WOMEN SENT TO EXECUTION. 
223 
nails to his hands and feet ; the instep of the latter 
was, as in most of the Waganda, highly arched, 
indicating a well-moulded sinewy leg. His bark- 
cloth " toga " had not a speck upon it, and was neatly 
knotted over the right shoulder, concealing his whole 
body. His ornaments of beads were made with great 
taste in the choice of colours ; the most minute beads 
of white, blue, and brown were made into rings and 
rosettes, which he wore round his neck and arms. 
Each finger had upon it a ring of brass ; on the third 
finger of the left hand he wore a gold ring, given him 
by Speke ; with these he played while sitting at his 
levees, occasionally receiving a golden-coloured gourd- 
cup of wine from a maid of honour sitting by his 
side ; after each sip, a napkin of bark-cloth was used 
by him to wipe his mouth. The only unseemly vul- 
garity he was guilty of while on his throne was to use 
his napkin to rub away the perspiration from his per- 
son. On leaving the court, and getting outside the 
last gate of the palace, a woman's screams made us 
look back ; a cord was tied round her wrist, and a 
man dragged her, almost naked, down the hill to 
be executed ; she screamed " N'yawoh ! n'yawoh ! " 
(Mother! mother!) in the most bitter anguish. A 
second, similarly tied, followed slowly, but not utter- 
ing a sound. A shudder of horror crept over me. 
Had we been the cause of this calamity ? and could 
the young prince with whom we had conversed so 
pleasantly have had the heart to order the poor 
women to be put to death ? 
The road to our hut was crowded by files of men 
dressed as " Neptunes," in tattered leaves of plantain, 
their limbs coloured with ashes and vermilion, and 
