It Was A
Dumpy, Large Hut, Surrounded By A Host Of Smaller Ones, And The
Worst Royal Residence We Had Seen Since Leaving Uzinza.
Here
Kajunju, coming from behind, overtook us, and breathless with
running, in the most excited manner, abused Dr K'yengo's men for
leading us on, and ordered us to stop until he saw the king, and
ascertained the place his majesty wished us to reside in.
Recollecting Mtesa's words that Kamrasi placed his guest on the
N'yanza, I declined going to any place but the palace, which I
maintained was my right, and waited for the issue, when Kajunju
returned with pombe, and showed us to a small, dirty set of huts
beyond the Kafu river - the trunk of the Mwerango and N'yanza
branches which we crossed in Uganda - and trusted this would do
for the present, as better quarters in the palace would be looked
for on the morrow. This was a bad beginning, and caused a few of
the usual anathemas in which our countrymen give vent to their
irritation.
Two loads of flowers, neatly packed in long strips of rushpith,
were sent for us "to consume at once," as more would be given on
the morrow. To keep us amused, Kidgwiga informed us that Kamrasi
and Mtesa - in fact, all the Wahuma - came originally from a stock
of the same tribe dwelling beyond Kidi. All bury their dead in
the same way, under ground; but the kings are toasted first for
months till they are like sun-dried meat, when the lower jaw is
cut out and preserved, covered with beads. The royal tombs are
put under the charge of special officers, who occupy huts erected
over them. The umbilical cords are preserved from birth, and, at
death, those of men are placed within the door-frame, whilst
those of women are buried without - this last act corresponding,
according to Bombay, with the custom of the Wahiyow. On the
death of any of the great officers of state, the finger-bones and
hair are also preserved; or if they have died shaven, as
sometimes occurs, a bit of their mbugu dress will be preserved in
place of the hair. Their families guard their tombs.
The story we heard at Karague, about dogs with horns in Unyoro,
was confirmed by Kidgwiga, who positively assured us that he once
saw one in the possession of an official person, but it died. The
horn then was stuffed with magic powder, and, whenever an army
was ordered for war, it was placed on the war-track for the
soldiers to step over, in the same way as a child is sacrificed
to insure victory in Unyomuezi. Of the Karague story, according
to which all the Kidi people sleep in trees, Kidgwiga gave me a
modified version. He said the bachelors alone do son, whilst the
married folk dwell in houses. As most of these stories have some
foundation in fact, we presumed that the people of Kidi sometimes
mount a tree to sleep at night when travelling through their
forests, where lions are plentiful - but not otherwise.
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