to their darlings appreciated by the king. Seeing
this done in suck a quiet mild way before all my men,
who dared not lift their heads to see it, made me burst
into a roar of laughter, and the king, catching the infection
from me, laughed as well: but the laughing did not
end there—-for the pages, for once giving way to nature,
kept bursting my men chuckled in sudden gusts—while
even the women, holding their mouths for fear of detection,
responded—and we all laughed together. Then a
sedate old dame rose from the squatting mass, ordered the
virgins to right-about, and marched them off, showing
their still more naked reverses. I now obtained permission
for the Wakungu to caff upon me, and fancied I only
required my interpreters to speak out like men when I
had anything to say, to make my residence in Uganda
both amusing and instructive ; but though the king, carried
off by the prevailing good-humour of the scene we
had both witnessed, supported me, I found that he had
counter-ordered what he had said as soon as I had gone,
and, in fact, no Mkungu ever dared come near me.
25th. To-day I visited Usungu again, and found him
better. He gave pombd and plantains for my people, but
would not talk to me, though I told him he had permission
to call on me.
I have now been for some time within the court precincts,
and have consequently had an opportunity of witnessing
court customs. Among these, nearly every day
since I have changed my residence, incredible as it may
appear to be, I have seen one, two, or three of the
wretched palace women led away to execution, tied by
the hand, and dragged along by one of the body-guard,
crying out, as she went to premature death, “ Hai Min-
ang<S !” (0 my lord!) “ Kbakka !” (My king !) “Hai
N’yawo ! ” (My mother!) at the top of her voice, in the
utmost despair and lamentation; and yet there was not
a soul who dared lift hand to save any of them, though
many might be heard privately commenting on their
beauty.
A Queen d ra é é e(i fco E x e cu tio n .
2 6 th.—To-day, to amuse the king, I drew a picture of
himself holding a levée, and proceeded to visit him. On
the way I found* the highroad thronged with cattle captured
in Unyoro ; and on arrival at the ante-chamber,
amongst the officers in waiting, Masimbi (Mr Cowries or
Shells), the queen’s uncle, and Congow, a young general,
who once led an army into Unyoro, past Kamrasi’s palace.
They said they had obtained leave for me to visit them,
and were eagerly looking out for the happy event. At
once, on firing, I was admitted to the king’s favourite
place, which, now that the king had a movable chair to
sit upon, was the shade of the court screen. We had a
chat ; the picture was shown to the women ; the king
would like to have some more, and gave me leave to draw
in the palace any time I liked. At the same time he
asked for my paint-box, merely to look at it. Though I
repeatedly dunned him for it, I could never get it back
from him until I was preparing to leave Uganda.
27th.—After breakfast I started on a visit to Congow ;