Life and manners in Uganda—The Peasant—The Chief—The Emperor—The Land.
To behold the full perfection of African manhood and beauty, one must
visit the regions of Equatorial Africa, where one can view the people
under the cool shade of plantains, and amid the luxuriant plenty which
those lands produce. The European traveller, after noting the great
length and wondrous greenness of the banana fronds, the vastness of
their stalks and the bulk and number of the fruit, the fatness of the
soil and its inexhaustible fertility, the perpetual springlike verdure
of the vegetation, and the dazzling sunshine, comes to notice that the
inhabitants are in fit accord with these scenes, and as perfect of their
kind as the bursting-ripe mellow bananas hanging above their heads.
Their very features seem to proclaim, “We live in a land of butter and
wine and fulness, milk and honey, fat meads and valleys.” The vigour of
the soil, which knows no Sabbath, appears to be infused into their
veins. Their beaming lustrous eyes—restless and quick glancing—seem to
have caught rays of the sun. Their bronze-coloured bodies, velvety
smooth and unctuous with butter, their swelling sinews, the tuberose
muscles of the flanks and arms, reveal the hot lusty life which animates
them.
Let me try to sketch one of these robust people, a Kopi or peasant of
Uganda, at home.
THE “KOPI” OR PEASANT.
Were it not for one thing, it might be said that the peasant of Uganda
realises the ideal happiness all men aspire after and would be glad to
enjoy. To see him in the imagination, you must discard from your mind
the inebriated, maudlin, filthy negro surrounded by fat wives and a
family of abdominous brats. He may be indolent if you please, but not so
indolent as to be unmindful of his own interests. For his gardens are
thriving, his plants are budding, and his fields are covered with grain.
His house has just been built and needs no repairs, and the fenced
courts round it are all in good condition.
Roll the curtain up and regard him and his surroundings!
He steps forth from his hut, a dark-brown-coloured man in the prime and
vigour of manhood, a cleanly, decent creature, dressed after the custom
of his country in a clay-coloured robe of bark cloth, knotted at the
shoulder and depending to his feet—apparently a contented, nay, an
extremely happy man, for a streak of sunshine having caught his face, we
have a better view of it and are assured it reflects a felicitous
contentment.
He saunters—while arranging his robe with due respect to decency—to his
usual seat near the gate of the outer court, above which a mighty banana
towers, shading it with its far-reaching fronds.
In the foreground, stretched before him, is his garden, which he views
with placid satisfaction. It is laid out in several plats, with curving
paths between. In it grow large sweet potatoes, yams, green peas, kidney
beans, some crawling over the ground, others clinging to supporters,
field beans, vetches and tomatoes. The garden is bordered by castor-oil,
manioc, coffee, and tobacco plants. On either side are small patches of
millets, sesamum, and sugar-cane. Behind the house and courts, and
enfolding them, are the more extensive banana and plantain plantations
and grain crops, which furnish his principal food, and from one of which
he manufactures his wine and from the other his potent pombé.
Interspersed among the bananas are the umbrageous fig-trees, from the
bark of which he manufactures his cloth. Beyond the plantations is an
extensive tract left for grazing, for the common use of his own and his
neighbours’ cattle and goats.
It is apparent that this man loves privacy and retirement, for he has
surrounded his own dwelling and the huts of his family—the cones of
which are just visible above—with courts enclosed by tall fences of
tough cane. While we leave the owner contemplating his garden, let us
step within and judge for ourselves of his mode of life.
Within the outer court we come to a small square hut, sacred to the
genius of the family, the household Muzimu. This genius, by the dues
paid to him, seems to be no very exacting or avaricious spirit, for the
simplest things, such as snail-shells, moulded balls of clay, certain
compounds of herbs, small bits of juniper wood, and a hartebeest horn
pointed with iron and stuck into the earth, suffice to propitiate him.
Proceeding from the outer court, we enter the inner one by a side
entrance, and the tall, conical hut, neatly constructed, with its broad
eaves overshadowing the curving doorway, which has a torus consisting of
faggots of cane running up and round it, stands revealed.
It is of ample circumference, and cosy. On first entering we find it is
rather dark, but as the eye becomes accustomed to the darkness, we begin
to distinguish objects. That which first arrests observation is the
multitude of poles with which the interior is crammed for the support of
the roof, until it resembles a gloomy den in the middle of a dense
forest. These poles, however, serve to guide the owner to his cane bunk,
but their number would confuse a nocturnal marauder or intruding
stranger. The rows of poles form, in fact, avenues by which the inmates
can guide themselves to any particular spot or object.
The hut, we observe also, is divided into two apartments, front and
rear, by a wall of straight canes, parted in the centre, through which
the peasant can survey—himself being unseen—any person entering.
In the rear apartment are bunks arranged round the walls for the use of
himself and family. Over the doorway of the hut within may be observed a
few charms, into whose care and power the peasant commits the
guardianship of his house and effects.
A scarcity of furniture is observable, and the utensils are few in
number and of poor quality. Under the former title may be classed a
couple of carved stools and a tray for native backgammon; under the
latter, some half-dozen earthenware pots and a few wicker and grass
basins. Some bark cloth, a few spears, a shield, a drum, a bill-hook or
two, a couple of hoes, some knobsticks and pipe stems, and a trough for
the manufacture of banana wine, complete the inventory of the household
effects.
Behind the peasant’s own dwelling are two huts of humbler pretensions,
also surrounded by courts, where we may behold the females of the family
at work. Some are busy kneading the bananas to extract their juice,
which, when fermented, is called _maramba_—delicious in flavour when
well made; others are sorting herbs for broth-food, medicines, or some
cunning charm; others, again, are laying out tobacco-leaves to dry,
whilst the most elderly are engaged in smoking from long-stemmed pipes,
retailing between the leisure-drawn draughts of smoke the experiences of
their lives.
Such is the kopi at home.
If the picture is not a faithful one of all his class, it may be
attributed to his own indolence, or to some calamity lately befallen
him. From it will be seen that the average native of Uganda has an
abundance and a variety of good food, that he is comfortably lodged, as
far as his wants require, is well and often married, and is secure from
enemies so far as a powerful sovereign and warlike multitudes can
command security. Still, there is one thing more that is necessary for
his happiness—protection from his sovereign.
