But I Did Not
Know Her Crime, If Crime She Had Committed, And Therefore Had To
Hold My Tongue, Whilst The Kamraviona, And Other Wakungu Present,
Looked On With Utter Unconcern, Not Daring To Make The Slightest
Remark.
It happened that Irungu was present in the ante-chamber
at this time; and as Maula came with my party, they had a fight
in respect to their merits for having brought welcome guests to
their king.
Mtesa, it was argued, had given N'yamgundu more
women and men than he did to Maula, because he was the first to
bring intelligence of our coming, as well as that of K'yengo, and
Suworora's hongo to his king; whilst, finally, he superseded
Maula by taking me out of his charge, and had done a further good
service by sending men on to Karague to fetch both Grant and
K'yengo.
Maula, although he had received the second reward, had literally
done nothing, whilst Irungu had been years absent at Usui, and
finally had brought a valuable hongo, yet he got less than Maula.
This, Irungu said, was an injustice he would not stand;
N'yamgundu fairly earned his reward, but Maula must have been
tricking to get more than himself. He would get a suitable
offering of wire, and lay his complaint in court the first
opportunity. "Pooh, pooh! nonsense!" says Maula, laughing; "I
will give him more wires than you, and then let us see who will
win the king's ear." Upon this the two great children began
collecting wire and quarrelling until the sun went down, and I
went home. I did not return to a quiet dinner, as I had hoped,
but to meet the summons of the king. Thinking it policy to obey,
I found him waiting my coming in the palace. He made apologies
for not answering my gun, and tasted some spirits resembling
toddy, which I had succeeded in distilling. He imbibed it with
great surprise; it was wonderful tipple; he must have some more;
and, for the purpose of brewing better, would send the barrel of
an old Brown Bess musket, as well as more pombe and wood in the
morning.
13th. - As nothing was done all day, I took the usual promenade in
the Seraglio Park, and was accosted by a very pretty little
woman, Kariana, wife of Dumba, who, very neatly dressed, was
returning from a visit. At first she came trotting after me,
then timidly paused, then advanced, and, as I approached, stood
spellbound at my remarkable appearance. At last recovering
herself, she woh-wohed with all the coquetry of a Mganda woman,
and a flirtation followed; she must see my hair, my watch, the
contents of my pockets - everything; but that was not enough. I
waved adieu, but still she followed. I offered my arm, showing
her how to take it in European fashion, and we walked along to
the surprise of everybody, as if we had been in Hyde Park rather
than in Central Africa, flirting and coquetting all the way.
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