So Far The Queen
Won The Day, But I Did Not Obtain My New Residence, Which I
Considered The First
Step to accomplishing the greater object; I
therefore put the iron farther in the fire by saying I was no
Man's slave, and I should not go until I got a house in the
palace - Bombay could teach the boys the way to clean the pistol.
The perk monkeys, however, turned up their noses at such menial
service, and Uledi was instructed in their stead.
10th. - To surprise the queen, and try another dodge, I called on
her with all my dining things and bedding, to make a day of it,
and sleep the night. She admitted me at once, when I gave her
quinine, on the proviso that I should stop there all day and
night to repeat the dose, and tell her the reason why I did not
come before. She affected great anger at Mtesa having interfered
with my servants when coming to see her - sympathised with me on
the distance I had to travel - ordered a hut to be cleared for me
ere night - told me to eat my breakfast in the next court - and,
rising abruptly, walked away. At noon we heard the king
approaching with his drums and rattle-traps, but I still waited
on till 5 p.m., when, on summons, I repaired to the throne-hut.
Here I heard, in an adjoining court, the boisterous, explosive
laughs of both mother and son - royal shouts loud enough to be
heard a mile off, and inform the community that their sovereigns
were pleased to indulge in hilarity. Immediately afterwards, the
gate between us being thrown open, the king, like a very child,
stood before us, dressed for the first time, in public, in what
Europeans would call clothes. For a cap he wore a Muscat alfia,
on his neck a silk Arab turban, fastened with a ring. Then for a
coat he had an Indian kizbow, and for trousers a yellow woollen
doti; whilst in his hand, in imitation of myself, he kept running
his ramrod backwards and forwards through his fingers. As I
advanced and doffed my hat, the king, smiling, entered the court,
followed by a budding damsel dressed in red bindera, who carried
the chair I had presented to him, and two new spears.
He now took his seat for the first time upon the chair, for I had
told him, at my last interview, that all kings were expected to
bring out some new fashion, or else the world would never make
progress; and I was directed to sit before him on my grass
throne. Talking, though I longed to enter into conversation, was
out of the question; for no one dared speak for me, and I could
not talk myself; so we sat and grinned, till in a few minutes the
queen, full of smirks and smiles, joined us, and sat on a mbugu.
I offered the medicine-chest as a seat, but she dared not take
it; in fact, by the constitution of Uganda, no one, however high
in rank, not even his mother, can sit before the king.
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