whilst it is raining.” I made the men fire, and then was
shown into a lot of dirty huts, which, they said, were built
expressly for all the king’s visitors. The Arabs, when they
came on their visits, always put up here, and I must do
the same. At first I stuck out on my claims as a foreign
prince, whose royal blood could not stand such an indignity.
The palace was my sphere, and unless I could get
a hut there, I would return without seeing the king.
In a terrible fright at my blustering, N’yamgundti fell
at my feet, and implored me not to be hasty. The king
did not understand who I was, and could not be spoken
to then. He implored me to he content with my lot for
the present, after which the king, when he knew all about
it, would do as I liked, he was sure, though no strangers
had ever yet been allowed to reside within the royal
enclosures. I gave way to this good man’s appeal, and
cleaned my hut by firing the ground, for, like all the huts
in this dog country, it was full of fleas. Once ensconced
there, the king s pages darted in to see me, bearing a message
from their master, who said he was sorry the rain
prevented him from holding a levee that day, but the
next he would be delighted to see me. Irungii, with all
Stiwarora’s men, then came to a collection of huts near
where I was residing; and whilst I lay in bed that night,
Irungu with all his wives came in to see me and beg for
beads.
C H A P T E R X I.
PALACE, UGANDA.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE RECEPTION AT THE COURT OF MTESA, KING
OF UGANDA—• THE CEREMONIAL— AFRICAN DIPLOMACY AND
DIGNITY — FEATS WITH THE RIFLE — CRUELTY, AND WASTEFULNESS
OF LIFE— THE PAGES— THE QUEEN-DOWAGER OF UGANDA
—HER COURT RECEPTION— I NEGOTIATE FOR A PALACE— CONVERSATIONS
WITH THE KING AND QUEEN-—THE QUEEN’S GRAND
ENTERTAINMENT— ROYAL DISSIPATION.
T o - d a y th e k in g s e n t h is p a g e s to a n n o u n c e h is in te n -
Hait, from 0 tio n o f h o ld in g a le v e e in my h o n o u r. I
Feb. to 7t/i July. p rep a re d fo r my f ir s t p r e s e n ta t io n a t c o u rt,
attired in my best, though in it I cut a poor figure in
comparison with the display of the dressy Waganda.
They wore neat bark cloaks resembling the best yellow
corduroy cloth, crimp and well set, as if stiffened with
starch, and over that, as upper-cloaks, a patchwork of
small antelope skins, which I observed were sewn together
as well as any English glovers could have pieced them;
whilst their head-dresses, generally, were abrus turbans,
set off with highly-polished boar-tusks, stick-charms, seeds,
beads, or shells; and on their necks, arms, and ankles
they wore other charms of wood, or small horns stuffed
with magic powder, and fastened on by strings generally
covered with snake-skin. N’yamgundu and Maula demanded,
as their official privilege, a first peep; and this