went to court, to put on an Arab’s gown, as trousers are
indecent in the estimation of every Mganda.
5 th.—Alarmed at having got involved in something
that looked like court intrigues, I called up N’yamgundii;
told him all that happened yesterday, both at the two
courts and with Maula at home; and begged him to apply
to the king for a meeting of five elders, that a proper
understanding might be arrived a t; but instead of doing
as I desired, he got into a terrible fright, calling Maula,
and told me if I pressed the matter in this way men
would lose their lives. Meanwhile the cunning blackguard
Maula begged for pardon; said I quite misunderstood
his meaning; all he had said was that I was very
fortunate, being in such favour at court, for the king and
queen both equally loved me.
N’yamgundu now got orders to go to Karague overland
for Dr K’yengo; but, dreading to tell me of it, as I
had been so kind to him, he forged a falsehood, said he
had leave to visit his home for six days, and begged for
a wire to sacrifice to his church. I gave him what he
wanted, and away he went. I then heard his servants
had received orders to go overland for Grant and K’yengo;
so I wrote another note to Grant, telling him to come
sharp, and bring all the property by boat that he could
carry, leaving what he could not behind in charge of
Rumanika.
At noon, the plaguy little imps of pages hurried in to
order the attendance of all my men fully armed before
the king, as he wished to seize some refractory officer.
I declined this abuse of my arms, and said I should first
go and speak to the king on the subject myself, ordering
the men on no account to go on such an errand; and
saying this, I proceeded towards the palace, leaving instructions
for those men who were not ready to follow.
As the court messengers, however, objected to our going
in detachments, I told Bombay to wait for the rest, and
hurry on to overtake me. Whilst lingering on the way,
■every minute expecting to see my men, the Wazinza, who
had also received orders to seize the same officer, passed
me, going to the place of attack, and, at the same time,
I heard my men firing in a direction exactly opposite to
the palace. I now saw I had been duped, and returned
to my hut to see the issue. The boys had deceived us
-all. Bombay, tricked on the plea of their taking bim by
a short cut to the palace, suddenly found himself with all
the men opposite the fenced gardens that had to be taken
—the establishment of the recusant officer,-SiS-and the boys,
knowing how eager all blacks are to loot, said, “ Now,
then, at the houses; seize all you can, sparing nothing—
men, women, or children, mbügüs or cowries, all alike—
for it is the order of the king;” and in an instant my men
surrounded the place, fired their guns, and rushed upon
the inmates. One was speared forcing his way through the
fence, but the rest were taken and brought triumphantly
into my camp. It formed a strange sight in the establishment
of an English gentleman, to see my men flushed
with the excitement of their spoils, staggering under loads
of mbügü, or leading children, mothers, goats, and dogs off
in triumph to their respective huts. Bombay alone, of
all my men, obeyed my orders, touching nothing; and
when remonstrated with for having led the men, he said
he could not help it—the boys had deceived him in the
same way as they had tricked me.
It was now necessary that I should take some critical
step in African diplomacy; so, after ordering all the
seizures to be given up to Maüla on behalf of the king,
and threatening to discharge any of my men who dared
retain one item of the property, I shut the door of my
hut to do penance for two days, giving orders that nobody
but my cook Ilmas, not even Bombay, should come
near me; for the king had caused my men to sin—had
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