ted by extreme jealousy because I showed, as they all thought, a
preference for the queen--Maula, more than tipsy, brought a Mkungu of
some standing at court before me, contrary to all law--for as yet no
Mganda, save the king's pages, had ever dared enter even the precincts
of my camp. With a scowling, determined, hang-dog-looking countenance,
he walked impudently into my hut, and taking down the pombe-suckers the
queen had given me, showed them with many queer gesticulations, intended
to insinuate there was something between the queen and me. Among his
jokes were, that I must never drink pombe excepting with these sticks;
if I wanted any when I leave Uganda, to show my friends, she would give
me twenty more sticks of that sort if I liked them; and, turning from
verbal to practical jocularity, the dirty fellow took my common sucker
out of the pot, inserted one of the queen's, and sucked at it himself,
when I snatched and threw it away.

Maula's friend, who, I imagined, was a spy, then asked me whom I liked
most--the mother or the son; but, without waiting to hear me, Maula
hastily said, "The mother, the mother of course! he does not care for
Mtesa, and won't go to see him." The friend coaxingly responded, "Oh
no; he likes Mtesa, and will go and see him too; won't you?" I declined,
however, to answer from fear of mistake, as both interpreters were away.
Still the two went on talking to themselves, Maula swearing that I
loved the mother most, whilst the friend said, No, he loves the son, and
asking me with anxious looks, till they found I was not to be caught by
chaff, and then, both tired, walked away--the friend advising me, next
time I went to court, to put on an Arab's gown, as trousers are indecent
in the estimation of every Mganda.

5th.--Alarmed at having got involved in something that looked like court
intrigues, I called up N'yamgundu; told him all that happened yesterday,
both at the two courts and with Maula at home; and begged him to apply
to the king for a meeting of five elders, that a proper understanding
might be arrived at; but instead of doing as I desired, he got into a
terrible fright, calling Maula, and told me if I pressed the matter in
this way men would lose their lives. Meanwhile the cunning blackguard
Maula begged for pardon; said I quite misunderstood his meaning; all he
had said was that I was very fortunate, being in such favour at court,
for the king and queen both equally loved me.

N'yamg