Soon after, however, N'yamgundu also returned to say the queen would not take the dose to-day, but hoped I would administer it personally in the morning.
Whilst all this vexations business had been going on in court--evidently dictated 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'yamgundu now got orders to go to Karague overland for Dr K'yengo; but, dreading to tell me of it, as I had been so kind to him, he forged a falsehood, said he had leave to visit his home for six days, and begged for a wire to sacrifice to his church.

I gave him what he wanted, and away he went.