THE “MKUNGU” OR CHIEF.
It might be supposed that, if a peasant’s lot appears so enviable in
that land, a Mkungu’s or chief’s of the first rank would be happier a
thousandfold. That such is not always the case will be seen from the
following sketch of the present Premier, or Katekiro, of Uganda, whose
name originally, now almost forgotten, was Magassa. It may be proper to
state here that all Waganda, from the Emperor to the peasant, change
their names according as they advance in popular estimation.
About the time that Mtesa succeeded his father and beheaded the senior
chiefs of Uganda, there was observed at the court a smart, clever,
cleanly looking lad, assiduous in his attendance on the monarch, and
attentive to his smallest wishes. He was the son of a Mtongoleh or
sub-chief, and his name was Magassa. To his other desirable qualities
might be added a fine set of white teeth, bright eyes, and general good
looks. Mtesa became enamoured of him, and made him guardian over the
imperial lavatory, an office of great trust in Uganda.
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[Illustration: HUTS OF EAST CENTRAL AFRICA.]
1. Wangwana hut in camp.
2. Do. do.
3. Unyamwei hut.
4. Hut of Karagwé Uddu.
5. Hut of Uganda.
6. Small tembé of Ugogo.
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As Mtesa grew to man’s estate, Magassa the boy also became a young
man, for he was about the same age as his master, and, retaining
and improving those qualities which first attracted the monarch’s
eyes, was promoted in time to be a Mtongoleh of the body-guard, and
a double-barrelled gun was put into his hands, with the power of
gunpowder, and a few bullets and percussion caps, which caused the
heart of young Magassa to bound with joy. Perhaps he was even prouder
in the possession of a gun than he was of his rank, for frequently the
Mtongoleh of the body-guard has only the empty name to boast of.
However, being Mtongoleh (or colonel), he was liable to be despatched at
a moment’s notice to distant parts of the Empire on special service, and
the day came finally when Magassa was chosen.
Imagine a young British subaltern despatched by the Queen’s command,
specially chosen by the Queen for special service. How the young heart
palpitates, and the nerves tingle with delight! He spurns the ground,
and his head aspires to the stars! If a young British officer feels so
joyful at a constitutional sovereign’s choice, what must the elect of a
despotic autocrat like the Emperor of Uganda, feel?
No sooner has he left the imperial presence with the proud command
ringing in his ears than his head seems to swell, and almost burst from
delirious vertigo. His back, hitherto bent through long servile dread,
has suddenly become rigid and straight as the staff of his spear, and an
unusual sternness of face has somehow replaced the bland smiles which
hitherto decked it. For is he not “Kabaka” while on the Emperor’s
errand? Do not his soldiers respond to him when summoned with aweful
alacrity, saying, “‘Kabaka’ (Emperor), behold us”?
Woe to the party from whom offence came if young Magassa was sent with
his warriors to them! And woe to the warrior who committed any breach of
discipline when under Magassa’s command, or even to him who crossed his
humour when on the march on special service! Magassa’s spear was sharp
and swift, and his hands were at all times quick to gather spoil, and
soon it was observed that the poor Magassa was getting rich in slaves,
waxing great in name, and becoming exceedingly influential at court.
Promotions rewarded his adroitness and quick execution of commands,
lands of his own and bounties of slaves and cattle were bestowed upon
him, until Magassa became a Mkungu, or chief, of the second order.
Such a spirit as Magassa possessed, however, could not long remain
satisfied with this, while many above him could not boast of a tithe of
his deftness and ability, and were blind to observe and forestall the
humours of the despotic monarch; and a day came when a Mkungu of the
first order, named Pokino, offended Mtesa.
Casting his eyes about for a fit man to succeed him, Mtesa’s eyes
lighted on the sparkling, bright face of Magassa, and his decision was
at once made.
“Here, Magassa,” cried the Emperor, and the accomplished courtier fell
at his feet to the ground, to hear his command. “Haste, Magassa, take
men and eat up Pokino’s land and name, for old Pokino has forgotten me.”
“Twiyanzi, yanzi!” he cried and moaned, “Twiyanzi, yanzi, yanzi!” each
time more emphatic, and rubbing his cheeks in the dust; and then,
springing to his feet, he seized his spear, and, holding it aloft, as if
in the act of launching it, he proclaimed aloud, “By the Emperor’s
orders, I go to eat up Pokino. I will eat him clean out of land and
name, and Magassa shall become Pokino. Emperor behold me!” and again he
fell to the ground, screaming his thankful Twiyanzis, and loyally
abasing himself in the dust.
After the levee was over, Magassa, eager to change his name for
Pokino’s, beat his war-drum, unfolded his banner, and mustered his
followers, and, like the fell leopard, pounced upon purblind Pokino,
whom he quickly deprived of life, land, and name, and in place of their
former owner became their master. But with even old Pokino’s vast
estates and large possessions the young Pokino was apparently
discontented. Shortly afterwards the Emperor commanded him to “eat up”
Namujurilwa, the Achilles of Uganda, and it is owing to young Pokino’s
thirst for power and riches that Majwara, an infant son of that great
chief, became a slave to Njara of Unyanyembé, from whom I purchased his
freedom in 1871. I afterwards sent him to Livingstone, to whom young
Majwara ministered faithful service until that great traveller’s death.
With the fall of Namujurilwa, young Pokino became Lord of all Uddu, from
the Katonga valley to the Alexandra Nile, a district embracing over 3000
square miles, with twenty sub-chiefs recognizing him as their master,
possessing two great capitals, Namujurilwa’s at Masaka, and Pokino’s,
hundreds of women-slaves, and thousands of youthful slaves of both
sexes, with cattle also by the thousand, and chief of a population
numbering over 100,000. What a change this—from the keeper of the
lavatory to the Lord of Uddu!
