Terror-Stricken, The
Wakungu Fell On Their Knees Before Me, Doing As They Were Bid;
And, To Please Them, I
Returned at once, and went up to the king,
who, now sitting on his throne, asked the officers how they
Had
managed to entice me back; to which they all replied in a breath,
n'yanzigging heartily, "Oh, we were so afraid - he was so
terrible! but he turned at once as soon as we opened the gate."
"How? what gate? tell us all about it." And when the whole story
was fully narrated, the matter was thought a good joke. After
pausing a little, I asked the king what ailed him, for I was
sorry to hear he had been sick; but instead of replying, he shook
his head, as much as to say, I had put a very uncouth question to
his majesty - and ordered some men to shoot cows.
Instead of admiring this childish pastime, which in Uganda is
considered royal sport, I rather looked disdainful, until,
apparently disappointed at my indifference, he asked what the box
I had brought contained. On being told it was the medicine he
desired, he asked me to draw near, and sent his courtiers away.
When only the interpreters and one confidential officer were
left, besides myself, he wished to know if I could apply the
medicine without its touching the afflicted part. To give him
confidence in my surgical skill, I moved my finger, and asked him
if he knew what gave it action; and on his replying in the
negative, I have him an anatomical lecture, which so pleased him,
he at once consented to be operated on, and I applied a blister
accordingly. The whole operation was rather ridiculous; for the
blister, after being applied, had to be rubbed in turn on the
hands and faces of both Bombay and Nasib, to show there was no
evil spirit in the "doctor." Now, thought I to myself, is the
right time for business; for I had the king all to myself, then
considered a most fortunate occurrence in Uganda, where every man
courts the favour of a word with his king, and adores him as a
deity, and he in turn makes himself as distance as he can, to
give greater effect to his exalted position. The matter, however,
was merely deferred: for I no sooner told him my plans for
communicating quickly with Petherick and Grant, than, after
saying he desired their coming even more than myself, he promised
to arrange everything on the morrow.
26th. - In the morning, as agreed, I called on the king, and found
the blister had drawn nicely; so I let off the water, which
Bombay called the malady, and so delighted the king amazingly. A
basket of fruit, like Indian loquots, was then ordered in, and we
ate them together, holding a discussion about Grant and
Petherick, which ended by the king promising to send an officer
by water to Kitangule, and another with two of my men, via Usoga
and Kidi, to Gani; but as it was necessary my men should go in
disguise, I asked the king to send me four mbugu and two spears;
when, with the liberality of a great king, he sent me twenty
sheets of the former, four spears, and a load of sun-dried fish
strung on a stick in shape of a shield.
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