Nothing was listened to but the plaintiff's statement, who said
he had lost the woman four days, and, after considerable search,
had found her concealed by the old man, who was indeed old enough
to be her grandfather.
From all appearances one would have said
the wretched girl had run away from the plaintiff's house in
consequence of ill treatment, and had harboured herself on this
decrepid old man without asking his leave; but their voices in
defence were never heard, for the king instantly sentenced both
to death, to prevent the occurrence of such impropriety again;
and, to make the example more severe, decreed that their lives
should not be taken at once, but, being fed to preserve life as
long as possible, they were to be dismembered bit by bit, as
rations for the vultures, every day, until life was extinct. The
dismayed criminals, struggling to be heard, in utter despair,
were dragged away boisterously in the most barbarous manner, to
the drowning music of the milele and drums.
The king, in total unconcern about the tragedy he had thus
enacted, immediately on their departure said, "Now, then, for
shooting, Bana; let us look at your gun." It happened to be
loaded, but fortunately only with powder, to fire my announcement
at the palace; for he instantly placed caps on the nipples, and
let off one barrel by accident, the contents of which stuck in
the thatch. This created a momentary alarm, for it was supposed
the thatch had taken fire; but it was no sooner suppressed than
the childish king, still sitting on his throne, to astonish his
officers still more, levelled the gun from his shoulder, fired
the contents of the second barrel into the faces of his squatting
Wakungu, and then laughed at his own trick.
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