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John Hanning Speke - The Discovery of the Source of the Nile
do it, and told him the king desired to know if I would go shooting with him in the morning. The reply
was, "No; Bana is praying to-day that Mtesa's sins might be forgiven him for having committed such an
injury to him, sending his soldiers on a mission that did not become them, and without his sanction too.
He is very angry about it, and wished to know if it was done by the king's orders." The boys said,
"Nothing can be done without the king's orders." After further discussion, Bombay intimated that I
wished the king to send me a party of five elderly officers to counsel with, and set all disagreeables to
rights, or I would not go to the palace again; but the boys said there were no elderly gentlemen at court,
only boys such as themselves. Bombay now wished to go with them before the king, to explain matters to
him, and to give him all the red cloths of my men, which I took from them, because they defiled their
uniform when plundering women and children; but the boys said the king was unapproachable just them,
being engaged shooting cows before his women. He then wished the boys to carry the cloth; but they
declined, saying it was contrary to orders for anybody to handle cloth, and they could not do it.
Chapter XII. Palace, Uganda - Continued
Continued Diplomatic Difficulties - Negro Chaffing - The King in a New Costume - Adjutant and Heron
Shooting at Court - My Residence Changed - Scenes at Court - The Kamraviona, or
Commander-in-Chief- -Quarrels - Confidential Communications with the King - Court Executions and
Executioners - Another Day with the Queen.
7th. - The farce continued, and how to manage these haughty capricious blacks puzzled my brains
considerably; but I felt that if I did not stand up now, no one would ever be treated better hereafter. I sent
Nasib to the queen, to explain why I had not been to see her. I desired to do so, because I admired her
wisdom; but before I went I must first see the king, to provide against any insult being offered to me,
such as befell Bombay when I sent him with medicine. Having despatched him, I repaired again to the
palace. In the antechamber I found a number of Wakungu, as usual, lounging about on the ground,
smoking, chatting, and drinking pombe, whilst Wasoga amused them singing and playing on lap-harps,
and little boys kept time on the harmonicon.
These Wakungu are naturally patient attendants, being well trained to the duty; but their very lives
depend upon their presenting themselves at court a certain number of months every year, no matter from
what distant part of the country they have to come. If they failed, their estates would be confiscated, and
their lives taken unless they could escape. I found a messenger who consented to tell the king of my
desire to see him. He returned to say that the king was sleeping - a palpable falsehood. In a huff, I walked
home to breakfast, leaving my attendants, Maula and Uledi, behind to make explanations. They saw the
king, who simply asked, "Where is Bana?" And on being told that I came, but went off again, he said, as
I was informed, "That is a lie, for had he come here to see me he would not have returned"; then rising,
he walked away and left the men to follow me.
I continued ruminating on these absurd entanglements, and the best way of dealing with them, when lo!
to perplex me still more, in ran a bevy of the royal pages to ask for mtende beads - a whole sack of them;
for the king wished to go with his women on a pilgrimage to the N'yanza. Thinking myself very lucky to
buy the king's ear so cheaply, I sent Maula as before, adding that I considered my luck very bad, as
nobody here knew my position in society, else they would not treat me as they did. My proper sphere
was the palace, and unless I got a hut there, I wished to leave the country. My first desire had always
been to see the king; and if he went to the N'yanza, I trusted he would allow me to go there also. The
boys replied, "How can you go with his women? No one ever is permitted to see them." "Well," said I,
"if I cannot go to the N'yanza with him" (thinking only of the great lake, whereas they probably meant a
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