Rumanika, Who Appeared Immensely
Delighted As He Assisted Me In Putting The Questions I Wanted,
And Saw Me Note Them
Down in my book, was more confirmed than
ever in the truth of my stories that I came from the
North, and
thought as the beads came to Amara, so should I be able to open
the road and bring him more visitors. This he knew was his only
chance of ever seeing me more, for I swore I would never go back
through Usui, so greatly did I feel the indignities imposed on me
by Suwarora.
18th. - To keep the king in good-humour, I now took a table-knife,
spoon, and fork to the palace, which, after their several uses
were explained, were consigned to his curiosity-box. Still
Rumanika could not understand how it was I spent so much and
travelled so far, or how it happened such a great country as ours
could be ruled by a woman. He asked the Queen's name, how many
children she had, and the mode of succession; then, when fully
satisfied, led the way to show me what his father Dagara had done
when wishing to know of what the centre of the earth was
composed. At the back of the palace a deep ditch was cut,
several yards long, the end of which was carried by a
subterranean passage into the palace, where it was ended off with
a cavern led into by a very small aperture. It then appeared
that Dagara, having failed, in his own opinion, to arrive any
nearer to the object in view, gave the excavating up as a bad
job, and turned the cave into a mysterious abode, where it was
confidently asserted he spent many days without eating or
drinking, and turned sometimes into a young man, and then an old
one, alternately, as the humour seized him.
19th to 22d. - On the 19th I went fishing, but without success,
for they said the fish would not take in the lake; and on the
following day, as Grant's recovery seemed hopeless, for a long
time at least, I went with all the young princes to se what I
could do with the hippopotami in the lake, said to inhabit the
small island of Conty. The part was an exceedingly merry one.
We went off to the island in several canoes, and at once found an
immense number of crocodiles basking in the sun, but not a single
hippopotamus was in sight. The princes then, thinking me "green"
at this kind of sport, said the place was enchanted, but I need
not fear, for they would bring them out to my feet by simply
calling out certain names, and this was no sooner done than four
old and one young one came immediately in font of us. It seemed
quite a sin to touch them, they looked all so innocent; but as
the king wanted to try me again, I gave one a ball on the head
which sent him under, never again to be seen, for on the 22nd, by
which time I supposed he ought to have risen inflated with gases,
the king sent out his men to look out for him; but they returned
to say, that whilst all the rest were in the old place, that one,
in particular, could not be found.
On this K'yengo, who happened to be present whilst our interview
lasted, explained that the demons of the deep were annoyed with
me for intruding on their preserves, without having the courtesy
to commemorate the event by the sacrifice of a goat or a cow.
Rumanika then, at my suggestions, gave Nnanaji the revolving
pistol I first gave him, but not without a sharp rebuke for his
having had the audacity to beg a gun of me in consideration of
his being a sportsman. We then went into a discourse on
astrology, when the intelligent Rumanika asked me if the same sun
we saw one day appeared again, or whether fresh suns came every
day, and whether or not the moon made different faces, to laugh
at us mortals on earth.
23d and 24th. - This day was spent by the king introducing me to
his five fat wives, to show with what esteem he was held by all
the different kings of the countries surrounding. From Mpororo -
which, by the by, is a republic - he was wedded to Kaogez, the
daughter of Kahaya, who is the greatest chief in the country;
from Unyoro he received Kauyangi, Kamrasi's daughter; from Nkole,
Kambiri, the late Kasiyonga's daughter; from Utumbi, Kirangu, the
late Kiteimbua's daughter; and lastly, the daughter of
Chiuarungi, his head cook.
After presenting Rumanika with an india-rubber band - which, as
usual, amused him immensely - for the honour he had done me in
showing me his wives, a party of Waziwa, who had brought some
ivory from Kidi, came to pay their respects to him. On being
questioned by me, they said that they once saw some men like my
Wanguana there; they had come from the north to trade, but,
though they carried firearms, they were all killed by the people
of Kidi. This was famous; it corroborated what I knew, but could
not convince others of, - that traders could find their way up to
Kidi by the Nile. It in a manner explained also how it was that
Kamrasi, some years before, had obtained some pink beads, of a
variety the Zanzibar merchants had never thought of bringing into
the country. Bombay was now quite convinced, and we all became
transported with joy, until Rumanika, reflecting on the sad state
of Grant's leg, turned that joy into grief by saying that the
rules of Uganda are so strict, that no one who is sick could
enter the country. "To show," he said, "how absurd they are,
your donkey would not be permitted because he has no trousers;
and you even will have to put on a gown, as your unmentionables
will be considered indecorous." I now asked Rumanika if he would
assist me in replenishing my fast-ebbing store of beads, by
selling tusks to the Arabs at Kufro, when for every 35lb.
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