Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-04-25
Special Correspondence.

" II which mark the changes now
going on IN Uganda, One is
the tomb of the tyrant Muiesa, who
was ruling these millions of semi-civil-
lied natives when our Stanley came.
1t is guarded by score or more of
his bald-headed widows who are fated
to wetch his coffin to the day of their
death. The other Is the mighty matched
cathedral of Namirembe, put up by the
natives, that forms the center of the
modern Christian movement that has
converted this nation. II Is the largest
church on the African continent and
thousands of negroes are worshiping
in It.
THE TOMB OF KING MUTESA.
But como with me first to take look
at the tomb 1t lies here a few miles
from the Victoria Nyanza, on a great
hin opposite Kampala. and Is like no
other tomb upon earth / have visited
the graves of the Pharaohs. The great
est of them were Gagged up in the
Pyramids, and II Is only within recent
years that they have been brought
forth to light Others were laid away
I'm caves dug out OF the mountains far
up the Nile valley; but for ages they
were covered by sand and rock, have
wandered among the tombs of the Ming
emperors near Marking, and below the
great wall in central and north China.
They are guarded by giants, ele-
plants, camels and lions cut out of
stone. | have also seen the Tai Mahal
at Agra, India, that structure of mar
bic whose dome floats like vast bub-
bic In the blue sky. 1t Is the most
beautiful monument ever erected, and
was put up by a Mohammedan sultan
out OF his love for his wife. Among
the other great tombs of the world are
the enormous structure in Java known
rs the Boro BeodOer. near which stands
the famed stone goddess of the beautiful
hips; the wouderful decorated temples
mt Toxic. Japan. in which lie the Sho-
guns. and the Hotel dos InNalides in
Paris, whore Napoleon Bonaparte rests
In a sar0bhagus or reddish brown gran
lite guarded by the twelve apostles
whose figures look down from the dome
overhead.
This tomb Of Mutcsa is like none Of
these, and yet in many respects 1t is
more alive and more wonderful. II con-
sists of 4 hut shaped like a hay stack
and as big as the main tent of a cir
Gus. 1t Is as high as a four-story
house, and fully 100 feet in oiroumfer-
cnce. II Is great tent Of thatch sewed
to a teamwork of reeds and upheld by
hundreds of poles The reeds are tied
up in bundles, and are woven In and
out as intriCAtely as the finest of bas-
ket work. In some places they look
like mosiaics. They were originally
white, bat the smoke which arises from
the perpetual fires within has turned
them a. black as the skins Of the Mu-
tesas widows for whom tho tomb forms
a home.
The llpor OF the tomb is covered
with grass cut for the purpose, and
spread thiCklv over It, The poles
which, Si.pnort tho roof arc so arranc.
cd that there Is a wide pathway
through the center ana right in The
middle under the tip of the cone, lies
the coffin, II is guarded by spears
tiyed upright on each Side Of ii. There
arc shields of copper and brass in
front and at the back are huge cur
tains of bark cloth, the same material
Y hich forms tho clothing of the kings
widows.
PHcTOGRAPHING The QUEENS.
Accompanied by my guide and
single native soldier / made N" way
into the tomb Al first II seemed a.
dark AS night, but as my eyes grew
used Ia he gloom / could see about
me. SGUpttcd around The coffin and
seated here and there on the grass in
different PARTS OF the hat We're women
OF various ages ranging from 81 up-
ward. All had blankets Of bark cloth
wrapped about their bodies. covering
thoir' breasts, but leaving the arms,
shoulders and neCks perfectly bare
They were harefooted and burcheaded,
and with two exceptions their heads
were shaved close To the scalp. Some
of tho younger women were fairly
good looking, but all We're dark brown
or black and of negro features, BY
the ala of my guide ] was able 10 got
a number of them outside In the sun,