308 THE GREAT JOURNEY FROM SEA TO SEA. 



the deceased monarch's favorite women, who were prohibited even 

 from seeing his successor. 



After Kimera's death, the people proceeded to choose a king 

 from among his many children, called "Warrangira," or princess. 

 The king-elect was very young, and was separated from the others 

 who VvXre placed in a suite of huts under charge of a keeper. As 

 soon as the young prince reached years of discretion, he was publicly 

 made king, and at the same time all his brothers except two were 

 burned to death. The two were allowed to live in case the nevv 

 king should die before he had any sons, and also as companions for 

 him. As soon as the line of direct succession was secured, one of 

 the brothers was banished into Unyoro, and the other allowed to 

 live in Uganda. 



A VERY POWERFUL KINGDOM. 



When Stanley saw Altesa he was an elderly man, but when 

 Captains Speke and Grant arrived in Uganda, he was about twenty- 

 five years of age, and, although he had not been formally received 

 as king, wielded a power as supreme as if he had passed through 

 this ceremony. He was wise enough to keep up the system which 

 had been bequeathed to him by his ancestors, and the Uganda king- 

 dom was even more pow^erful in his time than it had been in the 

 days of Kimera, A close acquaintance proved that his personal 

 character was not a pleasant one, as indeed was likely when it is 

 remembered that he has possessed illimitable power ever since he 

 w^as quite a boy, and in consequence had never known contradiction. 



He was a very line-looking young man, and possessed in per- 

 fection the love of dress, which is so notable a feature in the char- 

 acter of the Waganda, They are so fastidious in this respect, that 

 for a man to appear untidily dressed before his superiors w^ould 

 entail severe punishment, while, if he dared to present himself before 

 the king with the least disorder of apparel, immediate death would 

 be the result. Even the royal pages, who rush about at full speed 

 when performing their commissions, are obliged to hold their skin 

 cloaks tightly round them lest any portion of a naked limb should 

 present itself to the royal glance. 



