The Wichwezi Queen Met Her Majesty With Her Head Held Very High,
And Instead Of Permitting Me To Sit On My Box Of Grass, Threw Out
A Bundle Of Grass For That Purpose.
All conversation was kept
between the two queens; but her Wichwezi majesty had a platter of
clay-stone brought, which she ate with great relish, making a
noise of satisfaction like a happy guinea-pig.
She threw me a
bit, which to the surprise of everybody, I caught and threw it
into my mouth, thinking it was some confection; but the harsh
taste soon made me spit it out again, to the amusement of the
company. On returning home I found the king had requested me to
call on him as soon as possible with the medicine-chest.
8th. - Without a morsel to eat for dinner last night, or anything
this morning, we proceeded early to the palace, in great
expectation that the medicines in request would bring us
something; but after waiting all day till 4 p.m., as the king did
not appear, leaving Bombay behind, I walked away to shoot a
guinea-fowl within earshot of the palace. The scheme was
successful, for the report of the gun which killed the bird
reached the king's ear, and induced him to say that if Bana was
present he would be glad to see him. This gave Bombay an
opportunity of telling all the facts of the case; which were no
sooner heard than the king gave his starving guests a number of
plantains, and vanished at once, taking my page Lugoi with him,
to instruct him in Kisuahili (Zanzibar language).
9th.
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