BEAUTIFUL UGANDA 
131 
“The better for the honor you have done me,” is the ceremonious 
reply. 
“The honor is mine and I shall treasure it.” 
By this time they have passed each other, and their expressions 
of polite good-will die away as they go on. Of course the dialogue 
may be greatly varied, but the above will suffice for an example. 
Happiness is easily conferred on a Baganda. Simply say to a 
native, “Way wally” (“splendidly well done”), likely enough he will 
fall upon his knees, clasp his hands together and sway them from 
side to side, while his face beams with the gladdest of smiles, and he 
purrs forth his delight as if to say, “You have filled to overflowing 
my cup of joy.” 
Yet we must not take this as indicating servility. It is simply 
the Baganda idea of good manners. The people are not wanting in 
self-respect, and while yielding to the constituted authorities, do so 
without loss of dignity. Yet it adds an idea of a new type to our con¬ 
ceptions of the native African to find a nation of blacks with exagger¬ 
ated forms of greeting similar to those prevailing in China and Japan. 
And they do not end with verbal signs of good-will, but are 
kindly in nature and extremely hospitable. Sir Harry Johnstone tells 
us that when he traversed their kingdom, he would be met by hun¬ 
dreds of people, sent by the local chiefs, and each bearing a bunch of 
bananas. In some instances cows, goats or sheep would be sent. They 
would go so far as to send spies into his camp to find out his tastes. 
In this way they learned that he was very fond of tea between five 
and six o’clock in the afternoon. Then, judging from his time of 
starting what point he would reach at this hour, a resting place would 
be prepared near the road, a table set, and a clean cloth spread on it. 
At the proper time the kettle would be set boiling, and when he ap¬ 
peared near by the tea would be poured out and handed to him in a 
shady arbor. 
In his opinion the Bahima—-the aristocracy of Western Uganda 
—may be descended from the people of ancient Egypt or bear some 
affinity to them. Though black in complexion and with negro hair, 
their profile is of the Caucasian type, and the indication is that a, people 
of Hamitic race gradually made their way southward, infused their 
