The
Horn Then Was Stuffed With Magic Powder, And, Whenever An Army
Was Ordered For War, It Was Placed On The War-Track For The
Soldiers To Step Over, In The Same Way As A Child Is Sacrificed
To Insure Victory In Unyomuezi.
Of the Karague story, according
to which all the Kidi people sleep in trees, Kidgwiga gave me a
modified version.
He said the bachelors alone do son, whilst the
married folk dwell in houses. As most of these stories have some
foundation in fact, we presumed that the people of Kidi sometimes
mount a tree to sleep at night when travelling through their
forests, where lions are plentiful - but not otherwise.
10th. - I sent Kidgwiga with my compliments to the king, and a
request that his majesty would change my residence, which was so
filthy that I found it necessary to pitch a tent, and also that
he would favour me with an interview after breakfast. The return
was a present of twenty cows, ten cocks, two bales of flour, and
two pots of pombe, to be equally divided between Grant and
myself, as Kamrasi recognised in us two distinct camps, because
we approached his country by two different routes - a smart method
for expecting two presents from us, which did not succeed, as I
thanked for all, Grant being "my son" on this occasion. The king
also sent his excuses, and begged pardon for what happened to us
on entering his country, saying it could not have taken place had
we come from Rumanika direct. His fear of the Waganda gave rise
to it, and he trusted we would forget and forgive. To-morrow our
residence should be changed, and an interview follow, for he
desired being friends with us just as much as we did with him.
At last Bombay came back. He reported that he had not been
allowed to leave the palace earlier, though he pleaded hard that
I expected his return; and the only excuse he could extract from
the king was, that we were coming in charge of many Wakungu, and
he had found it necessary to retard our approach in consequence
of the famine at Chaguzi. His palace proper was not here, but
three marches westward: he had come here and pitched a camp to
watch his brothers, who were at war with him. Bombay, doing his
best to escape, or to hurry my march, replied that he was very
anxious on our account, because the Waganda wished to snatch us
away.
It was no doubt this hint that brought the messenger to our
relief yesterday; and otherwise we might have been kept in the
jungle longer. When told by Bombay of our treatment on the Nile,
the king first said he did not think we wished to see him, else
we would have come direct from Rumanika; but when asked if
Baraka's coming with Rumanika's officers was not sufficient to
satisfy him on this point, he hung down his head, and evaded the
question, saying he had been the making of Mtesa of Uganda; but
he had turned out a bad fellow, and now robbed him right and
left.[FN#23] The Gani letter, supposed to be from Petherick, was
now asked for, and a suggestion made about opening a trade with
Gani, but all with the provoking result we had been so well
accustomed to. No letter like that referred to had ever been
received, so that Frij's interpretation about Grant's letter-
dream was right; and if we wished to go to Gani, the king would
send men travelling by night, for his brothers at war with him
lay upon the road. As to the Uganda question, and my desiring
him to make friends with Mtesa, in hopes that the influence of
trade would prevent any plundering in future, he merely tossed
his head. He often said he did not know what to think about his
guests, now he had got them; to which Bombay, in rather
successful imitation of what he had heard me say on like
occasions, replied, "If you do not like them after you have seen
them, cut their heads off, for they are all in your hands."
11th. - With great apparent politeness Kamrasi sent in the morning
to inquire how we had slept. He had "heard our cry" - an
expression of regal condescension - and begged we would not be
alarmed, for next morning he would see us, and after the meeting
change our residence, when, should we not approve of wading to
his palace, he would bridge all the swamps leading up to it; but
for the present he wanted two rounds of ball-cartridge - one to
fire before his women, and the other before his officers and a
large number of Kidi men who were there on a visit. To please
this childish king, Bombay was sent with two other of my men, and
no sooner arrived than a cow was placed before them to be shot.
Bombay, however, thinking easy compliance would only lead to
continued demands on our short store of powder, said he had no
order to shoot cows, and declined. A strong debated ensued, which
Bombay, by his own account, turned to advantage, by saying, "What
use is there in shooting cows? we have lots of meat; what we want
is flour to eat with it." To which the great king retorted, "If
you have not got flour, that is not my fault, for I ordered your
master to come slowly, and to bring provisions along with him."
Then getting impatient, as all his visitors wanted sport, he
ordered the cow out again, and insisted on my men shooting at it,
saying at the same time to his Kidi visitors, boastfully, "Now I
will show you what devils these Wanguana are: with firearms they
can kill a cow with one bullet; and as they are going to Gani, I
advise you not to meddle with them." The Kidi visitors said,
"Nonsense; we don't believe in their power, but we will see."
Irate at his defeat, Bombay gave orders to the men to fire over
the cow, and told Kamrasi why he had done so - Bana would be angry
with him.
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