As Nothing Could Be Done Yesterday, In Consequence Of The King
Being In His Cups, The Wakungu Conveyed My Message
To-day, but
with the usual effect, till a diplomatic idea struck me, and I
sent another messenger to say,
If our residence was not changed
at once, both Grant and myself had made up our minds to cut off
our hair and blacken our faces, so that the king of all kings
should have no more cause to fear us. Ignoring his claims to
imperial rank, I maintained that his reason for ill-treating us
must be fear, - it could be nothing else. This message acted
like magic; for he fully believed we would do as we said, and
disappoint him altogether of the strange sight of us as pure
white men. The reply was, Kamrasi would not have us disfigured
in this way for all the world; men were appointed to convey our
traps to the west end at once; and Kidgwiga, Vittagura, and
Kajunju rushed over to give us the news in all hast lest we
should execute our threat, and they were glad to find us with our
faces unchanged. I now gave one cow to the head of Dr K'yengo's
party, and one to the head of Rumanika's men, because I saw it
was through their instrumentality we gained admittance in the
country; and we changed residence to the west end of Chaguzi, and
found there comfortable huts close to the Kafu, which ran
immediately between us and the palace.
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