To-day, for the first time since I have been here, I
received a quantity of plantains. This was in consequence
of my complaining that the king’s orders to my
men to feed themselves at others’ expense was virtually
making them a pack of thieves.
1st.-—I received a letter from Grant, dated 10th February,
reporting Baraka’s departure for Unyoro on the
30th January, escorted by Kamrasi’s men on their return,
and a large parly of Rtimanika’s bearing presents as a
letter from their king; whilst Grant himself hoped to
leave Karague before the end of the month. I then sent
Bombay to see the queen, to ask after her health, beg for
a hut in the palace enclosures, and say I should have
gone myself, only I feared her gate might be shut, and I
cannot go backwards and forwards so far in the sun without
a horse or an elephant to ride upon. She begged I
would come next morning. A wonderful report came
that the king put two tops of powder into his Whitworth
rifle to shoot a cow, and the bullet not only passed through
the cow, but through the court fence, then through the
centre of a woman, and, after passing the outer fence, flew
whizzing along no one knew where.
2d.—Calling on the queen early, she admitted me at
once, scolding me severely for not having come or sent
my men to see her after she had taken the pills. She
said they did her no good, and prevailed on me to give
her another prescription. Then sending her servant for
a bag full of drinking-gourds, she made me select six of
the best, and begged for my wateh. That, of course, I
could not part with | but I took the opportunity of telling
her I did not like my residence; it was not only far
away from everybody, but it was unworthy of my dig-
nity. I came to Uganda to see the king and queen,
because the Arabs said they were always treated with
great respect; but now I could perceive those Arabs did
not know what true respect means. Being poor men,
they thought much of a cow or goat given gratis, and
were content to live in any hovels. Such, I must inform
her, was not my case. I could neither sit in the sun nor
live in a poor man’s hut. When I rose to leave for
breakfast, she requested me to stop, but I declined, and
walked away. I saw, however, there was something
wrong; for Maiila, always ordered to be in attendance
when anybody,visits, was retained by her order to answer
why I would not stay with her longer. If I wanted food
or pombd, there was plenty of it in her palace, and her
cooks were the cleverest in the world; she hoped I would
return to see her in the morning.
3c?.—Our cross purposes seemed to increase; for, while
I could not get a satisfactory interview, the king sent for
N’yamgundii to ascertain why I never went to see him.
I had given him good guns and many pretty things which
he did not know the use of, and yet I would not visit
him to explain their several uses. N’yamgundu told him
I lived too far off, and wanted a palace. After this I
walked off to see N’yamasord, taking my blankets, a
pillow, and some cooking-pots to make a day of it, and
try to win the affections of the queen with sixteen cubits
binddra, three pints pdkd, and three pints mtendd beads,
which, as Waganda are all fond of figurative language, I
called a trifle for her servants.
I was shown in at once, and found her majesty sitting
on an Indian carpet, dressed in a red linen wrapper with
a gold border, and a box, in shape of a lady’s work-box,
prettily coloured in divers patterns with minute beads,
by her side. Her councillors were in attendance ; and in
the yard a band of music, with many minor WakungtL
squatting in a semicircle, completed her levee. Maiila
on my behalf opened conversation, in allusion to her
yesterday’s question, by saying I had applied to Mtdsa
for a palace, that I might be near enough both their
majesties to pay them constant visits. She replied, in a