The Kamraviona, Before Leaving, Said, For Our Information, That A
Robbery Had Occurred In The Palace Last Night; For This Morning,
When Kamrasi Went To Inspect His Mzungu (The Block-Tin Box),
Which He Had Forgotten To Lock, He Found All His Beads Had Been
Stolen.
After sniffing round among the various wives, he smelt
the biggest one to be the culprit, and turned the beads out of
her possession.
Deputies came in the evening with a pot of pombe
and small screw of butter, to tell me some Gani people had just
arrived, bringing information that the vessel at Gani had left to
go down the river; but when intelligence reached the vessel of
the approach of my men they turned and came back again. Bombay
was well feasted on the road by Kamrasi's people, receiving eight
cows from one and two cows from another.
8th and 9th. - We had a summons to attend at the Kafu palace with
the medicine-chest, a few select persons only to be present. It
rained so much on the 8th as to stop the visit, but we went next
day. After arriving there, and going through the usual
salutations, Kamrasi asked us from what stock of people we came,
explaining his meaning by saying, "As we, Rumanika, Mtesa, and
the rest of us (enumerating the kings), are Wawitu (or princes),
Uwitu (or the country of princes) being to the east." This
interesting announcement made me quite forget to answer his
question, and induced me to say, "Omwita, indeed, as the ancient
names for Mombas, if you came from that place: I know all about
your race for two thousand years or more. Omwita, you mean, was
the last country you resided in before you came here, but
originally you came from Abyssinia, the sultan of which, our
great friend, is Sahela Selassie."
He pronounced this name laughing, and said, "Formerly our stock
was half-white and half-black, with one side of our heads covered
with straight hair, and the other side frizzly: you certainly do
know everything." The subject then turned upon medicine, and
after inspecting the chest, and inquiring into all its contents,
it ended by his begging for the half of everything. The
mosquito-curtains were again asked for, and refused until I
should leave this. As Kamrasi was anxious I should take two of
his children to England to be instructed, I agreed to do so, but
said I thought it would be better if he invited missionaries to
come here and educate all his family. His cattle were much
troubled with sickness, dying in great numbers - could I cure
them? As he again began to persecute us with begging, wanting
knives and forks, etc., I advised his using ivory as money, and
purchasing what he wanted from Gani. This brought out the
interesting fact, the truth of which we had never reached before,
that when Petherick's servant brought him one necklace of beads,
and asked after us, he gave in return fourteen ivories, thirteen
women, and seven mbugu cloths.
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