Manua, One Of My Men, Who Is A Twin, Said, In Nguru, One Of The
Sister Provinces To Unyanyembe, Twins Are Ordered To Be Killed
And Thrown Into Water The Moment They Are Born, Lest Droughts And
Famines Or Floods Should Oppress The Land.
Should any one
attempt to conceal twins, the whole family would be murdered by
the chief; but, though a great traveller, this is the only
instance of such brutality Manua had ever witnessed in any
country.
In the province of Unyanyembe, if a twin or twins die, they are
thrown into water for the same reason as in Nguru; but as their
numbers increase the size of the family, their birth is hailed
with delight. Still there is a source of fear there in
connection with twins, as I have seen myself; for when one dies,
the mother ties a little gourd to her neck as a proxy, and puts
into it a trifle of everything which she gives the living child,
lest the jealousy of the dead spirit should torment her.
Further, on the death of the child, she smears herself with
butter and ashes, and runs frantically about, tearing her hair
and bewailing piteously; whilst the men of the place use towards
her the foulest language, apparently as if in abuse of her
person, but in reality to frighten away the demons who have
robbed her nest.
22d. - I sent Frij to Kamrasi to find out what he was doing with
the Waganda and my deserters, as I wished to speak with their two
head representatives. I also wanted some men to seek for and to
fetch Bombay, as I said I believed him to be tied by the leg
behind one of the visible hills in Kidi. The reply was, 102
Waganda, with one of my men only, had been stationed at the
village my men deserted from since the date (13th) we heard of
them last. They had no cows for me, but each of the Waganda bore
a log of firewood, which Mtesa had ordered them to carry until
they either returned with me or brought back a box of gunpowder,
in default of which they were to be all burnt in a heap with the
logs they carried. Kamrasi, still acting on his passive policy,
would not admit them here, but wished them to return with a
message, to the effect that Mtesa had no right to hold me as his
guest now I had once gone into another's hands. We were all
three kings to do with our subjects as we liked, and for this
reason the deserters ought to be sent on here; but if I wished to
speak to the Waganda, he would call their officer. There was no
fear, he said, about Bombay; he was on his way; but the men who
were escorting him were spinning out the time, stopping at every
place, and feasting every day. To-morrow, he added, some more
Gani people would arrive here, when we should know more about it.
I still advised Kamrasi to give the road to Mtesa provided he
gave up plundering the Wanyoro of women and cattle; but if my
counsel was listened to, I could get no acknowledgment that it
was so.
23d and 24th. - I sent to inquire what news there was of Bombay's
coming, and what measures Kamrasi had taken to call the Waganda's
chief officer and my deserters here; as also to beg he would send
us specimens of all the various tribes that visit him, in order
that me might draw them. He sent four loads of dried fish, with
a request for my book of birds again, as it contains a portrait
of king Mtesa, and proposed seeing us at the newly-constructed
Kafu palace to-morrow, when all requests would be attended to.
In the meanwhile, we were told that Bombay had been seen on his
way returning from Gani; and the Waganda had all run away
frightened, because they were told the Kidi and Chopi visitors,
who had been calling on Kamrasi lately, were merely the nucleus
of an army forming to drive them away, and to subdue Uganda.
Mtesa was undergoing the coronation formalities, and for this
reason had sent the deserters to Kari's hill, giving them cows
and a garden to live on, as no visitors can remain near the court
while the solemnities of the coronation were going on. The
thirty-odd brothers will be burnt to death, saving two or three,
of which one will be sent into this country - as was the case with
one of the late king Sunna's brothers, who is still in Unyoro -
and the others will remain in the court with Mtesa as playfellows
until the king dies, when, like Sunna's two brothers still living
in Uganda, one at N'yama Goma and one at Ngambezi, they will be
pensioned off. After the coronation is concluded, it is expected
Mtesa will go into Kittari, on the west of Uganda, to fight
first, and then, turning east, will fight with the Wasoga; but we
think if he fights anywhere, it will be with Kamrasi.
25th and 26th. - I sent Frij to the palace to inquire after
Bombay, and got the usual reply: "Why is Bana in such a hurry?
He is always for doing things quickly. Tell my 'brother' to keep
his mind at rest; Bombay is now on the boundary of Gani coming
here, and will in due course arrive." Both Rumanika's men and
those belonging to Dr K'yengo asked Kamrasi's leave to return to
their homes, but were refused, because the road was unsafe. "Had
they not," it was said, "heard of Budja's telling Mtesa that
K'yengo's children prevented the white men from returning to
Uganda? and since then Mtesa had killed his frontier officer for
being chicken-hearted, afraid to carry out his orders, and had
appointed another in his stead, giving him strict orders to make
prisoners of all foreigners who might pass that way; and,
further, when some twenty Wanyoro were going to Karague, they
were hunted down by Mtesa's orders, and three of their number
killed; for he was determined to cut off all intercourse between
this country and Karague.
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