At Buganda's capital, Stanley finds a well-ordered…

At Buganda's capital, Stanley finds a well-ordered town of about forty thousand surrounding the king's palace, which is situated atop a commanding hill.

A wall more than four kilometers in circumference surrounds the palace compound, which is filled with grass-roofed houses, meeting halls, and storage buildings.

At the entrance to the court burns the royal fire (gombolola), which is extinguished only when the kabaka dies.

Thronging the grounds are foreign ambassadors seeking audiences, chiefs going to the royal advisory council, messengers running errands, and a corps of young pages, who serve the kabaka while training to become future chiefs.

For communication across the kingdom, the messengers are supplemented by drum signals.