ation, was out of the question; for no one dared
speak for me, and I could not talk myself; so we sat and grinned, till
in a few minutes the queen, full of smirks and smiles, joined us, and
sat on a mbugu. I offered the medicine-chest as a seat, but she dared
not take it; in fact, by the constitution of Uganda, no one, however
high in rank, not even his mother, can sit before the king. After sundry
jokes, whilst we were all bursting with laughter at the theatrical
phenomenon, the Wakungu who were present, some twenty in number,
threw themselves in line upon their bellies, and wriggling like fish,
n'yanzigged, n'goned, and demaned, and uttered other wonderful words
of rejoining--as, for instance, "Hai Minange! Hai Mkama wangi!" (O my
chief! O my king!)--whilst they continued floundering, kicking about
their legs, rubbing their faces, and patting their hands upon the
ground, as if the king had performed some act of extraordinary
munificence by showing himself to them in that strange and new
position--a thing quite enough to date a new Uganda era from.

The king, without deigning to look upon his grovelling subjects, said,
"Now, mother, take your medicine"; for he had been called solemnly to
witness the medical treatment she was undergoing at my hands. When
she had swallowed her quinine with a wry face, two very black virgins
appeared on the stage holding up the double red blanket I had given the
queen; for nothing, however trifling, can be kept secret from the king.
The whole court was in raptures. The king signified his approval by
holding his mouth, putting his head on one side, and looking askance
at it. The queen looked at me, then at the blanket and her son in turn;
whilst my men hung down their heads, fearful lest they should be accused
of looking at the ladies of the court; and the Wakungu n'yanzigged
again, as if they could not contain the gratification they felt at the
favour shown them. Nobody had ever brought such wonderful things to
Uganda before, and all loved Bana.

Till now I had expected to vent my wrath on both together for all past
grievances, but this childish, merry, homely scene--the mother holding
up her pride, her son, before the state officers--melted my heart at
once. I laughed as well as they did, and said it pleased me excessively
to see them both so happy together. It was well the king had broken
through the old-fashioned laws of Uganda, by sitting on an iron chair,
and adopting European dress