UGANDA AND WEST SIDE OF VICTOBIA NYANZA. 227 
translating it to his wives and chiefs, though many of 
the latter understand the Swahili language as well as 
he does himself.” 
On this day I recorded an interesting event which 
occurred in the morning. Mtesa, about 7 a.m., sallied 
out of his quarters, accompanied by a host of guards, 
pages, standard-bearers, fifers, drummers, chiefs, native 
guests, claimants, &c., and about two hundred women 
of his household, and as he passed by my courtyard, he 
sent one of his pages to request my presence. While 
he passed on, I paid some attention to my toilet, and 
made as presentable an appearance as my 
clothes-bag enabled me, and then, accom- 
panied by two of my boat’s crew as gun- 
bearers, followed the court to the lake. 
Mtesa was seated on an iron stool, the 
centre of a large group of admiring women, 
who, as soon as I appeared, focussed about 
two hundred pairs of lustrous, humid eyes 
on my person, at which he laughed. 
“ You see, ‘ Standee,’ ” said he, “ how 
my women look at you ; they expected to 
see you accompanied by a woman of your 
own colour. I am not jealous though. 
Come and sit down.” 
Presently Mtesa whispered an order to 
a page, who sprang to obey, and respond- 
ing to his summons, there darted into view from 
the bend in Murchison Bay west of Usavara forty 
magnificent canoes, all painted an ochreous brown, 
which I perceived to be the universally favourite 
colour. En passant, I have wondered whether they 
admire this colour from an idea that it resembles the 
dark bronze of their own bodies. For pure Waganda 
are not black by any means. The women and chiefs of 
Mtesa, who may furnish the best specimens of Waganda, 
are nearly all of a bronze or a dark reddish brown, with 
peculiar smooth, soft skins, rendered still more tender 
and velvety to the touch by their habit of shampooing 
with butter. Some of the women, I observed, were of 
Q 2 
ONE-STRINGED 
BANJO. 
