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.
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