This Conversation Over,
After Gazing At Me, And Chatting With His Women For A
Considerable Time, The Second Scene Ended.
The third scene was
more easily arranged, for the day was fast declining.
He simply
moved his train of women to another hut, where, after seating
himself upon his throne, with his women around him, he invited me
to approach the nearest limits of propriety, and to sit as
before. Again he asked me if I had seen him - evidently desirous
of indulging in his regal pride; so I made the most of the
opportunity thus afforded me of opening a conversation by telling
him of those grand reports I had formerly heard about him, which
induced me to come all his way to see him, and the trouble it had
cost me to reach the object of my desire; at the same time taking
a gold ring from off my finger, and presenting it to him, I said,
"This is a small token of friendship; if you will inspect it, it
is made after the fashion of a dog-collar, and, being the king of
metals, gold, is in every respect appropriate to your illustrious
race."
He said, in return, "If friendship is your desire, what would you
say if I showed you a road by which you might reach your home in
one month?" Now everything had to be told to Bombay, then to
Nasib, my Kiganda interpreter, and then to either Maula or
N'yamgundu, before it was delivered to the king, for it was
considered indecorous to transmit any message to his majesty
excepting through the medium of one of his officers. Hence I
could not get an answer put in; for as all Waganda are rapid and
impetuous in their conversation, the king, probably forgetting he
had put a question, hastily changed the conversation and said,
"What guns have you got? Let me see the one you shoot with." I
wished still to answer the first question first, as I knew he
referred to the direct line to Zanzibar across the Masai, and was
anxious, without delay, to open the subject of Petherick and
Grant; but no one dared to deliver my statement. Much
disappointed, I then said, "I had brought the best shooting-gun
in the world - Whitworth's rifle - which I begged he would accept,
with a few other trifles; and, with his permission, I would lay
them upon a carpet at his feet, as is the custom of my country
when visiting sultans." He assented, sent all his women away,
and had an mbugu spread for the purpose, on which Bombay, obeying
my order, first spread a red blanket, and then opened each
article one after the other, when Nasib, according to the usage
already mentioned, smoothed them down with his dirty hands, or
rubbed them against his sooty face, and handed them to the king
to show there was no poison or witchcraft in them. Mtesa
appeared quite confused with the various wonders as he handled
them, made silly remarks, and pondered over them like a perfect
child, until it was quite dark.
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