10th. - I Sent Kidgwiga With My Compliments To The King, And A
Request That His Majesty Would Change My Residence, Which Was So
Filthy That I Found It Necessary To Pitch A Tent, And Also That
He Would Favour Me With An Interview After Breakfast.
The return
was a present of twenty cows, ten cocks, two bales of flour, and
two pots of pombe,
To be equally divided between Grant and
myself, as Kamrasi recognised in us two distinct camps, because
we approached his country by two different routes - a smart method
for expecting two presents from us, which did not succeed, as I
thanked for all, Grant being "my son" on this occasion. The king
also sent his excuses, and begged pardon for what happened to us
on entering his country, saying it could not have taken place had
we come from Rumanika direct. His fear of the Waganda gave rise
to it, and he trusted we would forget and forgive. To-morrow our
residence should be changed, and an interview follow, for he
desired being friends with us just as much as we did with him.
At last Bombay came back. He reported that he had not been
allowed to leave the palace earlier, though he pleaded hard that
I expected his return; and the only excuse he could extract from
the king was, that we were coming in charge of many Wakungu, and
he had found it necessary to retard our approach in consequence
of the famine at Chaguzi. His palace proper was not here, but
three marches westward: he had come here and pitched a camp to
watch his brothers, who were at war with him. Bombay, doing his
best to escape, or to hurry my march, replied that he was very
anxious on our account, because the Waganda wished to snatch us
away.
It was no doubt this hint that brought the messenger to our
relief yesterday; and otherwise we might have been kept in the
jungle longer. When told by Bombay of our treatment on the Nile,
the king first said he did not think we wished to see him, else
we would have come direct from Rumanika; but when asked if
Baraka's coming with Rumanika's officers was not sufficient to
satisfy him on this point, he hung down his head, and evaded the
question, saying he had been the making of Mtesa of Uganda; but
he had turned out a bad fellow, and now robbed him right and
left.[FN#23] The Gani letter, supposed to be from Petherick, was
now asked for, and a suggestion made about opening a trade with
Gani, but all with the provoking result we had been so well
accustomed to. No letter like that referred to had ever been
received, so that Frij's interpretation about Grant's letter-
dream was right; and if we wished to go to Gani, the king would
send men travelling by night, for his brothers at war with him
lay upon the road.
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