Continued Diplomatic Difficulties--Negro Chaffing--The King in a
New Costume--Adjutant and Heron Shooting at Court--My
Residence Changed--Scenes at Court--The Kamraviona, or
Commander-in-Chief--Quarrels--Confidential Communications with the
King--Court Executions and Executioners--Another Day with the Queen.
7th.--The farce continued, and how to manage these haughty capricious
blacks puzzled my brains considerably; but I felt that if I did not
stand up now, no one would ever be treated better hereafter. I sent
Nasib to the queen, to explain why I had not been to see her. I desired
to do so, because I admired her wisdom; but before I went I must first
see the king, to provide against any insult being offered to me, such
as befell Bombay when I sent him with medicine. Having despatched him,
I repaired again to the palace. In the antechamber I found a number of
Wakungu, as usual, lounging about on the ground, smoking, chatting,
and drinking pombe, whilst Wasoga amused them singing and playing on
lap-harps, and little boys kept time on the harmonicon.
These Wakungu are naturally patient attendants, being well trained to
the duty; but their very lives depend upon their presenting themselves
at court a certain number of months every year, no matter from what
distant part of the country they have to come. If they failed, their
estates would be confiscated, and their lives taken unless they could
escape. I found a messenger who consented to tell the king of my desire
to see him. He returned to say that the king was sleeping--a palpable
falsehood. In a huff, I walked home to breakfast, leaving my attendants,
Maula and Uledi, behind to make explanations. They saw the king, who
simply asked, "Where is Bana?" And on being told that I came, but went
off again, he said, as I was informed, "That is a lie, for had he come
here to see me he would not have returned"; then rising, he walked away
and left the men to follow me.
I continued ruminating on these absurd entanglements, and the best way
of dealing with them, when lo! to perplex me still more, in ran a bevy
of the royal pages to ask for mtende beads--a whole sack of them; for
the king wished to go with his women on a pilgrimage to the N'yanza.
Thinking myself very lucky to buy the king's ear so cheaply, I sent
Maula as before, adding that I considered my luck very bad, as nobody
here knew my position in society, else they would not treat me as they
did. My proper sphere was the palace, and unless I got a hut there, I
wished to leave the country. My first desire had always been to see the
king; and if he went to the N'yanza, I trusted he would allow me to go
there also. The boys replied, "How can you go with his women? No one
ever is permitted to see them." "Well," said I, "if I cannot go to
the N'yanza with him" (thinking only of the great lake, whereas they
probably meant a pond in the palace enclosures, where Mtesa constantly
frolics with his women), "I wish to go to Usoga and Amara, as far as
the Masai; for I have no companions here but crows and vultures." They
promised to take the message, but its delivery was quite another thing;
for no one can speak at this court till he is spoken to, and a word put
in out of season is a life lost.
On Maula's return, I was told the king would not believe so generous
a man as Bana could have sent him so few beads; he believed most of my
store must have been stolen on the road, and would ask me about that
to-morrow. He intimated that for the future I must fire a gun at the
waiting-hut whenever I entered the palace, so that he might hear of my
arrival, for he had been up that morning, and would have been glad to
see me, only the boys, from fear of entering his cabinet, had forged a
lie, and deprived him of any interview with me, which he had long wished
to get. This ready cordiality was as perplexing as all the rest. Could
it be possible, I thought, I had been fighting with a phantom all this
while, and yet the king had not been able to perceive it? At all events,
now, as the key to his door had been given, I would make good use of it
and watch the result. Meanwhile Nasib returned from the queen-dowager's
palace without having seen her majesty, though he had waited there
patiently the whole day long, for she was engaged in festivities,
incessantly drumming and playing, in consequence of the birth of twins
(Mabassa), which had just taken place in her palace; but he was advised
to return on the morrow.
8th.--After breakfast I walked to the palace, thinking I had gained all
I wanted; entered, and fired guns, expecting an instant admittance;
but, as usual, I was required to sit and wait; the king was expected
immediately. All the Wagungu talked in whispers, and nothing was heard
but the never-ceasing harps and harmonicons. In a little while I felt
tired of the monotony, and wished to hang up a curtain, that I might lie
down in privacy and sleep till the king was ready; but the officers
in waiting forbade this, as contrary to law, and left me the only
alternative of walking up and down the court to kill time, spreading
my umbrella against the powerful rays of the sun. A very little of that
made me fidgety and impetuous, which the Waganda noticed, and, from fear
of the consequences, they began to close the gate to prevent my walking
away. I flew out on them, told Bombay to notice the disrespect, and
shamed them into opening it again. The king immediately, on hearing
of this, sent me pombe to keep me quiet; but as I would not touch it,
saying I was sick at heart, another page rushed out to say the king was
ready to receive me; and, opening a side gate leading into a small open
court without a hut in it, there, to be sure, was his majesty, sitting
on an Arab's donkey run, propped against one page, and encompassed by
four others.
On confronting him, he motioned me to sit, which I did upon my bundle
of grass, and, finding it warm, asked leave to open my umbrella. He was
much struck at the facility with which I could make shade, but wondered
still more at my requiring it. I explained to him that my skin was white
because I lived in a colder country than his, and therefore was much
more sensitive to the heat of the sun than his black skin; adding, at
the same time, if it gave no offence, I would prefer sitting in the
shade of the court fence. He had no objection, and opened conversation
by asking who it was that gave me such offence in taking my guard from
me to seize his Wakungu. The boy who had provoked me was then dragged
in, tied by his neck and hands, when the king asked him by whose orders
he had acted in such a manner, knowing that I objected to it, and
wished to speak to him on the subject first. The poor boy, in a dreadful
fright, said he had acted under the instructions of the Kamraviona:
there was no harm done, for Bana's men were not hurt. "Well, then,"
said the king, "if they were not injured, and you only did as you were
ordered, no fault rests with you; but begone out of my sight, for I
cannot bear to see you, and the Kamraviona shall be taught a lesson not
to meddle with my guests again until I give him authority to do so."
I now hoped, as I had got the king all by himself, and apparently in
a good humour with me, that I might give him a wholesome lesson on the
manners and customs of the English nation, to show how much I felt the
slights I had received since my residence in Uganda; but he never lost
his dignity and fussiness as an Uganda king. My words must pass through
his Mkungu, as well as my interpreter's, before they reached him; and,
as he had no patience, everything was lost till he suddenly asked Maula,
pretending not to know, where my hut was; why everybody said I lived so
far away; and when told, he said, "Oh! that is very far, he must come
nearer." Still I could not say a word, his fussiness and self-importance
overcoming his inquisitiveness.
Rain now fell, and the king retired by one gate, whilst I was shown
out of another, until the shower was over. As soon as the sky was
clear again, we returned to the little court, and this time became more
confidential, as he asked many questions about England--such as, Whether
the Queen knew anything about medicines? Whether she kept a number
of women as he did? and what her palace was like?--which gave me an
opportunity of saying I would like to see his ships, for I heard they
were very numerous--and also his menagerie, said to be full of wonderful
animals. He said the vessels were far off, but he would send for them;
and although he once kept a large number of animals, he killed them all
in practising with his guns. The Whitworth rifle was then brought in for
me to take to pieces and teach him the use of; and then the chronometer.
He then inquired if I would like to go shooting? I said, "Yes, if he
would accompany me--not otherwise." "Hippopotami?" "Yes; there is great
fun in that, for they knock the boats over when they charge from below."
"Can you swim?" "Yes." "So can I. And would you like to shoot buffalo?"
"Yes, if you will go." "At night, then, I will send my keepers to look
out for them. Here is a leopard-car, with white behind its ears, and
a Ndezi porcupine of the short-quilled kind, which my people eat with
great relish; and if you are fond of animals, I will give you any number
of specimens, for my keepers net and bring in live animals of every kind
daily; for the present, you can take this basket of porcupines home for
your dinner." My men n'yanzigged--the king walked away, giving orders
for another officer to follow up the first who went to Ukori, and bring
Petherick quickly--and I went home.
