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John Hanning Speke - The Discovery of the Source of the Nile
or magic horn, to discover what he had to expect from us; and he seemed as yet to have found no ground
for being afraid of us. Moreover, it is his custom to keep visitors waiting on him in this way, for is he not
the king of kings, the king of Kittara, which includes all the countries surrounding Unyoro?
Chapter XVII. Unyoro
Invitation to the Palace at last - Journey to it - Bombay's Visit to King Kamrasi - Our Reputation as
Cannibals - Reception at Court- - Acting the Physician again - Royal Mendicancy.
We halted again, but in the evening one of Dr K'yengo's men came to invite us to the palace. He
explained that Kamrasi was in a great rage because we only received seven goats instead of thirty, the
number he had ordered Kwibeya to give us, besides pombe and plantains without limitation. I
complained that Bombay had been shown more respect than myself, obtaining an immediate admittance
to the king's presence. To this he gave two ready answers - that every distinction shown my subordinate
was a distinction to myself, and that we must not expect court etiquette from savages.
9th. - We set off for the palace. This last march differed but little from the others. Putting Dr K'yengo's
men in front, and going on despite all entreaties to stop, we passed the last bit of jungle, sighted the Kidi
hills, and, in a sea of swampy grass, at last we stood in front of and overlooked the great king's palace,
situated N. lat. 1§ 37' 43", and E. long. 32§ 19' 49", on a low tongue of land between the Kafu and Nile
rivers. It was a dumpy, large hut, surrounded by a host of smaller ones, and the worst royal residence we
had seen since leaving Uzinza. Here Kajunju, coming from behind, overtook us, and breathless with
running, in the most excited manner, abused Dr K'yengo's men for leading us on, and ordered us to stop
until he saw the king, and ascertained the place his majesty wished us to reside in. Recollecting Mtesa's
words that Kamrasi placed his guest on the N'yanza, I declined going to any place but the palace, which I
maintained was my right, and waited for the issue, when Kajunju returned with pombe, and showed us to
a small, dirty set of huts beyond the Kafu river - the trunk of the Mwerango and N'yanza branches which
we crossed in Uganda - and trusted this would do for the present, as better quarters in the palace would
be looked for on the morrow. This was a bad beginning, and caused a few of the usual anathemas in
which our countrymen give vent to their irritation.
Two loads of flowers, neatly packed in long strips of rushpith, were sent for us "to consume at once," as
more would be given on the morrow. To keep us amused, Kidgwiga informed us that Kamrasi and Mtesa
- in fact, all the Wahuma - came originally from a stock of the same tribe dwelling beyond Kidi. All bury
their dead in the same way, under ground; but the kings are toasted first for months till they are like
sun-dried meat, when the lower jaw is cut out and preserved, covered with beads. The royal tombs are
put under the charge of special officers, who occupy huts erected over them. The umbilical cords are
preserved from birth, and, at death, those of men are placed within the door-frame, whilst those of
women are buried without - this last act corresponding, according to Bombay, with the custom of the
Wahiyow. On the death of any of the great officers of state, the finger-bones and hair are also preserved;
or if they have died shaven, as sometimes occurs, a bit of their mbugu dress will be preserved in place of
the hair. Their families guard their tombs.
The story we heard at Karague, about dogs with horns in Unyoro, was confirmed by Kidgwiga, who
positively assured us that he once saw one in the possession of an official person, but it died. The horn
then was stuffed with magic powder, and, whenever an army was ordered for war, it was placed on the
war-track for the soldiers to step over, in the same way as a child is sacrificed to insure victory in
Unyomuezi. Of the Karague story, according to which all the Kidi people sleep in trees, Kidgwiga gave
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