The First Operation On Shore Was Picnicking,
When Many Large Bugus Of Pombe Were Brought For The King; Next,
The
Whole party took a walk, winking through the trees, and
picking fruit, enjoying themselves amazingly, till, by some
unlucky chance,
One of the royal wives, a most charming creature,
and truly one of the best of the lot, plucked a fruit and offered
it to the king, thinking, doubtless, to please him greatly; but
he, like a madman, flew into a towering passion, said it was the
first time a woman ever had the impudence to offer him anything,
and ordered the pages to seize, bind, and lead her off to
execution.
These words were no sooner uttered by the king than the whole
bevy of pages slipped their cord turbans from their heads, and
rushed, like a pack of cupid beagles upon the fairy queen, who,
indignant at the little urchins daring to touch her majesty,
remonstrated with the king, and tried to beat them off like
flies, but was soon captured, overcome, and dragged away, crying,
in the names of the Kamraviona and Mzungu (myself), for help and
protection; whilst Lubuga, the pet sister, and all the other
women, clasped the king by his legs, and, kneeling, implored
forgiveness for their sister. The more they craved for mercy, the
more brutal he became, till at last he took a heavy stick and
began to belabour the poor victim on the head.
Hitherto I had been extremely careful not to interfere with any
of the king's acts of arbitrary cruelty, knowing that such
interference, at an early stage, would produce more harm than
good.
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