This was to be a day of varied success. When I arrived at my hut I found
a messenger sent by the queen, with a present of a goat, called "fowls
for Bana, my son," and a load of plantains, called potatoes, waiting
for me; so I gave the bearer fundo of mtende beads, and told again the
reasons why I had not been able to call upon the queen, but I hoped
to do so shortly, as the king had promised me a house near at hand. I
doubt, however, whether one word of my message ever reached her. That
she wanted me at her palace was evident by the present, though she was
either too proud or too cautious to say so.
At night I overheard a chat between Sangizo, a Myamuezi, and Ntalo, a
freed man of Zanzibar, very characteristic of their way of chaffing.
Sangizo opened the battle by saying, "Ntalo, who are you?" N. "A Mguana"
(freed man). S. "A Mguana, indeed! then where is your mother?" N. "She
died at Anguja." S. "Your mother died at Anguja! then where is your
father?" N. "He died at Anguja likewise." S. "Well, that is strange; and
where are your brothers and sister?" N. "They all died at Anguja." S.
(then changing the word Anguja for Anguza, says to Ntalo) "I think you
said your mother and father both died at Anguza, did you not?" N. "Yes,
at Anguza." S. "Then you had two mothers and two fathers--one set
died at Anguja, and the other set at Anguza; you are a humbug; I don't
believe you; you are no Mguana, but a slave who has been snatched from
his family, and does not know where any of his family are. Ah! ah!
ah!" And all the men of the camp laugh together at the wretched Ntalo's
defeat; but Ntalo won't be done, so retorts by saying, "Sangizo, you
may laugh at me because I am an orphan, but what are you? you are a
savage--a Mshezi; you come from the Mashenzi, and you wear skins, not
cloths, as men do; so hold your impudent tongue";--and the camp pealed
with merry boisterous laughter again.
9th.--Early in the morning, and whilst I was in bed, the king sent his
pages to request me to visit his royal mother, with some specific for
the itch, with which her majesty was then afflicted. I said I could not
go so far in the sun; I would wait till I received the promised palace
near her. In the meanwhile I prepared to call on him. I observed, in
fact, that I was an object of jealousy between the two courts, and
that, if I acted skilfully and decidedly, I might become master of the
situation, and secure my darling object of a passage northwards. The
boys returned, bringing a pistol to be cleaned, and a message to say
it was no use my thinking of calling on the king--that I must go to the
queen immediately, for she was very ill. So far the queen won the day,
but I did not obtain my new residence, which I considered the first step
to accomplishing the greater object; I therefore put the iron farther in
the fire by saying I was no man's slave, and I should not go until I got
a house in the palace--Bombay could teach the boys the way to clean the
pistol. The perk monkeys, however, turned up their noses at such menial
service, and Uledi was instructed in their stead.
10th.--To surprise the queen, and try another dodge, I called on her
with all my dining things and bedding, to make a day of it, and sleep
the night. She admitted me at once, when I gave her quinine, on the
proviso that I should stop there all day and night to repeat the dose,
and tell her the reason why I did not come before. She affected great
anger at Mtesa having interfered with my servants when coming to see
her--sympathised with me on the distance I had to travel--ordered a hut
to be cleared for me ere night--told me to eat my breakfast in the next
court--and, rising abruptly, walked away. At noon we heard the king
approaching with his drums and rattle-traps, but I still waited on till
5 p.m., when, on summons, I repaired to the throne-hut. Here I heard, in
an adjoining court, the boisterous, explosive laughs of both mother and
son--royal shouts loud enough to be heard a mile off, and inform the
community that their sovereigns were pleased to indulge in hilarity.
Immediately afterwards, the gate between us being thrown open, the
king, like a very child, stood before us, dressed for the first time, in
public, in what Europeans would call clothes. For a cap he wore a Muscat
alfia, on his neck a silk Arab turban, fastened with a ring. Then for
a coat he had an Indian kizbow, and for trousers a yellow woollen doti;
whilst in his hand, in imitation of myself, he kept running his ramrod
backwards and forwards through his fingers. As I advanced and doffed my
hat, the king, smiling, entered the court, followed by a budding damsel
dressed in red bindera, who carried the chair I had presented to him,
and two new spears.
He now took his seat for the first time upon the chair, for I had told
him, at my last interview, that all kings were expected to bring out
some new fashion, or else the world would never make progress; and I was
directed to sit before him on my grass throne. Talking, though I longed
to enter into conversation, was out of the question; for no one dared
speak for me, and I could not talk myself; so we sat and grinned, till
in a few minutes the queen, full of smirks and smiles, joined us, and
sat on a mbugu. I offered the medicine-chest as a seat, but she dared
not take it; in fact, by the constitution of Uganda, no one, however
high in rank, not even his mother, can sit before the king. After sundry
jokes, whilst we were all bursting with laughter at the theatrical
phenomenon, the Wakungu who were present, some twenty in number,
threw themselves in line upon their bellies, and wriggling like fish,
n'yanzigged, n'goned, and demaned, and uttered other wonderful words
of rejoining--as, for instance, "Hai Minange! Hai Mkama wangi!" (O my
chief! O my king!)--whilst they continued floundering, kicking about
their legs, rubbing their faces, and patting their hands upon the
ground, as if the king had performed some act of extraordinary
munificence by showing himself to them in that strange and new
position--a thing quite enough to date a new Uganda era from.
The king, without deigning to look upon his grovelling subjects, said,
"Now, mother, take your medicine"; for he had been called solemnly to
witness the medical treatment she was undergoing at my hands. When
she had swallowed her quinine with a wry face, two very black virgins
appeared on the stage holding up the double red blanket I had given the
queen; for nothing, however trifling, can be kept secret from the king.
The whole court was in raptures. The king signified his approval by
holding his mouth, putting his head on one side, and looking askance
at it. The queen looked at me, then at the blanket and her son in turn;
whilst my men hung down their heads, fearful lest they should be accused
of looking at the ladies of the court; and the Wakungu n'yanzigged
again, as if they could not contain the gratification they felt at the
favour shown them. Nobody had ever brought such wonderful things to
Uganda before, and all loved Bana.
Till now I had expected to vent my wrath on both together for all past
grievances, but this childish, merry, homely scene--the mother holding
up her pride, her son, before the state officers--melted my heart at
once. 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.
11th.--Early in the morning, as I expected, she demanded my immediate
attendance; and so the little diplomatic affair I had anticipated came
on. I began the affair by intimating that I am in bed, and have not
breakfasted. So at 10 a.m. another messenger arrives, to say her majesty
is much surprised at my not coming. What can such conduct mean, when she
arranged everything so nicely for me after my own desire, that she might
drink her medicine properly? Still I am not up; but nobody will let me
rest for fear of the queen; so, to while away the time, I order Bombay
to call upon her, give the quinine, and tell her all that has happened;
at which she flies into a towering rage, says she will never touch
medicine administered by any other hands but mine, and will not believe
in one word Bombay says, either about Maula or the hut; for Maula, whose
duty necessarily obliged him to take my servants before her majesty,
had primed her with a lot of falsehoods on the subject; and she had
a fondness for Maula, because he was a clever humbug and exceeding
rogue--and sent Bombay back to fetch me, for nobody had ever dared
disobey her mandates before.
