My Door Was Found Shut,
So They Went To Bombay, Asked Him To Do It, And Told Him The King
Desired To Know If I Would Go Shooting With Him In The Morning.
The reply was, "No; Bana is praying to-day that Mtesa's sins
might be forgiven him for having committed such an injury to him,
sending his soldiers on a mission that did not become them, and
without his sanction too.
He is very angry about it, and wished
to know if it was done by the king's orders." The boys said,
"Nothing can be done without the king's orders." After further
discussion, Bombay intimated that I wished the king to send me a
party of five elderly officers to counsel with, and set all
disagreeables to rights, or I would not go to the palace again;
but the boys said there were no elderly gentlemen at court, only
boys such as themselves. Bombay now wished to go with them
before the king, to explain matters to him, and to give him all
the red cloths of my men, which I took from them, because they
defiled their uniform when plundering women and children; but the
boys said the king was unapproachable just them, being engaged
shooting cows before his women. He then wished the boys to carry
the cloth; but they declined, saying it was contrary to orders
for anybody to handle cloth, and they could not do it.
Chapter XII
Palace, Uganda - Continued
Continued Diplomatic Difficulties - Negro Chaffing - The King in a
New Costume - Adjutant and Heron Shooting at Court - My Residence
Changed - Scenes at Court - The Kamraviona, or Commander-in-Chief-
-Quarrels - Confidential Communications with the King - Court
Executions and Executioners - Another Day with the Queen.
7th. - The farce continued, and how to manage these haughty
capricious blacks puzzled my brains considerably; but I felt that
if I did not stand up now, no one would ever be treated better
hereafter. I sent Nasib to the queen, to explain why I had not
been to see her. I desired to do so, because I admired her
wisdom; but before I went I must first see the king, to provide
against any insult being offered to me, such as befell Bombay
when I sent him with medicine. Having despatched him, I repaired
again to the palace. In the antechamber I found a number of
Wakungu, as usual, lounging about on the ground, smoking,
chatting, and drinking pombe, whilst Wasoga amused them singing
and playing on lap-harps, and little boys kept time on the
harmonicon.
These Wakungu are naturally patient attendants, being well
trained to the duty; but their very lives depend upon their
presenting themselves at court a certain number of months every
year, no matter from what distant part of the country they have
to come. If they failed, their estates would be confiscated, and
their lives taken unless they could escape. I found a messenger
who consented to tell the king of my desire to see him.
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