Then, Turning To Frij, He Said,
"What Would You Do If They Came?
- Go back with them?" To which
Frij said, "No, never, when Gani is so near; they might cut our
Heads off, but that is all they could do." The watch being by
this time repaired, it gave me the opportunity of sending
Kidgwiga back to the palace to say we trusted Kamrasi would allow
Budja to come here, if only with one woman to carry his pombe,
else Mtesa would take offence, form an alliance with Rionga, and
surround the place with warriors, for it was not becoming in
great kings to treat civil messengers like dogs.
The reply to this was, that Kamrasi was very much pleased with my
fatherly wisdom and advice, and would act up to it, allowing
Budja only to approach with one woman; we need, however, be under
no apprehensions, for Kamrasi's power was infinite; the Gani road
should be opened even at the spear's point; he had been beating
the big drum in honour of us the whole day; he would not allow
any beggars to come and see us, for he wanted us all to himself,
and for this reason had ordered a fence to be built all round our
house; but he had got no present from Grant yet, though all he
wanted was his mosquito-curtains, whilst he wished my picture-
books to show his women, and be returned. We sent a picture of
Mtesa as a gift, the two books to look at and an acknowledgement
that the mosquito-curtains were his, only he must have patience
until Bombay arrived; but his proposition about the fence we
rejected with scorn. The king had been raising an army to fight
Rionga - the true reason, we suspect, for the beating of the
drums.
27th and 28th. - There was drumming and music all day and night,
and the army was being increased to a thousand men, but we poor
prisoners could see nothing of it. Frij was therefore sent to
inspect the armament and brings us all the news. Some of
N'yamyonjo's men, seeing mine armed with carbines, became very
inquisitive about them, and asked if they were the instruments
which shot at their men on the Nile - one in the arm, who died;
the other on the top of the shoulder, who was recovering. The
drums were kept in private rooms, to which a select few only were
admitted. Kamrasi conducts all business himself, awarding
punishments and seeing them carried out. The most severe
instrument of chastisement is a knob-stick, sharpened at the
back, like that used in Uganda, for breaking a man's neck before
he is thrown into the N'yanza; but this severity is seldom
resorted to, Kamrasi being of a mild disposition compared with
Mtesa, whom he invariably alludes to when ordering men to be
flogged, telling them that were they in Uganda, their heads would
suffer instead of their backs. In the day's work at the palace,
army collecting, ten officers were bound because they failed to
bring a sufficient number of fighting men, but were afterwards
released on their promising to bring more.
Nothing could be more filthy than the state of the palace and all
the lanes leading up to it: it was well, perhaps, that we were
never expected to go there, for without stilts and respirators it
would have been impracticable, such is the dirty nature of the
people. The king's cows, even, are kept in the palace enclosure,
the calves actually entering the hut, where, like a farmer,
Kamrasi walks amongst them up to his ankles in filth, and,
inspecting them, issues his orders concerning them. What has to
be selected for his guests he singles out himself.
Dr K'yengo's men, who had been sent three times into action
against the refractory brothers, asked leave to return to
Karague; but the king, who did not fear for their lives when his
work was to be done, would not give them leave, lest accident
should befall them on the way. We found no prejudice against
eating butter amongst these Wahuma, for they not only sold us
some, but mixed it with porridge and ate it themselves.
29th. - The king has appointed a special officer to keep our table
supplied with sweet potatoes, and sent us a pot of pombe, with
his excuses for not seeing us, as business was so pressing, and
would continue to be so until the army marched. Budja and Kasoro
were again reported to be near with a force of fifty Waganda,
prepared to snatch us away; and the king, fearing the
consequences, had sent to inform Budja, that if he dared attempt
to approach, he would slip us off in boats to Gani, and then
fight it out with the Waganda; for his guests, since they had
been handed over to him, had been treated with every possible
respect.
To keep Kamrasi to his promise, as we particularly wished to hear
the Uganda news, Frij was sent to inform him on my behalf that
Mtesa only wished to make friends with all the great kings
surrounding his country before his coronation took place, when
his brothers would be burnt, and he would cease to take advice
from his mother. To treat his messengers disrespectfully could
do no good, and might provoke a war, when we should see my
deserters joined with the Waganda really coming in force against
us; whereas, if we saw Budja, we could satisfy him, and Mtesa
too, and obviate any such calamity. The reply was, that Kamrasi
would arrange for our having a meeting with Budja alone if we
wished it; he did not fear my deserters siding with king Mtesa,
but he detested the Waganda, and could not bear to see them in
his country.
30th. - At breakfast-time we heard that my old friend Kasoro had
come to our camp without permission, to the surprise of
everybody, attended by all his boys, leaving Budja and his
children, on account of sickness, at the camp assigned to the
Waganda, five miles off.
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