It had now turned noon, and being ready for the visit, I went to see the
queen. Determined to have her turn, she kept me waiting for a long time
before she would show herself; and at last, when she came, she flounced
up to her curtain, lay down in a huff, and vented her wrath, holding her
head very high, and wishing to know how I could expect officers, with
large establishments, to be turned out of their homes merely to give me
room for one night; I ought to have been content with my fare; it was no
fault of Maula's. I tried to explain through Nasib, but she called Nasib
a liar, and listened to Maula who told the lies; then asked for her
medicine; drank it, saying it was a small dose; and walked off in ill
humour as she had come. I now made up my mind to sit till 3 p.m., hoping
to see the queen again, whilst talking with some Kidi officers, who,
contrary to the general law of the country, indulged me with some
discourses on geography, from which I gathered, though their stories
were rather confused, that beyond the Asua river, in the Galla country,
there was another lake which was navigated by the inhabitants in very
large vessels; and somewhere in the same neighbourhood there was an
exceedingly high mountain covered with yellow dust, which the natives
collected, etc., etc.
Time was drawing on, and as the queen would not appear of her own
accord, I sent to request a friendly conversation with her before I
left, endeavouring, as well as I could, to persuade her that the want of
cordiality between us was owing to the mistakes of interpreters, who had
not conveyed to her my profound sentiments of devotion. This brought her
gracious corpulence out all smirks and smiles, preceded by a basket
of potatoes for "Bana, my son." I began conversation with a speech of
courtesy, explaining how I had left my brother Grant and my great friend
Rumanika at Karague--hastening, in compliance with the invitation of the
king, to visit him and herself, with the full hope of making friends in
Uganda; but now I had come, I was greatly disappointed; for I neither
saw half enough of their majesties, nor did any of their officers ever
call upon me to converse and pass away the dreary hours. All seemed
highly pleased, and complimented my speech; while the queen, turning to
her officers, said, "If that is the case, I will send these men to you";
whereupon the officers, highly delighted at the prospect of coming to
see me, and its consequence a present, n'yanzigged until I thought their
hands would drop off. Then her majesty to my thorough annoyance, and
before I had finished half I had to say, rose from her seat, and,
showing her broad stern to the company, walked straight away. The
officers then drew near me, and begged I would sleep there another
night; but as they had nothing better to offer than the hut of last
night, I declined and went my way, begging them to call and make friends
with me.
12th.--Immediately after breakfast the king sent his pages in a great
hurry to say he was waiting on the hill for me, and begged I would bring
all my guns immediately. I prepared, thinking, naturally enough, that
some buffaloes had been marked down; for the boys, as usual, were
perfectly ignorant of his designs. To my surprise, however, when I
mounted the hill half-way to the palace, I found the king standing,
dressed in a rich filagreed waistcoat, trimmed with gold embroidery,
tweedling the loading-rod in his fingers, and an alfia cap on his head,
whilst his pages held his chair and guns, and a number of officers, with
dogs and goats for offerings, squatted before him.
When I arrived, hat in hand, he smiled, examined my firearms, and
proceeded for sport, leading the way to a high tree, on which some
adjutant birds were nesting, and numerous vultures resting. This was the
sport; Bana must shoot a nundo (adjutant) for the king's gratification.
I begged him to take a shot himself, as I really could not demean myself
by firing at birds sitting on a tree; but it was all of no use--no one
could shoot as I could, and they must be shot. I proposed frightening
them out with stones, but no stone could reach so high; so, to cut the
matter short, I killed an adjutant on the nest, and, as the vultures
flew away, brought one down on the wing, which fell in a garden
enclosure.
The Waganda were for a minute all spell-bound with astonishment, when
the king jumped frantically in the air, clapping his hands above his
head, and singing out, "Woh, woh, woh! what wonders! Oh, Bana, Bana!
what miracles he performs!"--and all the Wakungu followed in chorus.
"Now load, Bana--load, and let us see you do it," cried the excited
king; but before I was half loaded, he said, "Come along, come along,
and let us see the bird." Then directing the officers which way to
go--for, by the etiquette of the court of Uganda, every one must precede
the king--he sent them through a court where his women, afraid of the
gun, had been concealed. Here the rush onward was stopped by newly made
fences, but the king roared to the officers to knock them down. This
was no sooner said than done, by the attendants in a body shoving on and
trampling them under, as an elephant would crush small trees to keep his
course. So pushing, floundering through plaintain and shrub, pell-mell
one upon the other, that the king's pace might not be checked, or any
one come in for a royal kick or blow, they came upon the prostrate bird.
"Woh, woh, woh!" cried the king again, "there he is, sure enough; come
here, women--come and look what wonders!" And all the women, in the
highest excitement, "woh-wohed" as loud as any of the men. But that was
not enough. "Come along, Bana," said the king, "we must have some more
sport;" and, saying this he directed the way towards the queen's palace,
the attendants leading, followed by the pages, then the king, next
myself--for I never would walk before him--and finally the women, some
forty or fifty, who constantly attended him.
To make the most of the king's good-humour, while I wanted to screen
myself from the blazing sun, I asked him if he would like to enjoy the
pleasures of an umbrella; and before he had time to answer, held mine
over him as we walked side by side. The Wakungu were astonished, and the
women prattled in great delight; whilst the king, hardly able to control
himself, sidled and spoke to his flatterers as if he were doubly created
monarch of all he surveyed. He then, growing more familiar, said, "Now,
Bana, do tell me--did you not shoot that bird with something more than
common ammunition? I am sure you did, now; there was magic in it." And
all I said to the contrary would not convince him. "But we will see
again." "At buffaloes?" I said. "No, the buffaloes are too far off now;
we will wait to go after then until I have given you a hut close by."
Presently, as some herons were flying overhead, he said, "Now, shoot,
shoot!" and I brought a couple down right and left. He stared, and
everybody stared, believing me to be a magician, when the king said
he would like to have pictures of the birds drawn and hung up in the
palace; "but let us go and shoot some more, for it is truly wonderful."
Similar results followed, for the herons were continually whirling
round, as they had their nests upon a neighbouring tree; and then the
king ordered his pages to carry all the birds, save the vulture--which,
for some reason, they did not touch--and show them to the queen.
He then gave the order to move on, and we all repaired to the palace.
Arrived at the usual throne-room, he took his seat, dismissed the party
of wives who had been following him, as well as the Wakungu, received
pombe from his female evil-eye averters, and ordered me, with my men,
to sit in the sun facing him, till I complained of the heat, and was
allowed to sit by his side. Kites, crows, and sparrows were flying about
in all directions, and as they came within shot, nothing would satisfy
the excited boy-king but I must shoot them, and his pages take them to
the queen, till my ammunition was totally expended. He then wanted me
to send for more shot; and as I told him he must wait for more until
my brothers come, he contented himself with taking two or three sample
grains and ordering his iron-smiths to make some like them.
Cows were now driven in for me to kill two with one bullet; but as the
off one jumped away when the gun fired, the bullet passed through the
near one, then through all the courts and fences, and away no one knew
where. The king was delighted, and said he must keep the rifle to look
at for the night. I now asked permission to speak with him on some
important matters, when he sent his women away and listened. I said I
felt anxious about the road on which Mabruki was travelling, to which I
added that I had ordered him to tell Petherick to come here or else to
send property to the value of one thousand dollars; and I felt anxious
because some of the queen's officers felt doubtful about Waganda being
able to penetrate Kidi. He said I need not concern myself on that score;
he was much more anxious for the white men to come here than even I was,
and he would not send my men into any danger; but it was highly improper
for any of his people to speak about such subjects. Then, assembling
the women again, he asked me to load Whitworth for him, when he shot the
remaining cow, holding the rifle in both hands close to his thigh. The
feat, of course, brought forth great and uproarious congratulations from
his women. The day thus ended, and I was dismissed.
