ered by gravelling on the ground, floundering about
and whining after the manner of happy dogs, after which they rise
up suddenly, take up sticks--spears are not allowed to be carried in
court--make as if charging the king, jabbering as fast as tongues can
rattle, and so they swear fidelity for all their lives.

This is the greater salutation; the lesser one is performed kneeling
in an attitude of prayer, continually throwing open the hands, and
repeating sundry words. Among them the word "n'yanzig" is the most
frequent and conspicuous; and hence these gesticulations receive the
general designation n'yanzig--a term which will be frequently met with,
and which I have found it necessary to use like an English verb. In
consequence of these salutations, there is more ceremony in court
than business, though the king, ever having an eye to his treasury,
continually finds some trifling fault, condemns the head of the culprit,
takes his liquidation-present, if he has anything to pay, and thus keeps
up his revenue.

No one dare stand before the king whilst he is either standing still or
sitting, but must approach him with downcast eyes and bended knees, and
kneel or sit when arrived. To touch the king's throne or clothes, even
by accident, or to look upon his women is certain death. When sitting
in court holding a levee, the king invariably has in attendance several
women, Wabandwa, evil-eye averters or sorcerers. They talk in feigned
voices raised to a shrillness almost amounting to a scream. They wear
dried lizards on their heads, small goat-skin aprons trimmed with little
bells, diminutive shields and spears set off with cock-hackles--their
functions in attendance being to administer cups of marwa (plantain
wine). To complete the picture of the court, one must imagine a crowd of
pages to run royal messages; they dare not walk for such deficiency in
zeal to their master might cost their life. A further feature of the
court consists in the national symbols already referred to--a dog, two
spears, and shield.

With the company squatting in large half-circle or three sides of a
square many deep before him, in the hollow of which are drummers and
other musicians, the king, sitting on his throne in high dignity, issues
his orders for the day much to the following effect:--"Cattle, women,
and children are short in Uganda; an army must be formed of one to two
thousand strong, to plunder Unyoro. The Wasoga have been insulting his
su