planted gardens for their maintenance, and were restricted
from seeing the succeeding king.
By his large establishment of wives, Kim^ra left a
number of princes or AVarangira, and as many princesses.
From the AVarangira the AA7akungti now chose as their
king the one whom they thought best suited for the
government of the country—not of too high rank by the
mother’s side, lest their selection in his pride should kill
them all, but one of low birth. The rest were placed
with wives in a suite of huts, under charge of a keeper, to
prevent any chance of intrigues and dissensions. They
were to enjoy life until the prince-elect should arrive at
the age of discretion and be crowned,, when all but two of
the princes would be burnt to death, the two being reserved
in case of accident as lonsj as the kins wanted
brother companions, when one would be banished to
Unyoro, and the other pensioned with suitable possessions
in Uganda. The mother of the king by this measure
became queen-dowager, or N’yamasore. She halved with
her son all the wives of the deceased kins not stationed
at his grave, taking second choice; kept up a palace only
little inferior to her son’s with large estates, guided the
prince-eleet in the government of the country, and re-*
mained until the end of his minority the virtual ruler of
the lan d ; at any rate, no radical political changes could
take place without her sanction. The princesses became
the wives of the king; no one else could marry them.
Both mother and son had their Katikiros or commander-
in-chief, also titled Kamraviona, as well as other officers
of high rank. Amongst them in due order of gradation
are the Ilmas, a woman who had the good fortune to have
cut the umbilical cord at the king’s birth ; the Sawaganzi,
queen’s sister and king’s barber; Kaggao, Pokino, Saki-
bobo, Kitunzi, and others, governors of provinces ; Jumba,
admiral of the fleet; Kasujii, guardian of the king’s
sisters; Mkuenda, factor; Kunsa and Usungu, first and
second class executioners ; Mgemma, commissioner in
chargé of tombs ; Sértiti, brewer ; Mfümbiro, cook ;
numerous pages to run messages and look after the
women, and minor AVakungü in himdreds. One Mkungü
is always over the palace, in command of the AVanagalali,
or guards, which are changed monthly ; another is ever
in attendance as seizer of refractory persons. There are
also in the palace almost constantly the AVanangalavi, or
drummers ; Nsasé, pea-gourd l'attlers ; Milélé, flute-
players ; Mükondéri, clarionet-players ; also players on
wooden harmonicons and lap-liarps, to which the players
sing accompaniments; and, lastly, men who whistle on their
fingers—for music is half the amusement of these courts.
Everybody in Uganda is expected to keep spears, shields,
and dogs, the Uganda arms and cognisance ; whilst the
AVakuugü are entitled to drums. There is also a
Neptune Mgussa, or spirit, who lives in the depths of the
N’yanza, communicates through the medium of his temporal
Mkungü, and guides to a certain extent the naval
destiny of the king.
It is the duty of all officers, generally speaking, to
attend at court as constantly as possible ; should they
fail, they forfeit their lands, wives, and all belongings.
These will be seized and given to others more worthy of
them ; as it is presumed that either insolence or disaffection
can be the only motive which would induce any
person to absent himself for any length of time from the
pleasure of seeing his sovereign. Tidiness in dress is
imperatively necessary, and for any neglect of this rule
the head may be the forfeit. The punishment for such
offences, however, may lie commuted by fines of cattle,
goats, fowls, or brass wire. All acts of the king are
counted benefits, for which he must be thanked ; and so
every deed done to his subjects is a gift received by
them, though it should assume the shape of flogging or
fine ; for are not these, which make better men of them,