Kamrasi, evidently taken aback, said,
if he thought he should have offended us by begging, he would not
have begged.
He was not a poor man, for he had many cows, but he
was a beggar, of course, when beads were in the question; and,
having unwittingly offended, as he desired our friendship, he
trusted his offence would be forgiven. On opening the
chronometer, he again wrenched back the seconds-hand, and sent it
for repair, together with two pots of pombe as a peace-offering.
Frij, who accompanied the deputation, overheard the counsellors
tell their king that the Waganda were on their way back to Unyoro
to snatch us away; on hearing which the king asked his men if
they would ever permit it; and, handling his spear as if for
battle, said at the same time he would lose his own head before
they should touch his guests. Then, turning to Frij, he said,
"What would you do if they came? - go back with them?" To which
Frij said, "No, never, when Gani is so near; they might cut our
heads off, but that is all they could do." The watch being by
this time repaired, it gave me the opportunity of sending
Kidgwiga back to the palace to say we trusted Kamrasi would allow
Budja to come here, if only with one woman to carry his pombe,
else Mtesa would take offence, form an alliance with Rionga, and
surround the place with warriors, for it was not becoming in
great kings to treat civil messengers like dogs.
The reply to this was, that Kamrasi was very much pleased with my
fatherly wisdom and advice, and would act up to it, allowing
Budja only to approach with one woman; we need, however, be under
no apprehensions, for Kamrasi's power was infinite; the Gani road
should be opened even at the spear's point; he had been beating
the big drum in honour of us the whole day; he would not allow
any beggars to come and see us, for he wanted us all to himself,
and for this reason had ordered a fence to be built all round our
house; but he had got no present from Grant yet, though all he
wanted was his mosquito-curtains, whilst he wished my picture-
books to show his women, and be returned. We sent a picture of
Mtesa as a gift, the two books to look at and an acknowledgement
that the mosquito-curtains were his, only he must have patience
until Bombay arrived; but his proposition about the fence we
rejected with scorn. The king had been raising an army to fight
Rionga - the true reason, we suspect, for the beating of the
drums.
27th and 28th. - There was drumming and music all day and night,
and the army was being increased to a thousand men, but we poor
prisoners could see nothing of it. Frij was therefore sent to
inspect the armament and brings us all the news.
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