I Laughed As Well As They Did, And Said
It Pleased Me Excessively To See Them Both So Happy Together.
It
was well the king had broken through the old-fashioned laws of
Uganda, by sitting on an iron chair, and adopting European
dresses; for now he was opening a road to cement his own
dominions with my country.
I should know what things to send that
would please him. The king listened, but without replying; and
said, at the conclusion, "It is late, now let us move"; and
walked away, preserving famously the lion's gait. The mother
also vanished, and I was led away to a hut outside, prepared for
my night's residence. It was a small, newly-built hut, just
large enough for my bed, with a corner for one servant; so I
turned all my men away, save one - ate my dinner, and hoped to
have a quiet cool night of it, when suddenly Maula flounced in
with all his boys, lighting a fire, and they spread their mbugus
for the night. In vain I pleaded I could not stand the
suffocation of so many men, especially of Waganda, who eat raw
plantains; and unless they turned out, I should do so, to benefit
by the pure air. Maula said he had the queen's orders to sleep
with Bana, and sleep there he would; so rather than kick him out,
which I felt inclined to do, I smoked my pipe and drank pombe all
night, turning the people out and myself in, in the morning, to
prepare for a small house-fight with the queen.
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