This Account Seemed To Me Reasonable; For
Though So Much Broader In Its Bed Than The Mwerango, It Had No
Central, Deep-Flowing Current.
Chapter XI
Palace, Uganda
Preparations for the Reception at the Court of Mtesa, King of
Uganda - The Ceremonial - African Diplomacy and Dignity - Feats with
the Rifle - Cruelty, and Wastefulness of Life - The Pages - The
Queen- Dowager of Uganda - Her Court Reception - I negotiate for a
Palace - Conversations with the King and Queen - The Queen's grand
Entertainment - Royal Dissipation.
To-day the king sent his pages to announce his intention of
holding a levee in my honour. I prepared for my first
presentation at court, attired in my best, though in it I cut a
poor figure in comparison with the display of the dressy Waganda.
They wore neat bark cloaks resembling the best yellow corduroy
cloth, crimp and well set, as if stiffened with starch, and over
that, as upper-cloaks, a patchwork of small antelope skins, which
I observed were sewn together as well as any English glovers
could have pieced them; whilst their head-dresses, generally,
were abrus turbans, set off with highly-polished boar-tusks,
stick-charms, seeds, beads, or shells; and on their necks, arms,
and ankles they wore other charms of wood, or small horns stuffed
with magic powder, and fastened on by strings generally covered
with snake-skin. N'yamgundu and Maula demanded, as their official
privilege, a first peep; and this being refused, they tried to
persuade me that the articles comprising the present required to
be covered with chintz, for it was considered indecorous to offer
anything to his majesty in a naked state. This little
interruption over, the articles enumerated below[FN#18] were
conveyed to the palace in solemn procession thus: - With
N'yamgundu, Maula, the pages, and myself on the flanks, the
Union-Jack carried by the kirangozi guide led the way, followed
by twelve men as a guard of honour, dressed in red flannel
cloaks, and carrying their arms sloped, with fixed bayonets;
whilst in their rear were the rest of my men, each carrying some
article as a present.
On the march towards the palace, the admiring courtiers, wonder-
struck at such an unusual display, exclaimed, in raptures of
astonishment, some with both hands at their mouths, and others
clasping their heads with their hands, "Irungi! irungi!" which
may be translated "Beautiful! beautiful!" I thought myself
everything was going on as well as could be wished; but before
entering the royal enclosures, I found, to my disagreeable
surprise, that the men with Suwarora's hongo or offering, which
consisted of more than a hundred coils of wire, were ordered to
lead the procession, and take precedence of me. There was
something specially aggravating in this precedence; for it will
be remembered that these very brass wires which they saw, I had
myself intended for Mtesa, that they were taken from me by
Suwarora as far back as Usui, and it would never do, without
remonstrance, to have them boastfully paraded before my eyes in
this fashion.
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