me at once, 'when I gave her quinine, on the proviso that I
should stop there all day and night to repeat the dose, and
tell her the reason why I did not come befora She affected
great anger at Mtdsa having interfered with my servants
when coming to see her—sympathised with me on the
distance I had to travel—ordered a hut to he cleared for
me ere night—told me to eat my breakfast in the next
court—and, rising abruptly, walked away. At noon we
heard the king approaching with his drums and rattletraps,
but I still waited on till 5 p .m., when, on summons,
I repaired to the throne-hut. Here I heard, in an adjoining
court, the boisterous, explosive laughs of both mother
and son—royal shouts loud enough to be heard a mile off,
and inform the community that their sovereigns were
pleased to indulge in hilarity. Immediately afterwards,
the gate between us being thrown open, the king, like a
very child, stood before us, dressed for the first time, in
public, in what Europeans would call clothes. For a cap
he wore a Muscat alfia, on his neck a silk Arab turban,
fastened with a ring. Then for a coat he had an Indian
kizbow, and for trousers a yellow woollen doti; whilst in
his hand, in imitation of myself, he kept running his ramrod
backwards and forwards through his fingers. As I
advanced and doffed my hat, the king, smiling, entered
the court, followed by a budding damsel dressed in red
bindera, who carried the chair I had presented to him,
and two new spears.
He now took his seat for the first time upon a chair, for
I had told him, at my last interview, that all kings were
expected to bring out some new fashion, or else the world
would never make progress; and I was directed to sit
before him on my grass throne. Talking, though I longed
to enter into conversation, was out of the question; for
no one dared speak for me, and I could not talk myself;
so we sat and grinned, till in a few minutes the queen,
full of smirks and smiles, joined us, and sat on a mbugil
I offered the medicine-chest as a seat, but she dared not
take it ; in fact, by the constitution of Uganda, no one,
however high in rank, not even his mother, can sit before
the king. After sundry jokes, whilst we were all bursting
with laughter at the theatrical phenomenon, the Wakungii
who were present, some twenty in number, threw themselves
in line upon their bellies, and, wriggling like fish,
n’yanzigged, n’goned, and demaned, and uttered other
wonderful words of rejoicing — as, for instance, Hai
MinangA! Hai Mkama wangi!” (0 my chief! 0 my
king I)—whilst, they continued floundering, kicking about
their legs, rubbing their faces, and patting their hands
upon the ground, as if the king had performed some act
of extraordinary munificence by showing himself to them
in that strange and new position—a thing quite enough
to date a new Uganda era from.
The king, without deigning to look upon his grovelling
subjects, said, “ Now, mother, take your medicine;” for
he had been called solemnly to witness the medical treatment
she was undergoing at my hands. When she had
swallowed her quinine with a wry face, two very black
virgins appeared on the stage holding up the double red
blanket I had given the queen; for nothing, however
trifling, can be kept secret from the king. The whole
court was in raptures. The king signified his approval
by holding his mouth, putting his head on one side, and
looking askance at it. The queen looked at me, then at
the blanket and her son in tu rn ; whilst my men hung
down their heads, fearful lest they should be accused of
looking at the ladies of the court; and the Wakungii
n’yanzigged again, as if they could not contain the gratification
they felt at the favour shown them. Nobody
had ever brought such wonderful things to Uganda before,
and all loved Bana.
Till now I had expected to vent my wrath on both together
for all past grievances, but this childish, merry,