Pokino’s life at his capital of Uddu, Masaka, is almost regal. He has
“eaten up” the lands of two great chiefs, old Pokino and the lion-like
Namujurilwa, and now out of the eater cometh forth meat, and out of the
strong cometh forth sweetness. His sub-regal court is crowded with
applicants and claimants for bounties, and slaves requiring to be fed,
and good offices are given with a liberal hand, and cattle are
slaughtered by hundreds, until Pokino’s open hand and large heart is
published throughout Uganda. By this politic liberality he secures the
affection of the natives of Uddu, the friendship of the great chiefs at
the court, and the approbation of the Emperor.
Is Pokino satisfied? Not yet, for there remains one more office which
Mtesa can give; but he must wait awhile for this.
The Emperor hears there is a country called Usongora, west of
Gambaragara[29] somewhere, rich in vast herds of cattle, and he commands
Pokino to go and gather some of them. Immediately the great war-drum of
Masaka sounds the call to war, and the natives from the banks of the
Alexandra Nile, the slopes of Koki plateau, and all the lake shore from
the Alexandra to the Katonga respond to it by thousands, for it is a
call to them to gather spoil, and when did a peasant of Uganda linger at
such a summons?
When Pokino begins his journey, he discovers he has a vast army at his
command, for other chiefs also are represented here by columns. Kitunzi
of the Katonga valley has sent Sambuzi, and Mkwenda, Kangau, and
Kimbugwé have also sent sub-chiefs with hundreds of warriors. Before
Pokino’s great army the people of Gambaragara retire up the slopes of
their lofty snow mountain, and, pursuing them as far as prudence will
permit, Pokino’s eyes view from afar the rolling grassy plateau of
Usongora, and an immense lake stretching beyond, which he is told is
Muta Nzigé.
Descending from the slopes of the snow mountain, he marches with
incredible speed to Usongora, sweeps in with long sure arms large herds
of cattle, despite the frantically brave natives, collects thousands of
straight-nosed, thin-lipped, and comely women and children, and drives
them towards Uganda.
Several difficulties present themselves in the way. The plain of
Usongora is covered with salt and alkali, which, intemperately eaten,
causes many deaths; and in the valleys sprout up mud-springs, and from
the summits of conical hills strange fire and smoke issue, and now and
then the very earth utters a rumbling sound, and appears to shake.
The Wanyoro, also, by thousands, combine with the natives of Gambaragara
to dispute his return. They lay ambuscades for him, and obstinately
harass him night and day. But Pokino’s spirit is up in arms. He defies
the supernatural noises of that Land of Wonders, Usongora, and by skill
and sagacity avoids the meshes laid to entrap him, and, when opportunity
affords, snares his ambushed enemies and annihilates them, and finally
appears in Uganda at the imperial capital with a spoil of cattle and
slaves fit to gladden even the imperial heart.
The Emperor appoints a day to receive him and his warriors, and, that
meed may be given only to the brave, has caused to be brewed immense
potfuls of potent pombé, which shall serve as a test to point out the
brave and the coward.
The day arrives. The Emperor is seated in unusual state, with his harem
behind him, his chiefs on either hand in order of rank, his musketeers
on guard, and his drummers and musicians close by, while aloft wave the
crimson-and-white-barred standards adopted by the empire. Before the
Emperor are arranged the pots of test-beer.
Pokino advances, prostrates himself in the dust, and begins to relate
his adventures and his doings in Usongora, while the heroes of the great
raid are enmassed in view and within hearing of his words.
After the conclusion of the story, the Emperor says briefly, “Drink, if
thou darest.”
Pokino rises, advances to the test-pots, receives the ladle, and dips it
into the pombé; then taking it up, he holds it aloft, and, turning to
the warriors who followed him, cries aloud, “Tekeh?” (“Am I worthy or
not?”)
“Tekeh!” (“Thou art worthy!”) responds the multitude with a shout.
Again he asks “Tekeh?” and again “Tekeh!” is shouted with renewed
acclamation, and, being found worthy, he drinks, utters his grateful
Twiyanzis to the Emperor, and retires to permit others to advance and
drink the test-beer. Those found worthy are rewarded, those unworthy are
doomed to death by popular condemnation.
Soon after this, Myanja, the Katekiro, was found guilty of the
overweening pride of appropriating to himself the most beautiful of the
female slaves without regarding his master’s right to select his
allotment first, and the result of this was that Myanja was disgraced
and shortly beheaded.
The Premier’s place being now vacant, Pokino was appointed to fill it;
and thus was the once humble Magassa elevated to be next in power to the
Emperor, with the utmost of his ambition fulfilled.
He is now daily seated on the carpet at the right hand of his sovereign,
controls all things, commands all men, and, when leaving the presence of
his master, he is escorted by all the chiefs to his own quarters,
waylaid by multitudes on the road with profound greeting, has the pick
of all females captured in war, the choicest of all cattle, and his
shares of all cloths, beads, wine, and other gifts brought to Mtesa; for
the Katekiro, alias Pokino, alias Magassa, is now Premier, First Lord,
and Secretary of State! But what next?
One day, while on a visit to my quarters, I permitted him to examine my
store of medicines. On explaining the various uses of laudanum, he
remarked, to my surprise, with a sigh, “Ah! that is the medicine I wish
to have. Can you not spare some for me?”
Poor Magassa! poor Pokino! poor Katekiro! He is already watching, while
yet young, in the prime and vigour of manhood, for he knoweth not the
hour when the Lord of the Cord may beckon to him.
It is left for some future traveller to tell us of his interview with
Kasuju, the chief executioner.
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[_To face page 308._
[Illustration: RUBAGA, THE NEW CAPITAL OF THE EMPEROR MTESA.]
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THE “KABAKA” OR EMPEROR.
The curtain rolls up, and discloses a hill covered with tall conical
huts, whose tops peep out above the foliage of plantains and bananas,
and lofty fences of cane. Up the hill’s gradually ascending slopes run
broad smooth avenues, flanked by cane palisades, behind which clusters
of huts show grey under a blazing sun, amid the verdure of the leafy
groves around them. The avenues are thronged by natives, clad in
picturesque costumes. White clothes gleam in the sunshine, in strong
contrast to red and brown. The people are wending their way to the
imperial quarters on the summit of the hill. While no ingress is
permitted, they crowd around the gates in social gossip, exchanging
morning greetings.
[Illustration: AUDIENCE HALL OF THE PALACE.]]