13th.--Mabriki and Bilal come into camp: they returned last night; but
the Waganda escort, afraid of my obtaining information of them before
the king received it, kept them concealed. They had been defeated
in Usoga, two marches each of Kira, at the residence of Nagozigombi,
Mtesa's border officer, who gave them two bullocks, but advised their
returning at once to inform the king that the independent Wasoga had
been fighting with his dependent Wasoga subjects for some time, and the
battle would not be over for two months or more, unless he sent an army
to their assistance.
I now sent Bombay to the king to request an interview, as I had much of
importance to tell him; but the could not be seen, as he was deep in
the interior of the palace enjoying the society of his wives. The
Kamraviona, however, was found there waiting, as usual, on the mere
chance of his majesty taking it into his head to come out. He asked
Bombay if it was true the woman he gave me ran away; and when Bombay
told him, he said, "Oh, he should have chained her for two or three
days, until she became accustomed to her residence; for women often take
fright and run away in that way, believing strangers to be cannibals."
But Bombay replied, "She was not good enough for Bana; he let her go off
like a dog; he wants a young and beautiful Mhuma, or none at all." "Ah,
well, then, if he is so particular, he must wait a bit, for we have
none on hand. What I gave him is the sort of creature we give all our
guests." A Msoga was sent by the king to take the dead adjutant of
yesterday out of the nest--for all Wasoga are expert climbers, which is
not the case with the Waganda; but the man was attacked half-way up the
tree by a swarm of bees, and driven down again.
14th.--After all the vexatious haggling for a house, I gained my
object to-day by a judicious piece of bribery which I had intended to
accomplish whenever I could. I now succeeded in sending--for I could
not, under the jealous eyes in Uganda, get it done earlier--a present of
fifteen pints mixed beads, twenty blue eggs, and five copper bracelets,
to the commander-in-chief, as a mark of friendship. At the same time I
hinted that I should like him to use his influence in obtaining for me
a near and respectable residence, where I hoped he, as well as all the
Waganda nobility, would call upon me; for my life in Uganda was utterly
miserable, being shut up like a hermit by myself every day. The result
was, that a number of huts in a large plantain garden were at once
assigned to me, on the face of a hill, immediately overlooking and close
to the main road. It was considered the "West End." It had never before
been occupied by any visitors excepting Wahinda ambassadors; and being
near, and in full view of the palace, was pleasant and advantageous, as
I could both hear the constant music, and see the throngs of people ever
wending their way to and from the royal abodes. I lost no time in moving
all my property, turning out the original occupants--in selecting the
best hut for myself, giving the rest to my three officers--and ordering
my men to build barracks for themselves, in street form, from my hut to
the main road. There was one thing only left to be done; the sanitary
orders of Uganda required every man to build himself a house of
parliament, such being the neat and cleanly nature of the Waganda--a
pattern to all other negro tribes.
15th.--As nobody could obtain an interview with the king yesterday, I
went to the palace to-day, and fired three shots--a signal which was at
once answered from within by a double discharge of a gun I had just lent
him on his returning my rifle. In a little while, as soon as he had
time to dress, the king, walking like a lion, sallied forth, leading his
white dog, and beckoned me to follow him to the state hut, the court of
which was filled with squatting men as usual, well dressed, and keeping
perfect order. He planted himself on his throne, and begged me to sit by
his side. Then took place the usual scene of a court levee, as described
in Chapter X., with the specialty, in this instance, that the son of the
chief executioner--one of the highest officers of state--was led off
for execution, for some omission or informality in his n'yanzigs, or
salutes.
At this levee sundry Wakungu of rank complained that the Wanyambo
plundered their houses at night, and rough-handled their women, without
any respect for their greatness, and, when caught, said they were Bana's
men. Bombay, who was present, heard the complaint, and declared these
were Suwarora's men, who made use of the proximity of my camp to cover
their own transgressions. Then Suwarora's deputation, who were also
present, cringed forward, n'yanzigging like Waganda, and denied the
accusation, when the king gave all warning that he would find out the
truth by placing guards on the look-out at night.
Till this time the king had not heard one word about the defeat of the
party sent for Petherick. His kingdom might have been lost, and he would
have been no wiser; when the officer who led Mabruki came forward and
told him all that had happened, stating, in addition to what I heard
before, that they took eighty men with them, and went into battle three
times successfully. Dismissing business, however, the king turned to me,
and said he never saw anything so wonderful as my shooting in his life;
he was sure it was done by magic, as my gun never missed, and he wished
I would instruct him in the art. When I denied there was any art in
shooting, further than holding the gun straight, he shook his head,
and getting me to load his revolving pistol for him, he fired all
five barrels into two cows before the multitude. He then thought of
adjutant-shooting with ball, left the court sitting, desired me to
follow him, and leading the way, went into the interior of the palace,
where only a few select officers were permitted to follow us. The birds
were wild, and as nothing was done, I instructed him in the way to fire
from his shoulder, placing the gun in position. He was shy at first, and
all the people laughed at my handling royalty like a schoolboy; but he
soon took to it very good-naturedly, when I gave him my silk necktie and
gold crest-ring, explaining their value, which he could not comprehend,
and telling him we gentlemen prided ourselves on never wearing brass or
copper.
He now begged hard for shot; but I told him again his only chance of
getting any lay in opening the road onwards; it was on this account, I
said, I had come to see him to-day. He answered, "I am going to send an
army to Usoga to force the way from where your men were turned back."
But this, I said, would not do for me, as I saw his people travelled
like geese, not knowing the direction of Gani, or where they were going
to when sent. I proposed that if he would call all his travelling men
of experience together, I would explain matters to them by a map I had
brought; for I should never be content till I saw Petherick.
The map was then produced. He seemed to comprehend it immediately, and
assembled the desired Wakungu; but, to my mortification, he kept all the
conversation to himself, Waganda fashion; spoke a lot of nonsense;
and then asked his men what they thought had better be done. The sages
replied, "Oh, make friends, and do the matter gently." But the king
proudly raised his head, laughed them to scorn, and said, "Make friends
with men who have crossed their spears with us already! Nonsense! they
would only laugh at us; the Uganda spear alone shall do it." Hearing
this bravado, the Kamraviona, the pages, and the elders, all rose to a
man, with their sticks, and came charging at their king, swearing they
would carry out his wished with their lives. The meeting now broke up
in the usual unsatisfactory, unfinished manner, by the king rising and
walking away, whilst I returned with the Kamraviona, who begged for ten
more blue eggs in addition to my present to make a full necklace, and
told my men to call upon him in the morning, when he would give me
anything I wished to eat. Bombay was then ordered to describe what sort
of food I lived on usually; when, Mganda fashion, he broke a stick into
ten bits, each representing a differing article, and said, "Bana eat
mixed food always"; and explained that stick No. 1 represented beef; No.
2, mutton; No. 3, fowl; No. 4, eggs; No. 5, fish; No. 6, potatoes; No.
7, plantains; No. 8, pombe; No. 9, butter; No. 10, flour.
16th.--To-day the king was amusing himself among his women again, and
not to be seen. I sent Bombay with ten blue eggs as a present for the
Kamraviona, intimating my desire to call upon him. He sent me a goat
and ten fowls' eggs, saying he was not visible to strangers on business
to-day. I inferred that he required the king's permission to receive me.
This double failure was a more serious affair then a mere slight; for
my cows were eaten up, and my men clamouring incessantly for food;
and though they might by orders help themselves "ku n'yangania"--by
seizing--from the Waganda, it hurt my feelings so much to witness this,
that I tried from the first to dispense with it, telling the king I had
always flogged my men for stealing, and now he turned them into a pack
of thieves. I urged that he should either allow me to purchase rations,
or else feed them from the palace as Rumanika did; but he always turned
a deaf ear, or said that what Sunna his father had introduced it ill
became him to subvert; and unless my men helped themselves they would
die of starvation.
