As One Coffee-Seed
Sown Brings Forth Fruit In Plenty, So My Coming Here May Be
Considered." All Appreciated This Speech, Saying, "The White
Man, He Even Speaks Beautifully!
Beautifully!
Beautifully!
beautifully!" and, putting their hands to their mouths, they
looked askance at me, nodding their admiring approval.
The queen and her ministers then plunged into pombe and became
uproarious, laughing with all their might and main. Small bugu
cups were not enough to keep up the excitement of the time, so a
large wooden trough was placed before the queen and filled with
liquor. If any was spilt, the Wakungu instantly fought over it,
dabbing their noses on the ground, or grabbing it with their
hands, that not one atom of the queen's favour might be lost; for
everything must be adored that comes from royalty, whether by
design or accident. The queen put her head to the trough and
drank like a pig from it, and was followed by her ministers. The
band, by order, then struck up a tune called the Milele, playing
on a dozen reeds, ornamented with beads and cow-tips, and five
drums, of various tones and sizes, keeping time. The musicians
dancing with zest, were led by four bandmasters, also dancing,
but with their backs turned to the company to show off their
long, shaggy, goat-skin jackets, sometimes upright, at other
times bending and on their heels, like the hornpipe-dancers or
western countries.
It was a merry scene, but soon became tiresome; when Bombay, by
way of flattery, and wishing to see what the queen's wardrobe
embraced, told her, Any woman, however ugly, would assume a
goodly appearance if prettily dressed; upon which her gracious
majesty immediately rose, retired to her toilet-hut, and soon
returned attired in a common check cloth, and abrus tiara, a bead
necklace, and with a folding looking-glass, when she sat, as
before, and was handed a blown-glass cup of pombe, with a cork
floating on the liquor, and a napkin mbugu covering the top, by a
naked virgin. For her kind condescension in assuming plain
raiment, everybody, of course, n'yanzigged. Next she ordered her
slave girls to bring a large number of sambo (anklets), and
begged me to select the best, for she liked me much. In vain I
tried to refuse them: she had given more than enough for a
keepsake before, and I was not hungry for property; still I had
to choose some, or I would give offence. She then gave me a
basket of tobacco, and a nest of hen eggs for her "son's"
breakfast. When this was over, the Mukonderi, another dancing-
tune, with instruments something like clarionets, was ordered;
but it had scarcely been struck up, before a drenching rain, with
strong wind, set in and spoilt the music, though not the playing-
-for none dared stop without an order; and the queen, instead of
taking pity, laughed most boisterously over the exercise of her
savage power as the unfortunate musicians were nearly beaten down
by the violence of the weather.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 210 of 403
Words from 109687 to 110200
of 210958
