Maula Said He Had The Queen's Orders To Sleep
With Bana, And Sleep There He Would; So Rather Than Kick
Him out,
which I felt inclined to do, I smoked my pipe and drank pombe all
night, turning the people
Out and myself in, in the morning, to
prepare for a small house-fight with the queen.
11th. - Early in the morning, as I expected, she demanded my
immediate attendance; and so the little diplomatic affair I had
anticipated came on. I began the affair by intimating that I am
in bed, and have not breakfasted. So at 10 a.m. another
messenger arrives, to say her majesty is much surprised at my not
coming. What can such conduct mean, when she arranged everything
so nicely for me after my own desire, that she might drink her
medicine properly? Still I am not up; but nobody will let me
rest for fear of the queen; so, to while away the time, I order
Bombay to call upon her, give the quinine, and tell her all that
has happened; at which she flies into a towering rage, says she
will never touch medicine administered by any other hands but
mine, and will not believe in one word Bombay says, either about
Maula or the hut; for Maula, whose duty necessarily obliged him
to take my servants before her majesty, had primed her with a lot
of falsehoods on the subject; and she had a fondness for Maula,
because he was a clever humbug and exceeding rogue - and sent
Bombay back to fetch me, for nobody had ever dared disobey her
mandates before.
It had now turned noon, and being ready for the visit, I went to
see the queen. Determined to have her turn, she kept me waiting
for a long time before she would show herself; and at last, when
she came, she flounced up to her curtain, lay down in a huff, and
vented her wrath, holding her head very high, and wishing to know
how I could expect officers, with large establishments, to be
turned out of their homes merely to give me room for one night; I
ought to have been content with my fare; it was no fault of
Maula's. I tried to explain through Nasib, but she called Nasib
a liar, and listened to Maula who told the lies; then asked for
her medicine; drank it, saying it was a small dose; and walked
off in ill humour as she had come. I now made up my mind to sit
till 3 p.m., hoping to see the queen again, whilst talking with
some Kidi officers, who, contrary to the general law of the
country, indulged me with some discourses on geography, from
which I gathered, though their stories were rather confused, that
beyond the Asua river, in the Galla country, there was another
lake which was navigated by the inhabitants in very large
vessels; and somewhere in the same neighbourhood there was an
exceedingly high mountain covered with yellow dust, which the
natives collected, etc., etc.
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