I Now Had A Laugh At My Friends Maula And Bombay For Their
Misgivings Of Yesterday, Telling Them I Knew
More of human nature
than they did; but they shook their heads, and said it was all
very well Bana
Having done it, but if Arabs or any other person
had tried the same trick, it would have been another affair.
"Just so," said I; "but then, don't you see, I know my value
here, which makes all the difference you speak of."
18th. - Whilst walking towards the palace to pay the king a
friendly visit, I met two of my men speared on the head, and
streaming with blood; they had been trying to help themselves to
plantains carried on the heads of Waganda; but the latter proving
too strong, my people seized a boy and woman from their party as
witnesses, according to Uganda law, and ran away with them, tied
hand and neck together. With this addition to my attendance I
first called in at the Kamraviona's for justice; but as he was
too proud to appear at once, I went on to the king's fired three
shots as usual, and obtained admittance at once, when I found him
standing in a yard dressed in cloth, with his iron chair behind
him, and my double-gun loaded with half charges of powder and a
few grains of iron shot, looking eagerly about for kites to fly
over. His quick eye, however, readily detected my wounded men
and prisoners, as also some Wazinza prisoners led in by Waganda
police, who had been taken in the act of entering Waganda houses
and assailing their women. Thus my men were cleared of a false
stigma; and the king, whilst praising them, ordered all the
Wazinza to leave his dominions on the morrow.
The other case was easily settled by my wounded men receiving
orders to keep their prisoners till claimed, when, should any
people come forward, they would be punished, otherwise their loss
in human stock would be enough. The Wanguana had done quite
right to seize on the highway, else they would have starved; such
was the old law, and such is the present one. It was no use our
applying for a change of system. At this stage of the business,
the birds he was watching having appeared, the king, in a great
state of excitement, said, "Shoot that kite," and then "Shoot
that other"; but the charges were too light; and the birds flew
away, kicking with their claws as if merely stung a little.
Whilst this was going on, the Kamraviona, taking advantage of my
having opened the door with the gun, walked in to make his
salutations. A blacksmith produced two very handsome spears, and
a fisherman a basket of fish, from which two fish were taken out
and given to me. The king then sat on his iron chair, and I on a
wooden box which I had contrived to stuff with the royal grass he
gave me, and so made a complete miniature imitation of his
throne.
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