huts, in the centre o f which rose a spacious,
lo fty, barn-like structure. T he large building,
we were told, was the palace! the hill, Rubaga;
the cluster o f huts, the imperial capital!
From each side o f the tall cane fence enclosing
the grass huts on Rubaga hill radiated
v e r y broad avenues, imperial enough in width.
Arriving at the base o f the hill, and crossing
b y a “ co rd u ro y ” road over a broad slimy ooze,
we came up to one o f these avenues, the ground
o f which was a reddish cla y strongly mixed
with the detritus o f hematite. It gave a clear
breadth o f 100 feet of prepared ground, and
led b y a gradual ascent to the circular road
which made the circuit o f the hill outside the
palace enclosure. Once on the dome-like height,
we saw that we had arrived b y the back avenue,
for the best view o f this capital o f magnificent
distances was that which was obtained b y lo o k ing
from the burzah o f the palace, and carrying
the e y e over the broad front highway, on each
side o f which, as far as could be defined from
the shadows o f the burzah, the Wakungu had
their respective courts and houses, embowered
in gardens o f banana and fig. L ik e the enclosure
round the palace courts and quarters, each
avenue was fenced with tall matete (water cane)
neatly set v e ry close together in uniform rows.
T h e by-streets leading from one avenue to
another were narrow and crooked.
TApril 10, 1875.] my v i l l a in m t e s a ’s c a p i t a l . 259
( R u b a g a . J
While I stood admiring the v iew , a p age
came up, and, kneeling, announced that he had
been despatched b y the Emperor to show me
my house. Following him, I was ushered within
a corner lo t o f the fenced square, between two
avenues, into what I might appropriately term
a “ garden villa ” o f Uganda. My house, standing
in the centre o f a plantain garden about
100 feet square, was 20 feet long, and o f a
marquee shape, with a miniature portico o r
eave projecting like a bonnet over the doorway,
and was divided into two apartments. Close b y ,
about 30 feet off, were three dome-like huts for
the boat’s crew and the kitchen, and in a corner
o f the garden was a railed space for our bullocks
and goats. W e re it not that I was ever
anxious about my distant camp in Usukuma, I
possessed almost everything requisite to render
a month’s stay v e ry agreeable, and for the time
I was as proud o f my tiny villa a s a London
merchant is o f his country-house.
In the afternoon I was invited to the palace.
A number o f people in brown robes, or white
dresses, some with white goatskins over their
brown robes, others with cords folded like a
turban round their heads, which I heard were
distinguishing marks o f the executioners, were
also ascending to the burzah. Court after court
was passed until we finally stood upon the level
top in front o f the great house o f cane and