VISIT TO MTESA. 739 



" April 18. 

 " This morning I visited Mtesa. Audience was given me in private 

 within one of the side huts of the royal enceinte. I had brought with me a 

 pair of shoes, for which the king had particularly begged; it was the only 

 spare pair I possessed, and I presented them with concealed regret. A distin- 

 guished deputation arrived while I was there. It was composed of Wagan- 

 das, who had been brought up along with His Majesty, in number about two hun- 

 dred. These personages drew themselves together in line before the king's 

 hut, each bearing a bundle of dry reeds, which he rattled while uttering noisy 

 compliments. Their leader, armed with two spears and a shield, ran up and 

 down the line meantime ; capering and flying hither and thither amid the 

 most grotesque gambadoes. This exercise lasted a quarter of an hour, after 

 which the entire company prostrated themselves flat on their bellies, and vio- 

 lently ' nyanzigged.' Then the chief performer, trailing himself along upon 

 his abdomen like a reptile, humbly entered the hut, and approached to kiss 

 the feet of the king ; after which he made a dumb-show of devoted valour by 

 wildly advancing and retiring, attacking and defending, as if in deadly com- 

 bat. These signs of loyalty, it is true, looked wonderfully like an impending 

 assault upon His Majesty, but such is the fashion ; and when the troop had 

 gone through the same movements, it withdrew precipitately. 



" A man was next introduced into the presence, who led a magnificent 

 leopard, a cord being attached to the neck of the creature. He halted in 

 front of Mtesa, and went through various exercises common to beast-tamers. 

 The leopard was, in truth, wonderfully trained ; but I told the king that our 

 lion-tamers go boldly into the dens containing wild beasts, quite loose, and 

 then and there put them through all kinds of tricks. This seemed greatly to 

 astonish him, for he had counted apparently upon quite surprising me by 

 the sight of this tamed leopard. In the course of the audience the sister of 

 Mtesa made her appearance. She had arranged for a special interview, in 

 order to study at leisure the white man, and for this purpose took up a re- 

 cumbent position at the feet of His Majesty. Mtesa asked me, among other 

 things, if he could have a house of stone built for his use in Uganda. Now, 

 the Uganda stone will not do for building, as I replied ; but I explained to 

 him the nature of mason's work, and all about lime and mortar. I told him 

 that bme might be had from the innumerable shells which cover the soil, and 

 that he could have a brick palace built. Upon that the dialogue thus con- 

 tinued : — ' How long would it take to make me such a residence ?' — ' Ten or 

 twelve months.' ' But, if I give you plenty of people, could you not build 

 me one in a single month ?' — ' No, king ! You can make a boat in a month, 

 yet, if you were to set going ever so many workmen, could you finish it off 

 in one hour ?' — ' No ! I could not.' ' It is the same, then, with a house.' I 

 then claimed from Mtesa the ' Khotarias ' of Abou Bekr, who ran away ; for 



