The King, Who Was Out
Shooting All Day, Begged For Powder In The Evening.
Uledi
returned from his expedition against a recusant officer at
Kituntu, bringing with him a spoil of ten women.
It appeared
that the officer himself had bolted from his landed possessions,
and as they belonged to "the church," or were in some way or
other sacred from civil execution, they could not be touched, so
that Uledi lost an estate which the king had promised him. We
heard that Ilmas, wife of Majanja, who, as I already mentioned,
had achieved an illustrious position by services at the birth of
the king, had been sent to visit the late king Sunna's tomb,
whence, after observing certain trees which were planted, and
divining by mystic arts what the future state of Uganda required,
she would return at a specific time, to order the king at the
time of his coronation either to take the field with an army, to
make a pilgrimage, or to live a life of ease at home; whichever
of these courses the influence of the ordeal at the grave might
prompt her to order, must be complied with by the king.
18th. - I called at the palace with Grant, taking with us some
pictures of soldiers, horses, elephants, etc. We found the guard
fighting over their beef and plantain dinner. Bombay remarked
that this daily feeding on beef would be the lot of the Wanguana
if they had no religious scruples about the throat-cutting of
animals for food. This, I told him, was all their own fault, for
they have really no religion or opinions of their own; and had
they been brought up in England instead of Africa, it would have
been all the other way with them as a matter of course; but
Bombay replied, "We could no more throw off the Mussulman faith
than you could yours." A man with a maniacal voice sang and
whistled by turns. Katumba, the officer of the guards, saw our
pictures, and being a favourite, acquainted the king, which
gained us an admittance.
We found his majesty sitting on the ground, within a hut, behind
a portal, encompassed by his women, and took our seats outside.
At first all was silence, till one told the king we had some
wonderful pictures to show him; in an instant he grew lively,
crying out, "Oh, let us see them!" and they were shown, Bombay
explaining. Three of the king's wives then came in, and offered
him their two virgin sisters, n'yanzigging incessantly, and
beseeching their acceptance, as by that means they themselves
would become doubly related to him. Nothing, however, seemed to
be done to promote the union, until one old lady, sitting by the
king's side, who was evidently learned in the etiquette and
traditions of the court, said, "Wait and see if he embraces,
otherwise you may know he is not pleased." At this announcement
the girls received a hint to pass on, and the king commenced
bestowing on them a series of huggings, first sitting on the lap
of one, whom he clasped to his bosom, crossing his neck with hers
to the right, then to the left, and, having finished with her,
took post in the second one's lap, then on that of the third,
performing on each of them the same evolutions. He then retired
to his original position, and the marriage ceremony was supposed
to be concluded, and the settlements adjusted, when all went on
as before.
The pictures were again looked at, and again admired, when we
asked for a private interview on business, and drew the king
outside. I then begged he would allow me, whilst his men were
absent at Unyoro, to go to the Masai country, and see the Salt
Lake at the north-east corner of the N'yanza, and to lend me some
of his boats for Grant to fetch powder and beads from Karague.
This important arrangement being conceded by the king more
promptly than we expected, a cow, plantains, and pombe were
requested; but the cow only was given, though our men were said
to be feeding on grass. Taking the king, as it appeared, in a
good humour, to show him the abuses arising from the system of
allowing his guests to help themselves by force upon the
highways, I reported the late seizures made of thirty cows and
twelve slaves by the Wanyambo; but, though surprised to hear the
news, he merely remarked that there were indeed a great number of
visitors in Uganda. During this one day we heard the sad voice
of no less than four women, dragged from the palace to the
slaughter-house.
19th. - To follow up our success in the marching question and keep
the king to his promise, I called at his palace, but found he had
gone out shooting. To push my object further, I then marched off
to the queen's to bid her good-bye, as if we were certain to
leave the next day; but as no one would dare to approach her
cabinet to apprise her of our arrival, we returned home tired and
annoyed.
20th. - The king sent for us at noon; but when we reached the
palace we found he had started on a shooting tour; so, to make
the best of our time, we called again upon the queen for the same
purpose as yesterday, as also to get my books of birds and
animals, which, taken merely to look at for a day or so, had been
kept for months. After hours of waiting, her majesty appeared
standing in an open gateway; beckoned us to advance, and offered
pombe; then, as two or three drops of rain fell, she said she
could not stand the violence of the weather, and forthwith
retired without one word being obtained. An officer, however,
venturing in for the books, at length I got them.
21st. - To-day I went to the palace, but found no one; the king
was out shooting again.
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