Suddenly the murmur of voices ceases, and the long rumbling roll of a
kettle-drum is heard, announcing that the monarch is seated on the
burzah. The gates are at once drawn aside, and a multitude of chiefs,
soldiers, peasants, strangers rush up tumultuously, through eight or ten
courts, towards the audience-hall, and in their noisy haste we may see
the first symptoms of that fawning servility characteristic of those who
serve despots.
The next scene we have is a section of a straw house, with a gable-roof—
about 25 feet high, 60 feet long, and 18 feet in breadth.
At the farther end, by the light afforded by the wide entrance, we
perceive the figure of a man clad in an embroidered scarlet jacket and
white skirt seated on a chair, guarded on either side by a couple of
spearmen and two men bearing muskets. The chiefs and principal men now
hastening through the gates bow profoundly before him; some, after the
Muslim’s custom, kiss the palms and back of his right hand; others,
adhering to the original customs of the country, prostrate themselves to
the ground, and, throwing their hands towards him, exclaim, while
kneeling, “Twiyanzi, yanzi!” after which they severally betake
themselves to their respective seats in order of rank. Two long rows of
seated men are thus formed along the caned walls of the hall of
audience, facing towards the centre, which is left vacant for the advent
of strangers and claimants, and the transaction of business, justice,
&c.
Being privileged, we also enter, and take a seat on the right-hand side,
near the Katekiro, whence we can scrutinize the monarch at our leisure.
The features, smooth, polished, and without a wrinkle, are of a young
man, who might be of any age between twenty-five and thirty-five. His
head is clean-shaven and covered with a fez, his feet are bare and rest
on a leopard-skin, on the edge of which rests a polished white tusk of
ivory, and near this are a pair of crimson Turkish slippers. The long
fingers of his right hand grasp a gold-hilted Arab scimitar; the left is
extended over his left knee, reminding one of the posture of Rameses at
Thebes. The only natural peculiarities of the face, causing it to differ
from other faces around me, are the glowing, restless large eyes, which
seem to take in everything at a glance. The character of the face,
however, is seen to change rapidly; even in repose it lacks neither
dignity nor power, but as cross thoughts flash through his mind the
corners of the lips are drawn in, the eyes expand, the eyeballs project,
his hands twitch nervously, and the native courtier begins to apprehend
a volcanic outburst of rage. If pleased, however, the eyes appear to
recede and contract, the lips relax their vigour, and soon a hearty
laugh rings through the hall.
But hush! here advance some ten or twelve people along the centre, and
prostrate themselves before the Emperor, and begin through a spokesman
to tell him of something to which, strangely enough, he does not seem to
listen.
By means of an interpreter we are informed that it is an embassy from
the lawless bandit Mirambo, who, hearing that Mtesa was likely enough to
send some 50,000 sharp spears to hunt him up, has sent these men with
propitiating gifts, and a humble declaration that he has no cause of
quarrel with Uganda. The gifts are unrolled to view and counted. So many
cloths, so much wire, some half-dozen dinner plates of European make, an
ample brass coffee tray, an Arab dagger silver-hilted, and a scarlet
coat.
Mtesa has been meanwhile carelessly talking to his chiefs while the
embassy addressed him, but suddenly he turns on the embassy his large
glowing eyes, and speaks quickly and with decision:—
“Tell Mirambo from me that I do not want his gifts, but I must have the
head of his man who slew my chief Singiri a year ago, as he was
returning from Zanzibar to Uganda, or I will hunt him up with more
Waganda than there are trees in his country. Go!”
Another party now comes up. A chief is dead, and they wish to know who
shall succeed him, and they have brought his sons along with them, that
the Emperor may make his choice.
Mtesa smiles and asks his chiefs to name the successor. One names
Bugomba, another Taniziwa, another Kaseje, another Sempa. The chiefs
fail to agree, and Mtesa asks playfully, “Which shall be chief?”
whereupon the majority name Taniziwa as elected, after which we have to
hear the “Twiyanzis” of the favoured one, and his ardent vows of
allegiance to the Emperor.
Just at this moment appears a long procession of females, old and young,
at the sight of whom the Emperor rises to his feet, and his example is
followed by all. Curious to know who they are, we ask, and are told that
they are descendants of Kamanya and Suna, wards and members of the
imperial family. These ladies, it appears, know when to time their
visits, and contrive to enter the levee late, as European ladies, to
attract attention, are supposed to enter church late.
As these ladies advance to the carpet, Mtesa greets each with a kind
word, and after they are seated proceeds to them, seats himself in their
laps, and embraces one after another. In return for these imperial
courtesies, they afterwards present him with live fowls, which he is
compelled to receive with his own hands, and pass over to a chief to
hold, that he may not appear to despise any of them. Surely if such a
despotic monarch can condescend to be so affable and kind to females,
there must be some good in him.
But the Emperor on this morning has caught a cold, and the watchful
chiefs have been observing the little uneasiness, and forthwith
half-a-dozen rush forward prone on their knees, and offer their
head-cloths, into which the imperial nose may relieve itself.
The Emperor playfully draws back in his chair, and says, “Oh, I don’t
want all these.”
“Well, take mine,” says one.
“No, take mine, Kabaka; mine is white, and of fine soft cloth;” and
Mtesa, prevailed upon by the whiteness and softness of the texture,
takes it, and relieves his afflicted nose, and then hands the cloth back
to its owner, who rubs it together hard, as though he wished to punish
well the cause of the affliction.
Suddenly from some place in the hall is heard a hawking sound, as from
some one likewise afflicted with a cold in the throat, and the eyes of
the Emperor are quickly fixed on the person; but the chiefs cry out
indignantly, “Out, out with you, quick!” and, peremptorily and sternly,
half-a-dozen “lords of the cord” seize upon the unfortunate and eject
him in no gentle manner.
After this interruption the tones of the native harp are heard, and the
Emperor calls to the minstrel and bids him play on his instrument, which
the accomplished musician is nothing loth to do. But while we listen to
the monotonous music, all are startled at the loud report of a gun!
