However, If The King Wanted Gauze, Here Was A
Smart Gauze Veil - And The Veil Vanished At Once.
The iron camp-
bed was next inspected, and admired; then the sextant, which was
coveted and begged for, but without success, much to the
astonishment of the king, as his attendants had led him to expect
he would get anything he asked for.
Then the thermometers were
wanted and refused; also table-knives, spoons, forks, and even
cooking-pots, for we had no others, and could not part with them.
The books of birds and animals had next to be seen, and being
admired were coveted, the king offering one of the books I first
gave him in exchange for one of these. In fact, he wanted to
fleece us of everything; so, to shut him up, I said I would not
part with one bird for one hundred tusks of ivory; they were all
the collections I had made in Africa, and if I parted with them
my journey would go for nothing; but if he wanted a few drawings
of birds I would do some for him - at present I wished to speak
to him. "Well, what is it? we are all attention." "I wish to
know positively if you would like English traders to come here
regularly, as the Arabs do to trade at Karague? and if so, would
you give me a pembe (magic horn) as a warrant, that everybody may
know Kamrasi, king of Unyoro, desires it?"
Kamrasi replied, "I like your proposition very much; you shall
have the horn you ask for, either large or small, just as you
please; and after you have gone, should we hear any English are
at Gani wishing to come here, as my brothers are in the way we
will advance with spears whilst they approach with guns, and
between us both, my brothers must fly - for I myself will head the
expedition. But now you have had your say I will have mine if you
will listen." "All right, your majesty; what is it?" "I am
constantly stricken with fever and pains, for which I know no
remedy but cautery; my children die young; my family is not large
enough to uphold my dignity and station in life; in fact, I am
infirm and want stimulants, and I wish you to prescribe for me,
which considering you have found your way to this, where nobody
came before, must be easy to you." Two pills and a draught for
the morning were given as a preliminary measure, argument being
of no avail; and to our delight the king said it was time to go.
We jumped off our seats to show him the way, hoping our
persecutions were over; but still he sat, and sat, until at
length, finding we did not take the hint to give him a parting
present, he said, "I never visited any big man's house without
taking home some trifle to show my wife and children." "Indeed,
great king! then you did not come to visit us, but to beg, eh?
You shall have nothing, positively nothing; for we will not have
it said the king did not come to see us, but to beg." Kamrasi's
face changed colour; he angrily said, "Irokh togend" (let us rise
and go), and forthwith walked straight out of the hut. Frij
piped, but no guns fired; and as he asked the reason why he was
told it would be offensive to say we were glad he was going. The
king was evidently not pleased for no pombe came to-day.
Chapter XVIII
Unyoro - Continued
The Ceremonies of the New Moon - Kamrasi's Rule and Discipline -
An Embassy from Uganda, and its Results - The Rebellious Brothers-
- An African Sorcerer and his Incantations - The Kamraviona of
Unyoro - Burial Customs - Ethiopian Legends - Complicated Diplomacy
for our Detention - Proposal to send Princes to England - We get
away.
26th. - We found that the palace was shut up in consequence of the
new moon, seen for the first time last evening; and incessant
drumming was the order of the day. Still, private interviews
might be granted, and I sent to inquire after the state of the
king's health. The reply was, that the medicine had not taken,
and the king was very angry because nothing was given him when he
took the trouble to call on us. He never called at a big man's
house and left it mwiko (empty-handed) before; if there was
nothing else to dispose of, could Bana not have given him a bag
of beads?
To save us from this kind of incessant annoyance, I now thought
it would be our best policy to mount the high horse and bully
him. Accordingly, we tied up a bag of the commonest mixed beads,
added the king's chronometer, and sent them to Kamrasi with a
violent message that we were thoroughly disgusted with all that
had happened; the beads were for the poor beggar who came to our
house yesterday, not to see us, but to beg; and as we did not
desire the acquaintance of beggars, we had made up our minds
never to call again, nor receive any more bread or wine from the
king.
This appeared to be a hit. Kamrasi, evidently taken aback, said,
if he thought he should have offended us by begging, he would not
have begged. He was not a poor man, for he had many cows, but he
was a beggar, of course, when beads were in the question; and,
having unwittingly offended, as he desired our friendship, he
trusted his offence would be forgiven. On opening the
chronometer, he again wrenched back the seconds-hand, and sent it
for repair, together with two pots of pombe as a peace-offering.
Frij, who accompanied the deputation, overheard the counsellors
tell their king that the Waganda were on their way back to Unyoro
to snatch us away; on hearing which the king asked his men if
they would ever permit it; and, handling his spear as if for
battle, said at the same time he would lose his own head before
they should touch his guests.
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