That was the first half of the day’s proceedings. The second half started at seven, when the dinner came off. The table was decked out with a table centre of red geraniums, white balsams, and cornflowers, the serviettes were folded as crowns, and the first course consisted of crown-shaped patties covered with the yoke of eggs, and studded with the white to represent crown jewels! King Kasagama and Queen Damali, dressed in draperies of silk and white linen, arrived with the other native guests, who had hung about the outside courtyard so as to avoid being the first arrivals. It was marvellous how easily and quietly our native guests manipulated the European table equipments; half concealed glances were cast in our direction every now and again. The serviettes rather puzzled them—were they to be left on the table or used as handkerchiefs? When the plum pudding came in, all ablaze, with a little British flag stuck at the top, three hearty cheers greeted it, the King joining in with boisterous glee. On the table there were three dishes of strawberries, the first we had been able to produce in Toro, and we were keen on introducing them into the country generally. Preparing a plateful with sugar and cream, I respectfully begged his Majesty to try a real English luxury. He glanced timidly at them, and showed the usual disinclination that is always evinced when given a new English dish to sample. He assured me that he was so satisfied that anything more was impossible, but, passing the plate to the Katikiro, told him to try it. The poor man, looking the picture of misery, begged to be excused, so it fell to the lot of the unfortunate chief minister to submit himself to the task. With a pitifully resigned expression he took one strawberry on a spoon, then another, and another, till he called out “Excellent, excellent, the best of all.” Forgetting his recent excuse, the King took the dish near at hand, and simply finished off the whole lot! The day following requests came from one and another for strawberry roots, and King Daudi superintended the Queen as she herself planted them in a plot outside the sitting-room window of his Majesty’s new house.