A dozen ejaculations are uttered, and as many chiefs rush out to enquire
the cause; but they have been forestalled by the adroit and eager lords
of the cord, who have thrown their nooses round the man’s neck and, half
strangling him, drag him into the Presence, whose imperial nerves have
been somewhat disturbed by the sudden discharge of gunpowder. The lords
of the cord, kneeling, say that the man let his gun fall while on guard,
and their eyes seem to ask, “What shall we do to him?” “Give him fifty
blows with a stick,” cries the angry Emperor, and the unfortunate fellow
is hauled away to receive such a punishment as will lame him for a
month.
There is now heard a lowing of cattle, of fat beeves and milch-cows, in
the court before the audience-hall, and a man advances, and after
prostration and “Twiyanzis” says he has brought a present from
Mankorongo, king of Usui.
“H’m. See to them, Katekiro, and give one to my steward Ka-uta to
dress up, and let each chief have an ox to-day, and give ten to my
bodyguard.” At this liberality all the chiefs rush forward, abase
themselves in the dust, and cry aloud their fervid “Twiyanzis.”
The chiefs resume their seats after this exhibition of their gratitude,
and a messenger arrives from the banks of the Victoria Nile, and
relates, to the monarch’s surprise, that Namionju, a petty prince near
Unyoro, has cast off his allegiance to him, and opened negotiations with
Kabba Rega, king of Unyoro.
On hearing the messenger’s news, the Emperor exclaims, his eyes
expanding widely, and projecting, “What! are all my people dead at
Nakaranga? Have I no chief, no people left, that Namionju treats me so?”
The answer is heard in the voices of the chiefs, who spring to
their feet simultaneously and rush out before the entrance of the
audience-hall, seize their spears or walking-sticks, and call aloud on
the Emperor to behold and number his chiefs, and with wild impressive
gestures toss their spears and arms on high until a stranger would
fancy that a revolution had suddenly begun. The Emperor, however,
calmly answers, “It is well,” upon which the chiefs leave their spears
without and regain their seats.
Then casting his eyes about him, he selects a fiery-looking young chief—
Maoor-ugungu by name—who instantly darts forward from his seat, and
prostrating himself exclaims, “_Kabaka_, I am here.”
“Go, Maoor-ugungu, take five Watongoleh and their men, and eat up
Namionju and his country.”
Maoor-ugungu, prompt as tinder upon receiving such an order, utters many
“Twiyanzis,” then springs to his feet, and, seizing a couple of spears
and a shield, throws himself into a heroic attitude with all the ardour
of a true son of Mars, and cries aloud:—
“Emperor, behold me! The Emperor commands, and Namionju shall
die, and I will gather the spoil. I will eat the land up clean.
Twiyanzi-yanzi-yanzi-yanzi!” and so on _ad infinitum_.
The Emperor rises. Tori the drummer beats the long roll on his drum, and
all the chiefs, courtiers, pages, claimants, messengers and strangers,
start to their feet. The Emperor—without a word more—retires by a side
door into the inner apartments, and the morning burzah is ended.
Those curious to know further of the Emperor’s life must pass through a
multitude of sharp-eyed, watchful guards, pages, and executioners,
thronging the court of the audience-hall, into the private courts, many
of which they will find apparently of no use whatever except to ensure
privacy, and to confuse a stranger.
In one they may see Mtesa drilling his Amazons and playing at soldiers
with his pets. They are all comely and brown, with fine virginal bosoms.
But what strikes us most is the effect of discipline. Those timid and
watchful eyes which they cast upon the monarch to discover his least
wish prove that, though they may be devoted to him, it is evident that
they have witnessed other scenes than those of love.
In another court, perhaps, they may find Mtesa just sitting down to eat
a slight noon meal, consisting of ripe bananas and curded milk; or they
may find him laughing and chatting with his favourite wives and female
children, who all sit around him, seeming to govern their faces
according to the despot’s humour; or perhaps he may happen to be found
with a favourite page examining the contents of the treasure-house,
where the gifts of various travellers, European, Turkish, and Arabic,
are stored; or he may be engaged with Tori, his factotum, planning some
novelty, in the shape of a waggon, carriage, ship, or boat, or whatever
the new fancy may be which has taken possession of his mind.
THE LAND.
Having learned somewhat through these sketches of the character of the
peasant, the chief, and the monarch, it now remains for us to take a
view of the land in order to understand its extent, nature, and general
aspect.
The form of the Empire governed by Mtesa may be best described as a
crescent. Its length is about 300 geographical miles, and its breadth
about 60, covering—with the islands of Sessé, Lulamba, Bufwe, Sadzi,
Lulamha, Damba, Lukomeh, Iramba, Irwaji, Kiwa, Wema, Kibibi, Uziri,
Wanzi, Uruma, Utamba, Mwama, Ugeyeya, Usamu, and Namungi—an area of
30,000 square miles. If we reckon in also Unyoro, Ukedi, and Ankori,
which recognize Mtesa’s power, and pay tribute to him, though somewhat
irregularly, we must add a further area of 40,000 square miles, making
the total extent of his empire about 70,000 square miles.
----------------------------------------------------------------
[_To face page 314._
[Illustration:
MTESA’S AMAZONS.
(_From a photograph by the Author._)
]
----------------------------------------------------------------
Some estimate of the population ought also to be offered. But it is to
be understood that it is only a rough estimate, made by a traveller who
has had to compile his figures by merely taking into consideration the
number of the army assembled at Nakaranga, and enumerating districts and
villages alone; the line of his travels.
Countries and Districts. Population.
Uganda proper (from Ripon Falls) to Katonga river 750,000
Uddu 100,000
Bwera 30,000
Koki 70,000
Usoga 500,000
Ukedi 150,000
Unyoro 500,000
Usagara or Ankori 200,000
Karagwé 150,000
Usui 80,000
Uzongora, including Ihangiro and Bumbireh 200,000
Sessé Island 20,000
Uvuma 15,000
All other islands 10,000
—————
2,775,000
=========
This number gives about thirty-eight persons to the square mile
throughout the empire of Uganda.
