The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-26
They Are the Tomb of a King and a
 Christian Cathedral


breasts, but leaving the arms, shoulders | and necks perfectly bare. They were | bare-footed and bare-headed and with two exceptions their heads were shaved close to the scalp. Some of the younger women were fairly good looking, but all were dark brown or black and of negro features. By the aid of my guide I was able to get a number of them outside in the sun, and by paying little money had them pose for a photograph. The widows have been so long in darkness that their eyes were almost blinded by the light, and it was only after a number of trials that I good good picture.
 These women were all wives of King Mutesa, and upon his death, by custom, they took their places about his coffin to guard his body for the rest of their nat ural lives. They have an allowance from the native government, and receive so much food and drink every day. I under stand that there are a score or more of similar tombs in the country about, each containing the body of a king who reigned long ago and each guarded by widows who are thus doomed to a living death I spent some time around the tomb. The women were interested in me for a whe and then went back to their seats in the gloom. Here one sat and rocked to and fro; there another crawled over the grass
 
 over. a third stretched herself out and slept A sadder sight have never seen Every woman seemed petrified figure of despair, and the whole recalled Dante s inscription over the gates of hell-"All hope abandon ye who enter here!''
 How They Bury Kings In Uganda.
 l have learned of the funeral of King Mutesa from the missionaries. It was a4,.
 sors. There were no human sacrifices ar his death and he was buried vita his under jaw intact In the past the under jaw of dead king was cut off and laid to one side The body in the meantime had been wrapped in bark cloth by the prince who was to succeed him, and the prince. the official executioner and the keeper of the kings tomb carried the body to this region where Mutesa lies Here the executioner cut off the jaw and laid 1t carefully away in a wooden bowl After that the grass tent-like tomb was built, and earth banked up around 1t to prevent the surface water flowing In. Then the body, minus the jaw, wrapped in bark cloth, was laid on a bedstead in the center of the tent and the door was closed. Immediately following this came the sacrifices. Three of the kings chiefs and three high-class women of the same rank were seized and slaughtered in front of the door, and their bodies were left there to be devoured by the vultures The three men who were killed were usually the kings cook, the man who had charge of his beer mugs and the boss of his cowboys. After this the jaw was placed in hut built nearby and chief was made guardian of it. Another chief became guardian of the tomb itself, and he and the widows took up their resi- dence in 1t to watch over it.
 Stories of King Mutesa.
 When King Mutesa died he ordered that the human sacrifices be done away with and so his cook beer man and chief mained and they are still on the job. This was so, although King Mutesa had some years previously killed 2O00 innocent men, women and children in one day to celebrate tomb which he built in honor of his father. Had it not been for the work of the missionaries his own death would probably have been accompanied by similar slaughter The present king of Uganda, whom I have described in a previous letter, is a grandson of old Mu- tesa. He was baptized a Christian and was then given the Bible name of David. which is here spelled Daudi. This boy king has Christian tutor and his prime minister, Apollo KatilSiro. is a Christian who as a boy, was tortured for his re- ligion.
 I have heard many stories about old Mutesa since I came to Uganda He was a mighty monarch and was gov erning a million or so people at the time Stanley came. He held his court