The
Report Of These Circumstances Soon Reached The Great King Of
Unyoro, Who, In His Magnificence, Merely Said, "The Poor Creature
Must Be Starving; Allow Him To Feed There If He Likes." The
Kings Who Have Succeeded Kimera Are:
These kings have all carried on the same system of government as
that commenced by Kimera, and proved themselves a perfect terror
to Unyoro, as we shall see in the sequel. Kimera, suddenly risen
to eminence, grew proud and headstrong - formed a strong clan
around him, whom he appointed to be his Wakunga, or officers -
rewarded well, punished severely, and soon became magnificent.
Nothing short of the grandest palace, a throne to sit upon, the
largest harem, the smartest officers, the best dressed people,
even a menagerie for pleasure - in fact, only the best of
everything - would content him. Fleets of boats, not canoes, were
built for war, and armies formed, that the glory of the king
might never decrease. In short, the system of government,
according to barbarous ideas was perfect. Highways were cut from
one extremity of the country to the other, and all rivers
bridged. No house could be built without its necessary
appendages for cleanliness; no person, however poor, could expose
his person; and to disobey these laws was death.
After the death of Kimera, the prosperity of Uganda never
decreased, but rather improved. The clan of officers formed by
him were as proud of their emancipation from slavery, as the king
they had created was of his dominion over them. They buried
Kimera with state honours, giving charge of the body to the late
king's most favourite consort, whose duty it was to dry the
corpse by placing it on a board resting on the mouth of an
earthen open pot heated by fire from below. When this drying
process was completed, at the expiration of three months, the
lower jaw was cut out and neatly worked over with beads; the
umbilical cord, which had been preserved from birth, was also
worked with beads. These were kept apart, but the body was
consigned to a tomb, and guarded ever after by this officer and a
certain number of the king's next most favourite women, all of
whom planted gardens for their maintenance, and were restricted
from seeing the succeeding king.
By his large establishment of wives, Kimera left a number of
princes or Warangira, and as many princesses. From the Warangira
the Wakunga now chose as their king the one whom they thought
best suited for the government of the country - not of too high
rank by the mother's side, lest their selection in his pride
should kill them all, but one of low birth. The rest were placed
with wives in a suite of huts, under charge of a keeper, to
prevent any chance of intrigues and dissensions. They were to
enjoy life until the prince-elect should arrive at the age of
discretion and be crowned, when all but two of the princes would
be burnt to death, the two being reserved in case of accident as
long as the king wanted brother companions, when one would be
banished to Unyoro, and the other pensioned with suitable
possessions in Uganda. The mother of the king by this measure
became queen-dowager, or N'yamasore. She halved with her son all
the wives of the deceased king not stationed at his grave, taking
second choice; kept up a palace only little inferior to her son's
with large estates, guided the prince-elect in the government of
the country, and remained until the end of his minority the
virtual ruler of the land; at any rate, no radical political
changes could take place without her sanction. The princesses
became the wives of the king; no one else could marry them.
Both mother and son had their Ktikiros or commander-in-chief,
also titled Kamraviona, as well as other officers of high rank.
Amongst them in due order of gradation are the Ilmas, a woman who
had the good fortune to have cut the umbilical cord at the king's
birth; the Sawaganzi, queen's sister and king's barber; Kaggao,
Polino, Sakibobo, Kitunzi, and others, governors of provinces;
Jumab, admiral of the fleet; Kasugu, guardian of the king's
sister; Mkuenda, factor; Kunsa and Usungu, first and second class
executioners; Mgemma, commissioner in charge of tombs; Seruti,
brewer; Mfumbiro, cook; numerous pages to run messages and look
after the women, and minor Wakungu in hundreds. One Mkungu is
always over the palace, in command of the Wanagalali, or guards
which are changed monthly; another is ever in attendance as
seizer of refractory persons. There are also in the palace
almost constantly the Wanangalavi, or drummers; Nsase, pea-gourd
rattlers; Milele, flute-players; Mukonderi, clarionet-players;
also players on wooden harmonicons and lap-harps, to which the
players sing accompaniments; and, lastly, men who whistle on
their fingers - for music is half the amusement of these courts.
Everybody in Uganda is expected to keep spears, shields and dogs,
the Uganda arms and cognisance; whilst the Wakungu are entitled
to drums. There is also a Neptune Mgussa, or spirit, who lives
in the depths of the N'yanza, communicates through the medium of
his temporal Mkungu, and guides to a certain extent the naval
destiny of the king.
It is the duty of all officers, generally speaking, to attend at
court as constantly as possible; should they fail, they forfeit
their lands, wives, and all belongings. These will be seized and
given to others more worthy of them; as it is presumed that
either insolence or disaffection can be the only motive which
would induce any person to absent himself for any length of time
from the pleasure of seeing his sovereign. Tidiness in dress is
imperatively necessary, and for any neglect of this rule the head
may be the forfeit. The punishment for such offences, however,
may be commuted by fines of cattle, goats, fowls, or brass wire.
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