I Was Now Enabled To Enlarge The List Of Topics On Which It Is
Prohibited To The Waganda To Speak Or Act Under Pain Of Death.
No
one even dare ever talk about the royal pedigree of the countries
that have been conquered, or even
Of any neighbouring countries;
no one dare visit the king's guests, or be visited by them,
without leave, else the king, fearing sharers in his plunder,
would say, What are you plucking our goose for? Neither can any
one cast his eye for a moment on the women of the palace, whether
out walking or at home, lest he should be accused of amorous
intentions. Beads and brass wire, exchanged for ivory or slaves,
are the only articles of foreign manufacture any Mganda can hold
in his possession. Should anything else be seen in his house - for
instance, cloth - his property would be confiscated and his life
taken.
I was now introduced to the company present, of whom one Mgema,
an elderly gentleman of great dignity, had the honour to carry
Sunna the late king; Mpungu, who cooked for Sunna, also ranks
high in court; then Usungu and Kunza, executioners, rank very
high, enjoying the greatest confidence with the king; and,
finally, Jumba and Natigo, who traced their pedigree to the age
of the first Uganda king. As I took down a note of their several
names, each seemed delighted at finding his name written down by
me; and Kunza, the executioner, begged as a great favour that I
would plead to the king to spare his son's life, who, as I have
mentioned, was ordered out to execution on the last levee day.
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