We Reached This In One Stretch, And Put Up In Our Old Quarters,
Where The Women Of Mlondo Provided Pombe, Plantains, And
Potatoes, As Before, With Occasional Fish, And We Lived Very
Happily Till The 10th, Shooting Buck, Guinea-Fowl, And Florikan,
When, Bombay And Kasoro Arriving, My Work Began Again.
These two
worthies reached the palace, after crossing twelve considerable
streams, of which one was the Luajerri, rising in the lake.
The
evening of the next day after leaving me at Kira, they obtained
an interview with the king immediately; for the thought flashed
across his mind that Bombay had come to report our death, the
Waganda having been too much for the party. He was speedily
undeceived by the announcement that nothing was the matter,
excepting the inability to procure boats, because the officers at
Urondogani denied all authority but the Sakibobo's, and no one
would show Bana anything, however trifling, without an express
order for it.
Irate at this announcement, the king ordered the Sakibobo, who
happened to be present, to be seized and bound at once, and said
warmly, "Pray, who is the king, that the Sakibobo's orders should
be preferred to mine?" and then turning to the Sakibobo himself,
asked what he would pay to be released? The Sakibobo, alive to
his danger, replied at once, and without the slightest
hesitation, Eighty cows, eighty goats, eighty slaves, eighty
mbugu, eighty butter, eighty coffee, eighty tobacco, eighty
jowari, and eighty of all the produce of Uganda. He was then
released. Bombay said Bana wished the Sakibobo to come to
Urondogani, and gave him a start with five boats, five cows, and
five goats; to which the king replied, "Bana shall have all he
wants, nothing shall be denied him, not even fish; but it is not
necessary to send the Sakibobo, as boys carry all my orders to
kings as well as subjects. Kasoro will return again with you,
fully instructed in everything, and, moreover, both he and Budja
will follow Bana to Gani." Four days, however, my men were kept
at the palace ere the king gave them the cattle and leave to join
me, accompanied with one more officer, who had orders to find the
boats at once, see us off, and report the circumstance at court.
Just as at the last interview, the king had four women, lately
seized and condemned to execution, squatting in his court. He
wished to send them to Bana, and when Bombay demurred, saying he
had no authority to take women in that way, the king gave him
one, and asked him if he would like to see some sport, as he
would have the remaining women cut to pieces before him. Bombay,
by his own account, behaved with great propriety, saying Bana
never wished to see sport of that cruel kind, and it would ill
become him to see sights which his master had not. Viarungi sent
me some tobacco, with kind regards, and said he and the Wazina
had just obtained leave to return to their homes, K'yengo alone,
of all the guests, remaining behind as a hostage until Mtesa's
powder-seeking Wakungu returned.
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