The King Then Turned To Me, And Said, "I Have Come Out To Listen
To Your Request Of Last Night.
What is it you do want?" I said,
"To open the country to the north, that an uninterrupted line of
commerce might exist between England and this country by means of
the Nile.
I might go round by Nkole" (K'yengo looked daggers at
me); "but that is out of the way, and not suitable to the
purpose." The queen's deputation was now ordered to draw near,
and questioned in a whisper. As K'yengo was supposed to know all
about me, and spoke fluently both in Kiganda and Kisuahili, he
had to speak first; but K'yengo, to everybody's surprise, said,
"One white man wishes to go to Kamrasi's, whilst the other wishes
to return through Unyamuezi." This announcement made the king
reflect; for he had been privately primed by his mother's
attendants, that we both wished to go to Gani, and therefore
shrewdly inquired if Rumanika knew we wished to visit Kamrasi,
and whether he was aware we should attempt the passage north from
Uganda. "Oh yes! of course Bana wrote to Bana Mdogo" (the little
master) "as soon as he arrived in Uganda and told him and
Rumanika all about it." "Wrote! what does that mean?" and I was
called upon to explain. Mtesa, then seeing a flaw in K'yengo's
statements, called him a story-teller; ordered him and his party
away, and bade me draw near.
The moment of triumph had come at last, and suddenly the road was
granted! The king presently let us see the motive by which he
had been influenced. He said he did not like having to send to
Rumanika for everything: he wanted his visitors to come to him
direct; moreover, Rumanika had sent him a message to the effect
that we were not to be shown anything out of Uganda, and when we
had done with it, were to be returned to him. Rumanika, indeed!
who cared about Rumanika? Was not Mtesa the king of the country,
to do as he liked? and we all laughed. Then the king, swelling
with pride, asked me whom I liked best - Rumanika or himself, - an
awkward question, which I disposed of by saying I liked Rumanika
very much because he spoke well, and was very communicative; but
I also liked Mtesa, because his habits were much like my own -
fond of shooting and roaming about; whilst he had learned so many
things from my teaching, I must ever feel a yearning towards him.
With much satisfaction I felt that my business was now done; for
Budja was appointed to escort us to Unyoro, and Jumba to prepare
us boats, that we might go all the way to Kamrasi's by water.
Viarungi made a petition, on Rumanika's behalf, for an army of
Waganda to go to Karague, and fight the refractory brother,
Rogero; but this was refused, on the plea that the whole army was
out fighting at the present moment.
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