Then, Finding The Day Waning, He Sent Maula On An Embassy To Ask
Me If I Had Seen Him; And
On receiving my reply, "Yes, for full
one hour," I was glad to find him rise, spear in hand, lead
His
dog, and walk unceremoniously away through the enclosure into the
fourth tier of huts; for this being a pure levee day, no business
was transacted. The king's gait in retiring was intended to be
very majestic, but did not succeed in conveying to me that
impression. It was the traditional walk of his race, founded on
the step of the lion; but the outward sweep of the legs, intended
to represent the stride of the noble beast, appeared to me only
to realise a very ludicrous kind of waddle, which made me ask
Bombay if anything serious was the matter with the royal person.
I had now to wait for some time, almost as an act of humanity;
for I was told the state secret, that the king had retired to
break his fast and eat for the first time since hearing of my
arrival; but the repast was no sooner over than he prepared for
the second act, to show off his splendour, and I was invited in,
with all my men, to the exclusion of all his own officers save my
two guides. Entering as before, I found him standing on a red
blanket, leaning against the right portal of the hut, talking and
laughing, handkerchief in hand, to a hundred or more of his
admiring wives, who, all squatting on the ground outside, in two
groups, were dressed in mew mbugus. My men dared not advance
upright, nor look upon the women, but, stooping, with lowered
heads and averted eyes, came cringing after me. Unconscious
myself, I gave loud and impatient orders to my guard, rebuking
them for moving like frightened geese, and, with hat in hand,
stood gazing on the fair sex till directed to sit and cap.
Mtesa then inquired what messages were brought from Rumanika; to
which Maula, delighted with the favour of speaking to royalty,
replied by saying, Rumanika had gained intelligence of Englishmen
coming up the Nile to Gani and Kidi. The king acknowledged the
truthfulness of their story, saying he had heard the same
himself; and both Wakungu, as is the custom in Uganda, thanked
their lord in a very enthusiastic manner, kneeling on the ground-
-for no one can stand in the presence of his majesty - in an
attitude of prayer, and throwing out their hands as they repeated
the words N'yanzig, N'yanzig, ai N'yanzig Mkahma wangi, etc.,
etc., for a considerable time; when, thinking they had done
enough of this, and heated with the exertion, they threw
themselves flat upon their stomachs, and, floundering about like
fish on land, repeated the same words over again and again, and
rose doing the same, with their faces covered with earth; for
majesty in Uganda is never satisfied till subjects have grovelled
before it like the most abject worms.
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