The productions of the land are of great variety, and, if brought
within reach of Europeans, would find a ready market—ivory, coffee,
gums, resins, myrrh, lion, leopard, otter, and goat[30] skins,
ox-hides, snow-white monkey-skins, and bark cloth, besides fine cattle,
sheep, and goats. Among the chief vegetable productions are the papaw,
banana, plantain, yams, sweet potatoes, peas, several kinds of beans,
melons, cucumbers, vegetable marrow, manioc, and tomatoes. Of grains,
there are to be found in the neighbourhood of the capital wheat, rice,
maize, sesamum, millets, and vetches.
The soil of the lake coast region from the extremity of Usogo to the
Alexandra Nile is of inexhaustible fertility. The forests are tall and
dense, and the teak and cottonwood, tamarind, and some of the gum trees
grow to an extraordinary height, while many of the lower uninhabited
parts near the lake are remarkable for the density, luxuriance, and
variety of their vegetation.
The higher land, for the most part devoid of trees and covered with
grass, appears better adapted for pasture, though the plantain and fig
trees flourish on the summit of the hills with the same vigour as near
the lake.
Westward of the smooth, rolling, pastoral country which characterizes
the interior of Usoga and Uganda, we observe that the land has lost its
surface of pasture grass, and its gently undulating character, and
heaves itself upwards into many-headed hills of rugged, abrupt forms,
and as we penetrate farther, these hills become mountains of a
stupendous type, with summits which, except on a fine clear day, the
naked eye cannot define. Deep, deep valleys, from whose depths we hear
the roar of resounding cataracts and falls, sunder these lofty
mountains. Upon their lengthy slopes great masses of glistening white
rock are seen half embedded in débris, where they have remained since
they were severed from the parent mountain which raises its head so
proudly into the sky above.
Beyond this scene again we come to where the land appears to have
concentrated itself, and fused all lesser mountains and hills into one
grand enormous mass, the height and size of which dwarfs all hitherto
seen, and which, disdaining vulgar observation, shrouds its head with
snow and grey clouds.
Indeed, so gradual is the transition and change in the aspect of
the land from Lake Victoria to Beatrice Gulf that one may draw this
one-hundred-miles-wide belt into five divisions of equal breadth,
and class them according to the limits given above. Let us imagine
a railway constructed to run from one lake to the other—what scenes
unrivalled for soft beauty, luxuriance, fertility, and sublimity would
be traversed!
Starting from the sea-like expanse of the Victoria Lake, the traveller
would be ushered into the depths of a tall forest, whose meeting tops
create eternal night, into leafy abysms, where the gigantic sycamore,
towering mvulé, and branchy gum strive with one another for room, under
whose shade wrestle with equal ardour for mastery the less ambitious
trees, bushes, plants, llianes, creepers, and palms. Out of this he
would emerge into broad day, with its dazzling sunshine, and view an
open rolling country, smooth rounded hills, truncated cones, and bits of
square-browed plateaus, intersected by broad grassy meads and valleys
thickly dotted with ant-hills overgrown with brushwood. Few trees are
visible, and these, most likely, the candelabra or the tamarisk, with a
sprinkling of acacia. As some obstructing cone would be passed, he would
obtain glimpses of wide prospects of hill, valley, mead, and plain, easy
swells and hollows, grassy basins, and grassy eminences, the whole
suffused with fervid vapour.
These scenes passed, he would find himself surrounded by savage hills,
where he would view the primitive rock in huge, bare, round-backed
masses of a greyish-blue colour, imparted to them by moss and lichens,
or large fragments flung together as in some Cyclopean cairn, sundered
and riven by warring elements. At their base lie, thickly strewn, the
débris of quartz-veined gneiss and granite and iron-coloured rock, half
choking the passage of some petty stream, which vents its petulance, as
it struggles through it to gain the clear, disencumbered valley, and the
placid river, guarded by banks of slender cane and papyrus.
And then the traveller would observe that the valleys are gradually
deepening, and the hills increasing in height until suddenly he
would be ushered into the presence of that king of mountains, Mount
Gordon-Bennett, which towers sheer up to the azure with a white veil
about his crown, surrounded by clusters of savage heights and ridges,
and before whose indisputable sublimity his soul seems to shrink.
Escaping from the vicinity of this mountain monarch, he would be swept
over a brown parched plateau for a short hour, and then, all suddenly,
come to a pause at the edge of an awful precipice some 1500 feet in
depth. At the bottom of this, slumbering serenely, and reflecting the
plateau walls on its placid surface, lies the blue Muta Nzigé.
GENERAL REMARKS.
I have still to add some details of interest. Mtesa, in the preceding
introduction to the reader, playing the part of Emperor at a public
burzah, has still only a vague and indistinct personality, and so, to
complete the portrait, I venture to append the following remarks.
On first acquaintance, as I have already said, he strikes the traveller
as a most fascinating and a peculiarly amiable man, and should the
traveller ever think of saving this pagan continent from the purgatory
of heathendom, the Emperor must occur to him as of all men in Africa the
most promising to begin with. For his intelligence and natural faculties
are of a very high order, his professions of love to white men great,
and his hospitality apparently boundless. Had he been educated in
Europe, there can be little doubt but that he would have become a worthy
member of society; but nursed in the lap of paganism, and graduate only
in superstition and ignorance, he is to-day no more than an
extraordinary African.
Flattering as it may be to me to have had the honour of converting the
pagan Emperor of Uganda to Christianity, I cannot hide from myself the
fact that the conversion is only nominal, and that, to continue the good
work in earnest, a patient, assiduous, and zealous missionary is
required. A few months’ talk about Christ and His blessed work on earth,
though sufficiently attractive to Mtesa, is not enough to eradicate the
evils which thirty-five years of brutal, sensuous indulgence have
stamped on the mind: this only the unflagging zeal, the untiring
devotion to duty, and the paternal watchfulness of a sincerely pious
pastor can effect. And it is because I am conscious of the insufficiency
of my work, and his strong evil propensities, that I have not hesitated
to describe the real character of my “convert.” The grand redeeming
feature of Mtesa, though founded only on self-interest, is his
admiration for white men.
When the traveller first enters Uganda, his path seems to be strewn with
flowers, greetings with welcome gifts follow one another rapidly, pages
and courtiers kneel before him, and the least wish is immediately
gratified, for to make a request of the Emperor is to honour him with
the power of giving. So long as the stranger is a novelty, and his
capacities or worth have not yet been sounded, his life in Uganda seems
to be a sunshiny holiday.
