Missions -- Uganda; Negrillos; Uganda -- Description and travel
The old custom of the men and women feeding apart has disappeared in the
King’s household, and every evening Kasagama and Damali dine together.
The menu never varies from one year’s end to another. Each day the King
has his own particular cut from the goat, namely, the chops and cutlets,
and the Queen has a leg. They generally manage to finish their joints,
besides the quantities of boiled plantains and various native vegetables
served up with the meat.
Kasagama has recently developed distinct sporting inclinations, and
although it cannot be said that he has made his name, certain it is he
has made his mark at them. Tennis was the first pastime he indulged in.
One court was enough to allure anyone! A space was thoroughly cleared
of vegetation in the mission compound and beaten by foot in place of a
roller; two posts were firmly planted in the ground, a rope stretched
across and strips of banana pith knotted on to it, hanging down like
kippers put out to dry. The King was rather too powerful with his
racquets; scouts had to be posted like fielders at cricket. Seeing the
ball coming he made a desperate plunge toward it and either missed it
altogether or slogged it as if intended for Ruwenzori’s snows. So he
gave that up for football; the dimensions of the ball I suppose appealed
to him as being more adapted to his size. He is now a great player; his
grief is that he has never experienced the excitement of a scrimmage, as
the men are afraid of hustling their King; the only member of the team
who apparently does not mind doing so is Blasiyo, the pigmy! Another
reason is that there is little chance of getting too close, as he is
followed about the field by one attendant who holds an umbrella over his
head and another man careers about with a chair, so that His Majesty can
rest when the ball goes in an opposite direction of the field to where he
happens to be.
In all Church work, Kasagama has been a leader and example to his people.
Almost daily, at 8 a.m. as the people gather from all directions for
Bible Classes or school teaching, a procession may be seen slowly issuing
out from the reed enclosure that surrounds the royal palace. With a large
company of retainers and an armed bodyguard at the front and rear, on his
bay steed rides the King, a fine majestic figure, 28 years of age, and
6ft. 3in. in height. The Katikiro and other important Chiefs, with their
attendants, if they have not already started, come out from their houses
on their side of the King’s hill, and fall in behind His Majesty. They
are bent on no Ministerial business, but if you were to ask the King,
he would say “to learn wisdom from God, for how can I rightly rule my
country without having first received that.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account