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. The folly in now allowing me to sit upon my portable
iron stool, as an ingenious device for carrying out my
determination to sit before him like an Englishman. I wished to
be communicative, and, giving him a purse of money, told him the
use and value of the several coins; but he paid little regard to
them, and soon put them down. The small-talk of Uganda had much
more attractions to his mind than the wonders of the outer world,
and he kept it up with his Kamraviona until rain fell and
dispersed the company.
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