selves would become doubly related to him. Nothing,
however, seemed to be done to promote the union, until
one old lady, sitting by the king’s side, who was evidently
learned in the etiquette and traditions of the court, said,
“Wait and see if he embraces, otherwise you may know
he is not pleased.” At this announcement the girls
received a hint to pass on, and the king commenced
bestowing on them a series of huggings, first sitting on
the lap of one, whom he clasped to his bosom, crossing
his neck with hers to the right, then to the left, and,
having finished with her, took post in the second one’s lap,
then on that of the third, performing on each of them the
same evolutions. He then retired to his original position,
and the marriage ceremony was supposed to be concluded,
and the settlements adjusted, when all went on as before.
The pictures were again looked at, and again admired,
when we asked for a private interview on business, and
drew the king outside. I then begged he would allow me,
whilst his men were absent at Unyoro, to go to the Masai
country, and see the Salt Lake at the north-east comer of
the N’yanza, and to lend me some of his boats for Grant
to fetch powder and beads from Karagiid. This important
arrangement being conceded by the king more promptly
than we expected, a cow, plantains, and pombd were
requested; but the cow only was given, though our men
were said to be feeding on grass. Taking the king, as it
appeared, in a good humour, to show him the abuses
arising from the system of allowing his guests to help
themselves by force upon the highways, I reported the
late seizures made of thirty cows and twelve slaves by the
Wanyambo; but, though surprised to hear the news, he
merely remarked that there were indeed a great number
of visitors in Uganda. During this one day we heard the
sad voices of no less than four women, dragged from the
palace to the slaughter-house.
19 th.—To follow up our success in the marching question
and keep the king to his promise, I called at his
palace, but found he had gone out shooting. To push
my object further, I then marched off to the queen’s to
bid her good-bye, as if we were certain to leave next day;
but as no one would dare to approach her cabinet to apprise
her of our arrival, we returned home tired and annoyed.
20th. The king sent for us at noon; but when we
reached the palace we found he had started on a shooting
tour; so, to make the best of our time, we called again
upon the queen for the same purpose as yesterday, as also
to get my books of birds and animals, which, taken merely
to look at for a day or so, had been kept for months,
After hours of waiting, her majesty appeared standing in
an open gateway; beckoned us to advance, and offered
pombb; then, as two or three drops of rain fell, she said
she could not stand the violence of the weather, and
forthwith retired without one word being obtained. An
officer, however, venturing in for the books, at length I
got them.
21st. To-day I went to the palace, but found no one;
the king was out shooting again.
22d. We resolved to-day to try on a new political
influence at the^ court. Grant had taken to the court of
Karague a jumping-jack, to amuse the young princes; but
it had a higher destiny, for it so fascinated king Ru-
manika himself that he would not part with it—unless,
indeed, Grant would make him a big one out of a tree
which was handed to him for the purpose. We resolved
to try the influence of such a toy on king Mtdsa, and
brought with us, in addition, a mask and some pictures.
But although the king took a visiting card, the gate was
never opened to us. Finding this, and the day closing,
we deposited the mask and pictures on a throne, and
walked away. We found that we had thus committed a
serious breach of state etiquette; for the guard, as soon as
they saw what we had done, seized the Wanguana for our