Meanwhile, however, the pages, pursuivants, messengers, and courtiers
have been measuring him by rules and methods of their own. His faculties
have been calculated, his abilities keenly observed and noted, and his
general utility and value become accurately gauged, and all the time he
has been entertained royally, and courted and favoured beyond all his
expectations.
But now approaches the time for him to make return, to fulfil the
promise tacitly conveyed by his ready and friendly acceptance of gifts
and favours. He is surprised by being asked if he can make gunpowder,
manufacture a gun, cast a cannon, build a ship, or construct a stone or
a brick house. If a priest ordained, and his garb and meek, quiet
behaviour prove it, his work is ready cut for him; he has only to teach
and preach. But if a soldier, why should he not know how to make guns,
cannon, ships, brick houses, &c.? If he informs the Emperor that he is
ignorant of these things, why then he must pay in other coin. He has
guns with him, he must “give”; he has watches, “give”; he has various
trifles of value, such as a gold pencil-case, or a ring, “give”; he
wears good clothes, “give”; he has beads, cloth, wire, “Give, give,
give”; and so “give” to his utter beggary and poverty. If he does not
give with the liberality of a “Speki” or a “Stamlee,” who will
henceforth be quoted to his confusion and shame, there will be found
other ways to rid him of his superfluities. His men will be found
unfaithful, and will desert, attracted by the rewards of Mtesa and
glowing descriptions of his liberality, and one day, when he is about to
congratulate himself that he is more fortunate than others, he will find
himself suddenly bereft of half or three-fourths of his entire stock of
goods. If the traveller states that he is acquainted with a few arts, he
is expected to prove his words to the loss of his time and patience, and
the waste of many precious months; even then what little he has been
able to do with such lazy knaves as the Waganda will prove insufficient,
and he also, by craft, will be relieved of a few guns and bales.
From these exactions only the resident missionary would be exempt,
because he will be able to make ample amends for all deficiencies by
staying to teach and preach, and he in time would, in reality, be the
Emperor. To him Mtesa would bend with all the docility of a submissive
child, and look up with reverence and affection. The peculiar wayward,
petulant, inconsistent nature would become moulded anew, or be re-born,
to be presented henceforth to European travellers in an amiable, nay
loveable, aspect. Mtesa is the most interesting man in Africa, and one
well worthy of our largest sympathies; and I repeat that through him
only can Central Africa be Christianized and civilized.
It will be observed that I have styled Mtesa “Emperor” of Uganda, and
not king, like my predecessors Speke and Grant. But my readers may
remember that it has been mentioned in the brief sketch of the Premier
given above that all the Waganda, from the Emperor to the peasant,
change their titles and names according as they are estimated in the
popular consideration.
Before Suna’s death Mtesa was a Mlangira (prince); when he succeeded his
father, being yet young, he received the title of Mukavya or Mkavya
(king) of Uganda, but after he had distinguished himself in the conquest
of other kings, and won the imperial right, this title was changed for
Kabaka or Kawaka (Emperor). For the Empire of Uganda, as already
described, embraces several countries besides Uganda proper.
I was not aware of these several distinctions or grades until I had been
a long time resident at the court. The title of Mkama, again, such as
that of Mkama Rumanika of Karagwé, Mkama Mankorongo of Usui, is
synonymous with viceroy or sub-king, though literally translated it
means “lord.” Polite courtiers prone on the ground, abasing themselves
in the dust before Mtesa, will often address him as “Mkama ange” (my own
lord).
The children of Mtesa are all styled Ulangira (princes). Below this
title there seems to be no other designation of hereditary condition
save Kopi (peasant). Wakungu and Watongoleh alike are peasants born, and
therefore still peasants, though they may rank as chiefs and sub-chiefs,
or governors and lieutenant-governors, or generals and colonels. Thus
Mtesa at Nakaranga, when he was pleased to promise to reward him who
first landed at Ingira Island with the place of Katekiro, asked the
assembled chiefs, “For what is Pokino really? Is he not a peasant?”
The moral character of the people is far below that of the Emperor.
Indeed, if it were not for him, no stranger would dare to enter Uganda.
They have no respect for human life or human rights. Among themselves
they recognise only might, and Mtesa might even be pardoned for
exercising greater severity than he does, for this fierce people
requires to be governed with the almost unexampled severity of might and
power which Suna so cruelly employed. They are crafty, fraudful,
deceiving, lying, thievish knaves, taken as a whole, and seem to be born
with an uncontrollable love of gaining wealth by robbery, violence, and
murder, in which they resemble—except that they have the lawless
instinct to a greater degree than most—nearly all African tribes. Owing,
however, to their terror of punishment, the stranger is permitted to
wander in almost certain safety throughout Uganda, and is hospitably
treated as the “Emperor’s guest” (Mgeni). One has only to hear the word
“Nganya” (spoil) given by a person in authority to be surprised at the
greed there and then exhibited.
The adage has long been accepted for true, “Like father like son,” and
equally true would be the saying, “Like king like people.” The conduct
of the chiefs proves that in Uganda at least it is true, for, like the
Emperor, they adopt a despotic style, and require to be served by their
inferiors with abject servility and promptitude. Like him, also, the
chiefs are fond of pomp and display, and, as far as their rank and means
permit, they exhibit this vanity to the utmost.
Thus, the monarch has always about two score of drummers, a score of
fifers, half a score of native guitar-players, several mountebanks,
clowns, dwarfs, and albinoes, a multitude of errand-boys, pages,
messengers, courtiers, claimants, besides a large number of bodyguards
and two standard-bearers, either following or preceding him wherever he
goes, to declare his state and quality. The chiefs, therefore, have also
their followers, standard-bearers, and pages, and so on down to the
peasant or cowherd, who makes an infantile slave trot after him to carry
his shield and spears.
In person the Waganda are tall and slender. I have seen hundreds of them
above 6 feet 2 inches in height, while I saw one who measured 6 feet 6
inches. Of course the native Waganda must be distinguished from
strangers and slaves and their descendants imported from conquered
lands, and generally they differ from these by their more pleasing looks
and more agreeable features. This last, however, may be attributed to a
general love of cleanliness, neatness, and modesty, which pervades all,
from the highest to the lowest. A naked or immodest person is a
downright abomination to a follower of Mtesa’s court, and even the
poorest peasants frown and sneer at absolute nudity.