On the present emergency I resolved to call upon the queen. On reaching
the palace, I sent an officer in to announce my arrival, and sat waiting
for the reply fully half an hour, smoking my pipe, and listening to
her in the adjoining court, where music was playing, and her voice
occasionally rent the air with merry boisterous laughing.
The messenger returned to say no one could approach her sanctuary or
disturb her pleasure at this hour; I must wait and bide my time, as the
Uganda officers do. Whew! Here was another diplomatic crisis, which had
to be dealt with in the usual way. "I bide my time!" I said, rising in
a towering passion, and thrashing the air with my ramrod walking-stick,
before all the visiting Wakungu, "when the queen has assured me her
door would always be open to me! I shall leave this court at once, and
I solemnly swear I shall never set foot in it again, unless some apology
be made for treating me like a dog." Then, returning home, I tied up all
the presents her majesty had given me in a bundle, and calling Maula and
my men together, told them to take them where they came from; for it
ill became me to keep tokens of friendship when no friendship existed
between us. I came to make friends with the queen, not to trade or take
things from her--and so forth. The blackguard Maula, laughing, said,
"Bana does not know what he is doing; it is a heinous offence in Uganda
sending presents back; nobody for their lives dare do so to the queen;
her wrath would know no bounds. She will say, 'I took a few trifles from
Bana as specimens of his country, but they shall all go back, and the
things the king has received shall go back also, for we are all of one
family'; and then won't Bana be very sorry? Moreover, Wakungu will be
killed by dozens, and lamentations will reign throughout the court to
propitiate the devils who brought such disasters on them." Bombay, also
in a fright, said, "Pray don't do so; you don't know these savages as
we do; there is no knowing what will happen; it may defeat our journey
altogether. Further, we have had no food these four days, because row
succeeds row. If we steal, you flog us; and if we ask the Waganda
for food, they beat us. We don't know what to do." I was imperative,
however, and said, "Maula must take back these things in the morning, or
stand the consequences." In fact, I found that, like the organ-grinders
in London, to get myself moved on I must make myself troublesome.
17th.--The queen's presents were taken back by Maula and Nasib, whilst I
went to see the Kamraviona. Even this gentleman kept me waiting for some
time to show his own importance, and then admitted me into one of his
interior courts, where I found him sitting on the ground with several
elders; whilst Wasoga minstrels played on their lap-harps, and sang
songs in praise of their king, and the noble stranger who wore fine
clothes and eclipsed all previous visitors. At first, on my approach,
the haughty young chief, very handsome, and twenty years of age, did not
raise his head; then he begged me to be seated, and even enquired
after my health, in a listless, condescending kind of manner, as if the
exertion of talking was too much for his constitution or his rank; but
he soon gave up this nonsense as I began to talk, inquired, amongst
other things, why I did not see the Waganda at my house, when I said
I should so much like to make acquaintance with them, and begged to be
introduced to the company who were present.
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. At first
I thought it necessary, for the sake of maintaining my dignity, to raise
objections, and said it would ill become one of my rank to make any
request that might possibly be rejected; but as the Kamraviona assured
me there would be no chance of failure, and everybody else agreed with
him, I said it would give me intense satisfaction to serve him; and the
old man squeezed my hand as if overpowered with joy.
This meeting, as might be imagined, was a very dull one, because the
company, being tongue-tied as regards everything of external interest,
occupied themselves solely on matters of home business, or indulged
their busy tongues, Waganda fashion, in gross flattery of their
"illustrious visitor." In imitation of the king, the Kamraviona now went
from one hut to another, requesting us to follow that we might see all
his greatness, and then took me alone into a separate court, to show
me his women, some five-and-twenty of the ugliest in Uganda. This,
he added, was a mark of respect he had never conferred on any person
before; but, fearing lest I should misunderstand his meaning and covet
any of them, he said, "Mind they are only to be looked at."
As we retired to the other visitors, the Kamraviona, in return for some
courteous remarks of mine, said all the Waganda were immensely pleased
with my having come to visit them; and as he heard my country is
governed by a woman, what would I say if he made the Waganda dethrone
her, and create me king instead? Without specially replying, I showed
him a map, marking off the comparative sizes of British and
Waganda possessions, and shut him up. The great Kamraviona, or
commander-in-chief, with all his wives, has no children, and was eager
to know if my skill could avail to remove this cloud in his fortunes.
He generously gave me a goat and eggs, telling my men they might help
themselves to plantains from any gardens they liked beyond certain
limits, provided they did not enter houses or take anything else. He
then said he was tired and walked away without another word.
On returning home I found Nasib and Maula waiting for me, with all the
articles that had been returned to the queen very neatly tied together.
They had seen her majesty, who, on receiving my message, pretended
excessive anger with her doorkeeper for not announcing my
arrival yesterday--flogged him severely--inspected all the things
returned--folded them up again very neatly with her own hands--said
she felt much hurt at the mistake which had arisen, and hoped I would
forgive and forget it, as her doors would always be open to me.
I now had a laugh at my friends Maula and Bombay for their misgivings of
yesterday, telling them I knew more of human nature than they did; but
they shook their heads, and said it was all very well Bana having done
it, but if Arabs or any other person had tried the same trick, it would
have been another affair. "Just so," said I; "but then, don't you see, I
know my value here, which makes all the difference you speak of."
18th.--Whilst walking towards the palace to pay the king a friendly
visit, I met two of my men speared on the head, and streaming with
blood; they had been trying to help themselves to plantains carried
on the heads of Waganda; but the latter proving too strong, my people
seized a boy and woman from their party as witnesses, according to
Uganda law, and ran away with them, tied hand and neck together. With
this addition to my attendance I first called in at the Kamraviona's
for justice; but as he was too proud to appear at once, I went on to the
king's fired three shots as usual, and obtained admittance at once, when
I found him standing in a yard dressed in cloth, with his iron chair
behind him, and my double-gun loaded with half charges of powder and a
few grains of iron shot, looking eagerly about for kites to fly over.
His quick eye, however, readily detected my wounded men and prisoners,
as also some Wazinza prisoners led in by Waganda police, who had been
taken in the act of entering Waganda houses and assailing their women.
Thus my men were cleared of a false stigma; and the king, whilst
praising them, ordered all the Wazinza to leave his dominions on the
morrow.
The other case was easily settled by my wounded men receiving orders to
keep their prisoners till claimed, when, should any people come forward,
they would be punished, otherwise their loss in human stock would be
enough. The Wanguana had done quite right to seize on the highway, else
they would have starved; such was the old law, and such is the present
one. It was no use our applying for a change of system. At this stage of
the business, the birds he was watching having appeared, the king, in a
great state of excitement, said, "Shoot that kite," and then "Shoot that
other"; but the charges were too light; and the birds flew away, kicking
with their claws as if merely stung a little.
Whilst this was going on, the Kamraviona, taking advantage of my having
opened the door with the gun, walked in to make his salutations. A
blacksmith produced two very handsome spears, and a fisherman a basket
of fish, from which two fish were taken out and given to me. The king
then sat on his iron chair, and I on a wooden box which I had contrived
to stuff with the royal grass he gave me, and so made a complete
miniature imitation of his throne. The folly in now allowing me to sit
upon my portable iron stool, as an ingenious device for carrying out
my determination to sit before him like an Englishman. I wished to be
communicative, and, giving him a purse of money, told him the use and
value of the several coins; but he paid little regard to them, and soon
put them down. The small-talk of Uganda had much more attractions to
his mind than the wonders of the outer world, and he kept it up with his
Kamraviona until rain fell and dispersed the company.
