Photo] RESTING AFTER WASHING. [Rev. F. Aldrieve.
Chapter XIII
Bakula accompanies an Embassy
A title reverts to Satu--He sends Old Plaited-Beard to the King with a present--The embassy arrives at the King’s town--Has an audience in the King’s house--King promises to send a deputy to install Satu--King dines with the white man and sees a magic lantern--Bakula and the white man renew their acquaintance--He sleeps on the mission station and hears all about the King’s household.
Just as Satu’s visit to Tonzeka was drawing to a close, his departure was hastened by the death of a chief who had bought a life interest in a title that belonged to Satu’s family.
It was the custom for a wealthy person to buy of the King the title, we will say, of Tulante, for one slave and five thousand strings of blue pipe beads. If, on his death, his heir is not rich enough to support the title, or for some reason does not want it, he can, with the consent of the King, sell it to another chief for that chief’s lifetime. When this second buyer dies his heir cannot take the title unless he has the permission of the family originally holding it, and for that permission he must pay, and the King cannot confer it without the consent of the said family. In fact, the title reverts to the family that first bought it of the King, and the head of that family can resume it, or pass it on as a life title to any other family. Whenever the title is conferred either on the proper heir to it or on the life buyer of it, the King always receives a large present from the recipient. It is one of the sources of his income. This custom apparently applies only to certain titles of which there can only be one holder at any given time.
The title that belonged to Satu’s family was Katendi,[[40]] and as Satu’s brother was too poor to take the title when it fell to him, he had sold a life interest in it to a more wealthy neighbouring chief.
Satu was now ambitious to resume the title, so he sent an embassy to request the King to confer the title on him, and to commission the proper court officer to act as his delegate. Satu sent as a present to the King twenty pieces of very good cloth containing twelve yards each, three goats, one large pig, and four barrels of gunpowder.[[41]] Old Plaited-Beard, who was a man of importance in our town, was deputed to give the various articles to his majesty, and ten men and lads accompanied him to carry and guard the goods.
After a few days’ journey we arrived at Congo dia Ngunga, which is situated on a broad plateau some 450 feet above the surrounding country. Along one side of the hill winds the Mposo river, on two other sides the hill falls abruptly to wide valleys, and the fourth side undulates gradually down to the town, where we spent our last night on the road and where we “dressed” for our entry into the King’s town.
We arrived about the middle of the morning, and Old Plaited-Beard sent at once to beg for an audience with the King. He replied that we might come in the afternoon, for he undoubtedly heard from the messenger what a fine present we were bringing him.
While we were waiting for the call to the King’s house, the elders of our party rested in a hut belonging to one of the King’s head men, and exchanged the gossip of the country with him; but Bakula paid a visit to his friend the white man, who had a station there, and was very cordially welcomed by him.