18th. - To-Day I Visited Kaggao With My Medicine-Chest.
He had a
local disease, which he said came to him by magic, though a
different cause was sufficiently obvious, and wanted medicine
such as I gave Mkuenda, who reported that I gave him a most
wonderful draught.
Unfortunately I had nothing suitable to give
my new patient, but cautioned him to have a care lest contagion
should run throughout his immense establishment, and explained
the whole of the circumstances to him. Still he was not
satisfied; he would give me slaves, cows, or ivory, if I would
only cure him. He was a very great man, as I could see, with
numerous houses, numerous wives, and plenty of everything, so
that it was ill-becoming of him to be without his usual habits.
Rejecting his munificent offers, I gave him a cooling dose of
calomel and jalap, which he drank like pombe, and pronounced
beautiful - holding up his hands, and repeating the words
"Beautiful, beautiful! they are all beautiful together! There is
Bana beautiful! his box is beautiful! and his medicine
beautiful!" - and, saying this, led us in to see his women, who at
my request were grouped in war apparel - viz., a dirk fastened to
the waist by many strings of coloured beads. There were from
fifty to sixty women present, all very lady-like, but none of
them pretty. Kaggao then informed me the king had told all his
Wakungu he would keep me as his guest four months longer to see
if Petherick came; and should he not by that time, he would give
me an estate, stocked with men, women, and cattle, in perpetuity,
so that, if I ever wished to leave Uganda, I should always have
something to come back to; so I might now know what my fate was
to be. Before leaving, Kaggao presented us with two cows and ten
baskets of potatoes.
19th. - I sent a return present of two wires and twelve fundo of
beads of sorts to Kaggao, and heard that the king had gone to
show himself off to his mother dressed Bana fashion. In the
evening Katunzi, N'yamasore's brother, just returned from the
Unyoro plunder, called on me whilst I was at dinner. Not knowing
who he was, and surprised at such audacity in Uganda, for he was
the first officer who ever ventured to come near me in this
manner, I offered him a knife and fork, and a share in the
repast, which rather abashed him; for, taking it as a rebuff, he
apologised immediately for the liberty he had taken, contrary to
the etiquette of Uganda society, in coming to a house when the
master was at dinner; and he would have left again had I not
pressed him to remain. Katunzi then told me the whole army had
returned from Unyoro, with immense numbers of cows, women, and
children, but not men, for those who did not run away were killed
fighting. He offered me a present of a woman, and pressed me to
call on him.
20th. - Still I found that the king would not send his Wakungu for
the Unyoro expedition, so I called on him about it. Fortunately
he asked me to speak a sentence in English, that he might hear
how it sounds; and this gave me an opportunity of saying, if he
had kept his promise by sending Budja to me, I should have
despatched letters to Petherick. This was no sooner interpreted
than he said, if I would send my men to him with letters in the
morning he would forward them on, accompanied with an army. On
my asking if the army was intended to fight, he replied, in
short, "First to feel the way." On hearing this, I strongly
advised him, if he wished the road to be kept permanently open,
to try conciliation with Kamrasi, and send him some trifling
present.
Now were brought in some thirty-odd women for punishment and
execution, which the king, who of late had been trying to learn
Kisuahili, in order that we might be able to converse together,
asked me, in that language, if I would like to have some of these
women; and if so, how many? On my replying "One," he begged me
to have my choice, and a very pretty one was selected. God only
knows what became of the rest; but the one I selected, on
reaching home, I gave to Ilmas, my valet, for a wife. He and all
the other household servants were much delighted with this
charming acquisition; but the poor girl, from the time she had
been selected, had flattered herself she was to be Bana's wife,
and became immensely indignant at the supposed transfer, though
from the first I had intended her for Ilmas, not only to favour
him for his past good services, but as an example to my other
men, as I had promised to give them all, provided they behaved
well upon the journey, a "free-man's garden," with one wife each
and a purse of money, to begin a new life upon, as soon as they
reached Zanzibar. The temper of Meri and Kahala was shown in a
very forcible manner: they wanted this maid as an addition to my
family, called her into the hut and chatted till midnight,
instructing her not to wed with Ilmas; and then, instead of
turning into bed as usual, they all three slept upon the ground.
My patience could stand this phase of henpecking no longer, so I
called in Manamaka, the head Myamuezi woman, whom I had selected
for their governess, and directed her to assist Ilmas, and put
them to bed "bundling."
21st. - In the morning, before I had time to write letters, the
king invited me to join him at some new tank he was making
between his palace and the residence of his brothers. I found
him sitting with his brothers, all playing in concert on flutes.
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