19th.--As the queen, to avoid future difficulties, desired my officers
to acquaint her beforehand whenever I wished to call upon her, I sent
Nasib early to say I would call in the afternoon; but he had to wait
till the evening before he could deliver the message, though she had
been drumming and playing all the day. She then complained against
my men for robbing her gardeners on the highway, wished to know why I
didn't call upon her oftener, appointed the following morning for an
interview, and begged I would bring her some liver medicines, as she
suffered from constant twinges in her right side, sealing her "letter"
with a present of a nest of eggs and one fowl.
Whilst Nasib was away, I went to the Kamraviona to treat him as I had
the king. He appeared a little more affable to-day, yet still delighted
in nothing but what was frivolous. My beard, for instance, engrossed the
major part of the conversation; all the Waganda would come out in future
with hairy faces; but when I told them that, to produce such a growth,
they must wash their faces with milk, and allow a cat to lick it off,
they turned up their noses in utter contempt.
20th.--I became dead tired of living all alone, with nothing else
to occupy my time save making these notes every day in my office
letter-book, as my store of stationery was left at Karague. I had no
chance of seeing any visitors, save the tiresome pages, who asked me
to give or to do something for the king every day; and my prospect was
cheerless, as I had been flatly refused a visit to Usoga until Grant
should come. For want of better amusement, I made a page of Lugoi, a
sharp little lad, son of the late Beluch, but adopted by Uledi, and
treated him as a son, which he declared he wished to be, for he liked
me better than Uledi as a father. He said he disliked Uganda, where
people's lives are taken like those of fowls; and wished to live at
the coast, the only place he ever heard of, where all the Wanguana come
from--great swells in Lugoi's estimation. Now, with Lugoi dressed in a
new white pillow-case, with holes trimmed with black tape for his head
and arms to go through, a dagger tied with red bindera round his waist,
and a square of red blanket rolled on his shoulder as a napkin, for my
gun to rest on, or in place of a goat-skin run when he wished to sit
down, I walked off to inquire how the Kamraviona was, and took my
pictures with me.
Lugoi's dress, however, absorbed all their thoughts, and he was made to
take it off and put it on again as often as any fresh visitor came to
call. Hardly a word was said about anything else; even the pictures,
which generally are in such demand, attracted but little notice. I asked
the Kamraviona to allow me to draw his pet dog; when the king's sister
Miengo came in and sat down, laughing and joking with me immoderately.
At first there was a demur about my drawing the dog--whether from fear
of bewitching the animal or not, I cannot say; but instead of producing
the pet--a beautifully-formed cream-coloured dog--a common black one was
brought in, which I tied in front of Miengo, and then drew both woman
and dog together. After this unlawful act was discovered, of drawing
the king's sister without his consent, the whole company roared with
laughter, and pretended nervous excitement lest I should book them
likewise. One of my men, Sangoro, did not return to camp last night from
foraging; and as my men suspect the Waganda must have murdered him, I
told the Kamraviona, requesting him to find out; but he coolly said,
"Look for him yourselves two days more, for Wanguana often make friends
with our people, and so slip away from their masters; but as they are
also often murdered, provided you cannot find him in that time, we will
have the Mganga out."
21st.--Last night I was turned out of my bed by a terrible hue and cry
from the quarter allotted to Rozaro and his Wanyambo companions; for the
Waganda had threatened to demolish my men, one by one, for seizing their
pombe and plaintains, though done according to the orders of the king;
and now, finding the Wanyambo nearest to the road, they set on them by
moonlight, with spear and club, maltreating them severely, till, with
reinforcements, the Wanyambo gained the ascendancy, seized two spears
and one shield as a trophy, and drove their enemies off. In the morning,
I sent the Wakungu off with the trophies to the king, again complaining
that he had turned my men into a pack of highwaymen, and, as I foresaw,
had thus created enmity between the Waganda and them, much to my
annoyance. I therefore begged he would institute some means to prevent
any further occurrence of such scenes, otherwise I would use firearms in
self-defence.
Whilst these men were on this mission, I went on a like errand to the
queen, taking my page Lugoi with the liver medicine. The first object of
remark was Lugoi, as indeed it was everywhere; for, as I walked along,
crowds ran after the little phenomenon. Then came the liver questions;
and, finally what I wanted--her complaint against my men for robbing
on the road, as it gave me the opportunity of telling her the king was
doing what I had been trying to undo with my stick ever since I left
the coast; and I begged she would use influence to correct these
disagreeables. She told me for the future to send my men to her palace
for food, and rob no more; in the meanwhile, here were some plantains
for them. She then rose and walked away, leaving me extremely
disappointed that I could not make some more tangible arrangement with
her--such as, if my men came and found the gate shut, what were they to
do then? there were forty-five of them; how much would she allow; etc.
etc. But this was a true specimen of the method of transacting business
among the royal family of Uganda. They gave orders without knowing how
they are to be carried out, and treat all practical arrangements as
trifling details not worth attending to.
After this unsatisfactory interview, I repaired to the king's, knowing
the power of my gun to obtain an interview, whilst doubting the ability
of the Wakungu to gain an audience for me. Such was the case. These men
had been sitting all day without seeing the king, and three shots opened
his gate immediately to me. He was sitting on the iron chair in the
shade of the court, attended by some eighty women, tweedling the loading
rod in his fingers; but as my rod appeared a better one than his, they
were exchanged. I then gave him a tortoise-shell comb to comb his hair
straight with, as he invariably remarked on the beautiful manner in
which I dressed my hair, making my uncap to show it to his women, and
afterwards asked my men to bring on the affair of last night. They
feared, they said, to speak on such subjects whilst the women were
present. I begged for a private audience; still they would not speak
until encouraged and urged beyond all patience. I said, in Kisuahili,
"Kbakka" (king), "my men are afraid to tell you what I want to say";
when Maula, taking advantage of my having engaged his attention, though
the king did not understand one word I said, said of himself, by way of
currying favour, "I saw a wonderful gun in Rumankika's hands, with
six barrells; not a short one like your fiver" (meaning the revolving
pistol) "but a long one, as long as my arm." "Indeed," says the king,
"we must have that." A page was then sent for by Maula, who, giving
him a bit of stick representing the gun required, told him to fetch it
immediately.
The king then said to me, "What is powder made of?" I began with sulphur
(kibriti), intending to explain everything; but the word kibriti was
enough for him, and a second stick was sent for kibriti, the bearer
being told to hurry for his life and fetch it. The king now ordered
some high officers who were in waiting to approach. They come, almost
crouching to their knees, with eyes averted from the women, and
n'yanzigged for the favour of being called, till they streamed with
perspiration. Four young women, virgins, the daughters of these high
officers, nicely dressed, were shown in as brides, and ordered to sit
with the other women. A gamekeeper brought in baskets small antelopes,
called mpeo--with straight horns resembling those of the saltiana, but
with coats like the hog-deer of India--intended for the royal kitchen.
Elderly gentlemen led in goats as commutation for offences, and went
through the ceremonies due for the favour of being relieved of so much
property. Ten cows were then driven in, plundered from Unyoro, and
outside, the voices of the brave army who captured them were heard
n'yanzigging vehemently. Lastly, some beautifully made shields were
presented, and, because extolled, n'yanzigged over; when the king rose
abruptly and walked straight away, leaving my fools of men no better off
for food, no reparation for their broken heads, than if I had never gone
there.
22d.--I called on the queen to inquire after her health, and to know how
my men were to be fed; but, without giving me time to speak, she flew
at me again about my men plundering. The old story was repeated; I had
forty-five hungry men, who must have food, and unless either she or the
king would make some proper provision for them, I could not help it.
Again she promised to feed them, but she objected to them bearing
swords, "for of what use are swords? If the Waganda don't like the
Wanguana, can swords prevail in our country?" And, saying this, she
walked away. I thought to myself that she must have directed the attack
upon my camp last night and is angry at the Wanguana swords driving
her men away. At 3 p.m. I visited the king, to have a private chat, and
state my grievances; but the three shots fired brought him out to levee,
when animals and sundry other things were presented; and appointments
of Wakungu were made for the late gallant services of some of the men in
plundering Unyoro.
