self like a Neptune in the Nile, whenever his men go on
a visit there, and instead of treating his guests with
respect, he keeps them beyond the river. For this reason
he had himself determined on adopting the passage by
Kidi.
I was anxious, of course, to go on with the subject thus
unexpectedly opened, but, as ill-luck would have it, an
adjutant was espied sitting on a tree, when a terrible fuss
and excitement ensued. The women were ordered one way
and the attendants another, whilst I had to load the gun
in the best way I could with the last charge and a half
left in the king’s pouch. Ten grains were all he would
have allowed himself, reserving the residue, without reflecting
that a large bird required much shot; and he was
shocked to find me lavishly use the whole, and still say it
was not enough.
The bird was then at a great height, so that the first
shot merely tickled him, and drove him to another tree.
“ Woh! woh!” cried the king, “ I am sure he is h it; look
there, look there;” and away he rushed after the bird;
down with one fence, then with another, in the utmost
confusion, everybody trying to keep his proper place, till
at last the tree to which the bird had flown was reached,
and then, with the last charge of shot, the king killed his I
first nundo. The bird, however, did not fall, but lay like I
a spread eagle in the upper branches. Wasoga were called
to climb the tree and pull it down; whilst the king, in
ecstasies of joy and excitement, rushed up and down the *
potato-field like a mad bull, jumping and plunging, waving
and brandishing the gun above his head; whilst the
drums beat, the attendants all woh-wohed, and the
women, joining with their lord, rushed about lullalooing
and dancing like insane creatures. Then began congratulations
and handshakings, and, finally, the inspection
of the bird, which, by this time; the Wasoga had thrown
down. Oh ! o h ! what a wonder! Its wings outspread
reached further than the height of a man; we must go
and show it to the brothers. Even that was not enough
; we must show it to the mother; and away we all
rattled as fast .as our legs could carry us.
Arrived at the queen’s palace, out of respect to his
mother, the king changed his European clothes for a white
kid-skin wrapper, and then walked in to see her, leaving
us waiting outside. By this time Colonel Congow, in his
full-dress uniform, had arrived in the square outside, with
his regiment drawn up in review order. The king, hearing
the announcement, at once came out with spears and
shield, preceded by the bird, and took post, standing
armed, by the entrance, encircled by his staff, all squatting,
when the adjutant was placed in the middle of the
company. Before us was a large open square, with the
huts of the queen’s Kamraviona or commander-in-chief
beyond. The battalion, consisting of what might be
termed three companies, each containing 200 men, being
drawn up on the left extremity of the parade-ground, received
orders to march past in single file from the right
of companies, at a long trot, and re-form again at the
other end of the square.
Nothing conceivable could be more wild or fantastic
than the sight which ensued—the men all nearly naked,
with goat or cat skins depending from their girdles, and
smeared with war colours according to the taste of each
individual; one-half of the body red or black, the other
blue, not in regular order—as, for instance, one stocking
would be red, the other black, whilst the breeches above
would be the opposite colours, and so with the sleeves and
waistcoat. Every man carried the same arms—two spears
and one shield—held as if approaching an enemy, and they
thus moved in three lines of single rank and file, at fifteen
to twenty paces asunder, with the same high action and
elongated step, the ground leg only being bent, to give
their strides the greater force. After the men had all