It has been mentioned above that the Waganda surpass other African
tribes in craft and fraud, but this may, at the same time, be taken as
an indication of their superior intelligence. This is borne out by many
other proofs. Their cloths are of finer make; their habitations are
better and neater; their spears are the most perfect, I should say, in
Africa, and they exhibit extraordinary skill and knowledge of that
deadly weapon; their shields are such as would attract admiration in any
land, while the canoes surpass all canoes in the savage world.
The Waganda frequently have recourse to drawing on the ground to
illustrate imperfect oral description, and I have often been surprised
by the cleverness and truthfulness of these rough illustrations. When
giving reasons firstly, secondly, and thirdly, they have a curious way
of taking a stick and breaking it into small pieces. One piece of a
stick delivered with emphasis, and gravely received by the listener in
his palm, concludes the first reason, another stick announces the
conclusion of the second reason, until they come to the “thirdly,” when
they raise both hands with the palms turned from them, as if to say,
“There, I’ve given you my reasons, and you must perforce understand it
all now!”
Nearly all the principal attendants at the court can write the Arabic
letters. The Emperor and many of the chiefs both read and write that
character with facility, and frequently employ it to send messages to
one another, or to strangers at a distance. The materials which they use
for this are very thin smooth slabs of cotton-wood. Mtesa possesses
several score of these, on which are written his “books of wisdom,” as
he styles the results of his interviews with European travellers. Some
day a curious traveller may think it worth while to give us translations
of these proceedings and interviews.
The power of sight of these natives is extraordinary. Frequently a
six-guinea field-glass was excelled by them. Their sense of hearing is
also very acute.
It is really wonderful into how many uses the ingenious savage of these
regions can convert a simple plant. Regard the banana-plant, for
instance. At first view, in the eyes of the untaught civilized man, it
seems to be of no other use than to bear fruit after its kind, for the
stalk of it cannot be employed as fuel, and its fronds soon fade and
wither and rend, and unless the savage pointed out its various uses, I
fear the civilized man would consider it of slight value. It is,
however, of exceeding utility to the native of Uganda.
1. Its fruit, green or ripe, forms his principal food. When green, the
Waganda peels his bananas, folds them carefully up in the form of a
parcel, enclosed in green banana-leaves, and, putting a small quantity
of water in his pot, cooks them with the steam alone. This mode of
cooking green bananas renders them floury in appearance, and, in taste,
most sweet and palatable. When ripe, they form an admirable dessert,
and, taken in the morning before coffee, serve with some constitutions
as an agreeable laxative.
[Illustration:
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
1. Kinauda. 2. Whistle of Ubujwe. 3. Caravan horn of guide.
4. Drum of Uzimba. 5. Flute of kopi or peasant. 6. Drum of
Uganda. 7. Guitar of Usoga. 8. Great war-drum of Uganda.
9. Guitar of Uganda. 10. One-stringed banjo of Unyamwezi.
]
Of the banana proper, there are several varieties, each distinguished by
a special name, just as the European gardener distinguishes his several
varieties of potatoes. Some are 3 inches in length, with deep green
coats, and seem fat with matter. Others, 6 inches in length, and of a
lighter green colour, are considered the best; others are short, plumpy
fruit, great favourites also. There is another species, known by a dark
point, rather bitter to the taste and unfit for food, but specially
reserved for the manufacture of wine, for which it alone is adapted.
2. The fruit of this latter species furnishes the natives with the
maramba, a honey-sweet, cider-flavoured wine, and, when mixed with a
little millet, sweet beer also. When fermented and perfect, the latter
is a potent liquid, and a quart suffices to disturb the equilibrium of
many men; but there are old topers, like Prince Kaduma, who would toss
off a gallon and be apparently only slightly elated after it. A small
draught of maramba taken at dawn I found beneficial to the system.
3. The banana-fronds serve as thatch for houses, fences for enclosures,
and as bedding. They are also used to protect milk, water, and flour
vessels from dust and impurities, are employed as table-cloths, on
which food is spread, and, like newspapers or brown paper, are used
as wrappers for gifts of eatables, such as ripe bananas, butter,
meat, eggs, fish, &c., while they serve daily and universally as
pudding-cloths in the Kiganda households. The cool, thick shade
afforded by a banana plantation is well known.
4. The stems are sometimes used for fences and defensive enclosures;
they are also frequently employed as rollers, to move heavy logs, or for
the transportation of canoes overland from point to point, when the
strategies of war demand it. The pith or heart of the stalk is scraped
and made into sponges of a dough-cake pattern, and may be seen in almost
all Kiganda lavatories. Frequently the indolent prefer to knead a fresh
sponge-cake and make their ablutions with this to going to the river,
lake, pond, or well, or troubling themselves to fetch a vessel of water.
The fibres of the stalk are used as cord, and are adapted for almost
every purpose for which cord is useful. The poorest peasants make rough
but serviceable shields also from the stalk, while the fishermen of the
lake make large sun-hats from it. Many other uses might be mentioned,
but the above are sufficient to prove that, besides its cool agreeable
shade, the banana-plant will supply a peasant of Uganda with bread,
potatoes, dessert, wine, beer, medicine, house and fence, bed, cloth,
cooking-pot, table-cloth, parcel-wrapper, thread, cord, rope, sponge,
bath, shield, sun-hat, even a canoe—in fact almost everything but meat
and iron. With the banana-plant, he is happy, fat, and thriving; without
it, he is a famished, discontented, woe-begone wretch, hourly expecting
death.
[Illustration:
NGOGO FISH.
10 inches long, 3 inches deep; scaleless; horn at each shoulder; two
long thick filaments on upper lip, four on lower. Found in Speke
Gulf, Lake Victoria.
]
-----
# 29:
This part of Pokino’s history was related to me by Pokino himself,
Kitunzi, Sambuzi, and his page.
# 30:
The white goats of Usoga are like the famous Angora goats, with fine
silky hair from 4 to 8 inches in length.