The old executioner, Kunza, being present, I asked the king to pardon
his son. Surprised, at first Mtesa said, "Can it be possible Bana has
asked for this?" And when assured, in great glee he ordered the lad's
release, amidst shouts of laughter from everybody but the agitated
father, who n'yanzigged, cried, and fell at my feet, making a host of
powerful signs as a token of his gratitude; for his heart was too full
of emotion to give utterance to his feelings. The king them, in high
good-humour, said, "You have called on me many times without broaching
the subject of Usoga, and perhaps you may fancy we are not exerting
ourselves in the matter; but my army is only now returning from war"
(meaning plundering in Unyoro), "and I am collecting another one, which
will open Usoga effectually." Before I could say anything, the king
started up in his usual manner, inviting a select few to follow him to
another court, when my medicine-chest was inspected, and I was asked
to operate for fistula on one of the royal executioners. I had no
opportunity of incurring this responsibility; for while professing to
prepare for the operation, the king went off it a fling.
When I got home I found Sangoro, whom we thought lost or murdered,
quietly ensconced in camp. He had been foraging by himself a long way
from camp, in a neighbourhood where many of the king's women are kept;
and it being forbidden ground, he was taken up by the keepers, placed in
the stocks, and fed, until to-day, when he extricated his legs by means
of his sword, and ran away. My ever-grumbling men mobbed me again,
clamouring for food, saying, as they eyed my goats, I lived at ease
and overlooked their wants. In vain I told them they had fared more
abundantly than I had since we entered Uganda; whilst I spared my goats
to have a little flesh of their cows as rapidly as possible, selling the
skins for pombe, which I seldom tasted; they robbed me as long as I had
cloth or beads, and now they had all become as fat as hogs by lifting
food off the Waganda lands. As I could not quiet them, I directed that,
early next morning, Maula should go to the king and Nasib to the queen,
while I proposed going to Kamraviona's to work them all three about this
affair of food.
23d.--According to the plan of last night, I called early on the
Kamraviona. He promised me assistance, but with an air which seemed
to say, What are the sufferings of other men to me? So I went home to
breakfast, doubting if anything ever would be done. As Kaggo, however,
the second officer of importance, had expressed a wish to see me, I sent
Bombay to him for food, and waited the upshot. Presently the king sent
to say he wished to see me with my compass; for the blackguard Maula had
told him I possessed a wonderful instrument, by looking at which I could
find my way all over the world. I went as requested, and found the king
sitting outside the palace on my chair dressed in cloths, with my
silk neckerchief and crest-ring, playing his flute in concert with his
brothers, some thirty-odd young men and boys, one half of them manacled,
the other half free, with an officer watching over them to see that they
committed no intrigues.
We then both sat side by side in the shade of the courtwalls, conversed
and had music by turns; for the king had invited his brothers here to
please me, the first step towards winning the coveted compass. My hair
must now be shown and admired, then my shoes taken off and inspected,
and my trousers tucked up to show that I am white all over. Just at this
time Bombay, who had been in great request, came before us laden with
plantains. This was most opportune; for the king asked what he had been
about, and then the true state of the case as regards my difficulties in
obtaining food were, I fancy, for the first time, made known to him. In
a great fit of indignation he said, "I once killed a hundred Wakungu
in a single day, and now, if they won't feed my guests, I will kill a
hundred more; for I know the physic for bumptiousness." Then, sending
his brothers away, he asked me to follow him into the back part of the
palace, as he loved me so much he must show me everything. We walked
along under the umbrella, first looking down one street of huts, then
up another, and, finally, passing the sleeping-chamber, stopped at one
adjoining it. "That hut," said the king, "is the one I sleep in; no one
of my wives dare venture within it unless I call her." He let me feel
immediately that for the distinction conferred on me in showing me this
sacred hut a return was expected. Could I after that refuse him such a
mere trifle as a compass? I told him he might as well put my eyes out
and ask me to walk home, as take away that little instrument, which
could be of no use to him, as he could not read or understand it.
But this only excited his cupidity; he watched it twirling round and
pointing to the north, and looked and begged again, until, tired of
his importunities, I told him I must wait until the Usoga road was open
before I could part with it, and then the compass would be nothing to
what I would give him. Hearing this, "That is all on my shoulders; as
sure as I live it shall be done; for that country has no king, and I
have long been desirous of taking it." I declined, however, to give him
the instrument on the security of his promise, and he went to breakfast.
I walked off to Usungu to see what I could do for him in his misery.
I found that he had a complication of evils entirely beyond my healing
power, and among them inveterate forms of the diseases which are
generally associated with civilisation and its social evils. I could
do nothing to cure him, but promised to do whatever was in my power to
alleviate his sufferings.
24th.--Before breakfast I called on poor Usungu, prescribing hot coffee
to be drunk with milk every morning, which astonished him not a little,
as the negroes only use coffee for chewing. He gave my men pombe and
plantains. On my return I met a page sent to invite me to the palace.
I found the king sitting with a number of women. He was dressed in
European clothes, part of them being a pair of trousers he begged for
yesterday, that he might appear like Bana. This was his first appearance
in trousers, and his whole attire, contrasting strangely with his native
habiliments, was in his opinion very becoming, though to me a little
ridiculous; for the legs of the trousers, as well as the sleeves of the
waistcoat, were much too short, so that his black feet and hands stuck
out at the extremities as an organ-player's monkey's do, whilst the
cockscomb on his head prevented a fez cap, which was part of his special
costume for the occasion, from sitting properly. This display over, the
women were sent away, and I saw shown into a court, where a large number
of plantains were placed in a line upon the ground for my men to take
away, and we were promised the same treat every day. From this we
proceeded to another court, where we sat in the shade together, when the
women returned again, but were all dumb, because my interpreters dared
not for their lives say anything, even on my account, to the king's
women. Getting tired, I took out my sketch-book and drew Lubuga, the
pet, which amused the king immensely as he recognised her cockscomb.
Then twenty naked virgins, the daughters of Wakungu, all smeared
and shining with grease, each holding a small square of mbugu for a
fig-leaf, marched in a line before us, as a fresh addition to the
harem, whilst the happy fathers floundered n'yanzigging on the ground,
delighted to find their darlings appreciated by the king. Seeing this
done in such a quiet mild way before all my men, who dared not lift
their heads to see it, made me burst into a roar of laughter, and the
king, catching the infection from me, laughed as well: but the laughing
did not end there--for the pages, for once giving way to nature, kept
bursting--my men chuckled in sudden gusts--while even the women, holding
their mouths for fear of detection, responded--and we all laughed
together. Then a sedate old dame rose from the squatting mass, ordered
the virgins to right-about, and marched them off, showing their still
more naked reverses. I now obtained permission for the Wakungu to call
upon me, and fancied I only required my interpreters to speak out like
men when I had anything to say, to make my residence in Uganda both
amusing and instructive; but though the king, carried off by the
prevailing good-humour of the scene we had both witnessed, supported me,
I found that he had counter-ordered what he had said as soon as I had
gone, and, in fact, no Mkungu ever dared come near me.
25th.--To-day I visited Usungu again, and found him better. He gave
pombe and plantains for my people, but would not talk to me, though I
told him he had permission to call on me.
I have now been for some time within the court precincts, and have
consequently had an opportunity of witnessing court customs. Among
these, nearly every day since I have changed my residence, incredible
as it may appear to be, I have seen one, two, or three of the wretched
palace women led away to execution, tied by the hand, and dragged along
by one of the body-guard, crying out, as she went to premature death,
"Hai Minange!" (O my lord!) "Kbakka!" (My king!) "Hai N'yawo!" (My
mother!) at the top of her voice, in the utmost despair and lamentation;
and yet there was not a soul who dared lift hand to save any of them,
though many might be heard privately commenting on their beauty.
