had to expect from us; and he seemed as
yet to have found no ground for being afraid of us. Moreover, it
is his custom to keep visitors waiting on him in this way, for is
he not the king of kings, the king of Kittara, which includes all
the countries surrounding Unyoro?
Chapter XVII
Unyoro
Invitation to the Palace at last - Journey to it - Bombay's Visit
to King Kamrasi - Our Reputation as Cannibals - Reception at Court-
- Acting the Physician again - Royal Mendicancy.
We halted again, but in the evening one of Dr K'yengo's men came
to invite us to the palace. He explained that Kamrasi was in a
great rage because we only received seven goats instead of
thirty, the number he had ordered Kwibeya to give us, besides
pombe and plantains without limitation. I complained that Bombay
had been shown more respect than myself, obtaining an immediate
admittance to the king's presence. To this he gave two ready
answers - that every distinction shown my subordinate was a
distinction to myself, and that we must not expect court
etiquette from savages.
9th. - We set off for the palace. This last march differed but
little from the others. Putting Dr K'yengo's men in front, and
going on despite all entreaties to stop, we passed the last bit
of jungle, sighted the Kidi hills, and, in a sea of swampy grass,
at last we stood in front of and overlooked the great king's
palace, situated N. lat. 1§ 37' 43", and E. long. 32§ 19' 49", on
a low tongue of land between the Kafu and Nile rivers. It was a
dumpy, large hut, surrounded by a host of smaller ones, and the
worst royal residence we had seen since leaving Uzinza. Here
Kajunju, coming from behind, overtook us, and breathless with
running, in the most excited manner, abused Dr K'yengo's men for
leading us on, and ordered us to stop until he saw the king, and
ascertained the place his majesty wished us to reside in.
Recollecting Mtesa's words that Kamrasi placed his guest on the
N'yanza, I declined going to any place but the palace, which I
maintained was my right, and waited for the issue, when Kajunju
returned with pombe, and showed us to a small, dirty set of huts
beyond the Kafu river - the trunk of the Mwerango and N'yanza
branches which we crossed in Uganda - and trusted this would do
for the present, as better quarters in the palace would be looked
for on the morrow. This was a bad beginning, and caused a few of
the usual anathemas in which our countrymen give vent to their
irritation.
Two loads of flowers, neatly packed in long strips of rushpith,
were sent for us "to consume at once," as more would be given on
the morrow. To keep us amused, Kidgwiga informed us that Kamrasi
and Mtesa - in fact, all the Wahuma - came originally from a stock
of the same tribe dwelling beyond Kidi. All bury their dead in
the same way, under ground; but the kings are toasted first for
months till they are like sun-dried meat, when the lower jaw is
cut out and preserved, covered with beads. The royal tombs are
put under the charge of special officers, who occupy huts erected
over them. The umbilical cords are preserved from birth, and, at
death, those of men are placed within the door-frame, whilst
those of women are buried without - this last act corresponding,
according to Bombay, with the custom of the Wahiyow. On the
death of any of the great officers of state, the finger-bones and
hair are also preserved; or if they have died shaven, as
sometimes occurs, a bit of their mbugu dress will be preserved in
place of the hair. Their families guard their tombs.
The story we heard at Karague, about dogs with horns in Unyoro,
was confirmed by Kidgwiga, who positively assured us that he once
saw one in the possession of an official person, but it died.
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