26th.--To-day, to amuse the king, I drew a picture of himself holding
a levee, and proceeded to visit him. On the way I found the highroad
thronged with cattle captured in Unyoro; and on arrival at the
ante-chamber, amongst the officers in waiting, Masimbi (Mr Cowries or
Shells), the queen's uncle, and Congow, a young general, who once led
an army into Unyoro, past Kamrasi's palace. They said they had obtained
leave for me to visit them, and were eagerly looking out for the happy
event. At once, on firing, I was admitted to the king's favourite place,
which, now that the king had a movable chair to sit upon, was the shade
of the court screen. We had a chat; the picture was shown to the women;
the king would like to have some more, and gave me leave to draw in the
palace any time I liked. At the same time he asked for my paint-box,
merely to look at it. Though I repeatedly dunned him for it, I could
never get it back from him until I was preparing to leave Uganda.
27th.--After breakfast I started on a visit to Congow; but finding he
had gone to the king as usual, called at Masimbi's and he being absent
also, I took advantage of my proximity to the queen's palace to call on
her majesty. For hours I was kept waiting; firstly, because she was
at breakfast; secondly, because she was "putting on medicine"; and,
thirdly, because the sun was too powerful for her complexion; when I
became tired of her nonsense, and said, "If she does not wish to see me,
she had better say so at once, else I shall walk away; for the last time
I came I saw her but for a minute, when she rudely turned her back upon
me, and left me sitting by myself." I was told not to be in a hurry--she
would see me in the evening. This promise might probably be fulfilled
six blessed hours from the time when it was made; but I thought to
myself, every place in Uganda is alike when there is no company at home,
and so I resolved to sit the time out, like Patience on a monument,
hoping something funny might turn up after all.
At last her majesty stumps out, squats behind my red blanket, which is
converted into a permanent screen, and says hastily, or rather testily,
"Can't Bana perceive the angry state of the weather?--clouds flying
about, and the wind blowing half a gale? Whenever that is the case, I
cannot venture out." Taking her lie without an answer, I said, I had now
been fifty days or so doing nothing in Uganda--not one single visitor
of my own rank ever came near me, and I could not associated with people
far below her condition and mine--in fact, all I had to amuse me at
home now was watching a hen lay her eggs upon my spare bed. Her majesty
became genial, as she had been before, and promised to provide me with
suitable society. I then told her I had desired my officers several
times to ask the king how marriages were conducted in this country, as
they appeared so different from ours, but they always said they dared
not put such a question to him, and now I hoped she would explain it to
me. To tell her I could not get anything from the king, I knew would
be the surest way of eliciting what I wanted from her, because of the
jealousy between the two courts; and in this instance it was fully
proved, for she brightened up at once, and, when I got her to understand
something of what I meant by a marriage ceremony, in high good humour
entered on a long explanation, to the following effect:--
There are no such things as marriages in Uganda; there are no ceremonies
attached to it. If any Mkungu possessed of a pretty daughter committed
an offence, he might give her to the king as a peace-offering; if any
neighbouring king had a pretty daughter, and the king of Uganda wanted
her, she might be demanded as a fitting tribute. The Wakungu in Uganda
are supplied with women by the king, according to their merits, from
seizures in battle abroad, or seizures from refractory officers at
home. The women are not regarded as property according to the Wanyamuezi
practice, though many exchange their daughters; and some women, for
misdemeanours, are sold into slavery; whilst others are flogged, or are
degraded to do all the menial services of the house.
The Wakungu then changed the subject by asking, if I married a black
woman, would there be any offspring, and what would be their colour?
The company now became jovial, when the queen improved it by making a
significant gesture, and with roars of laughter asking me if I would
like to be her son-in-law, for she had some beautiful daughters, either
of the Wahuma, or Waganda breed. Rather staggered at first by this awful
proposal, I consulted Bombay what I should do with one if I got her.
He, looking more to number one than my convenience, said, "By all means
accept the offer, for if YOU don't like her, WE should, and it would
be a good means of getting her out of this land of death, for all black
people love Zanzibar." The rest need not be told; as a matter of course
I had to appear very much gratified, and as the bowl went round, all
became uproarious. I must wait a day or two, however, that a proper
selection might be made; and when the marriage came off, I was to chain
the fair one two or three days, until she became used to me, else, from
mere fright, she might run away.
To keep up the spirits of the queen, though her frequent potions of
pombe had wellnigh done enough, I admired her neck-ring, composed of
copper wire, with a running inlaid twist of iron, and asked her why she
wore such a wreath of vine-leaves, as I had often seen on some of the
Wakungu. On this she produced a number of rings similar to the one she
wore, and taking off her own, placed it round my neck. Then, pointing
to her wreath, she said, "This is the badge of a kidnapper's
office--whoever wears it, catches little children." I inferred that its
possession, as an insignia of royalty, conferred on the bearer the power
of seizure, as the great seal in this country confers power on public
officers.
The queen's dinner was now announced; and, desiring me to remain where
I was for a short time, she went to it. She sent me several dishes
(plantain-leaves), with well-cooked beef and mutton, and a variety of
vegetables, from her table, as well as a number of round moist napkins,
made in the shape of wafers, from the freshly-drawn plantain fibres, to
wash the hands and face with. There was no doubt now about her culinary
accomplishments. I told her so when she returned, and that I enjoyed her
parties all the more because they ended with a dinner. "More pombe, more
pombe," cried the queen, full of mirth and glee, helping everybody round
in turn, and shouting and laughing at their Kiganda witticisms--making,
though I knew not a word said, an amusing scene to behold--till the sun
sank; and her majesty remarking it, turned to her court and said, "If I
get up, will Bana also rise, and not accuse me of deserting him?" With
this speech a general rising took place, and, watching the queen's
retiring, I stood with my hat in hand, whilst all the Wakungu fell upon
their knees, and then all separated.
28th.--I went to the palace, and found, as usual, a large levee waiting
the king's pleasure to appear; amongst whom were the Kamraviona,
Masimbi, and the king's sister Miengo. I fired my gun, and admitted
at once, but none of the others could follow me save Miengo. The king,
sitting on the chair with his women by his side, ordered twelve cloths,
the presents of former Arab visitors, to be brought before him; and
all of these I was desired to turn into European garments, like my
own coats, trousers, and waistcoats. It was no use saying I had no
tailors--the thing must be done somehow; for he admired my costume
exceedingly, and wished to imitate it now he had cloth enough for ever
to dispense with the mbugu.
As I had often begged the king to induce his men, who are all
wonderfully clever artisans, to imitate the chair and other things I
gave him, I now told him if he would order some of his sempsters, who
are far cleverer with the needle than my men, to my camp, I would cut up
some old clothes, and so teach them how to work. This was agreed to, and
five cows were offered as a reward; but as his men never came, mine had
to do the job.
Maula then engaged the king's attention for fully an hour, relating what
wonderful things Bana kept in his house, if his majesty would only deign
to see them; and for this humbug got rewarded by a present of three
women. Just at this juncture an adjutant flew overhead, and, by way of
fun, I presented my gun, when the excited king, like a boy from school,
jumped up, forgetting his company, and cried, "Come, Bana, and shoot
the nundo; I know where he has gone--follow me." And away we went, first
through one court, then through another, till we found the nundo perched
on a tree, looking like a sedate old gentleman with a bald head, and
very sharp, long nose. Politeness lost the bird; for whilst I wished the
king to shoot, he wished me to do so, from fear of missing it himself.
He did not care about vultures--he could practise at them at any time;
but he wanted a nundo above all things. The bird, however, took the
hint, and flew away.