there might be something of interest to see, I promised
to visit her.
Next morning, according to promise, I went to her
village, which was only a' few hundred yards from the
camp. The country was undulating and- covered with
high grass ; owing to this and the exceeding lowness
of the huts of Her Majesty’s village, the place was
hardly visible a hundred yards away. It was surrounded
by a high palisade ; we had to climb over a barrier
of trunks of trees to pass this, and then found ourselves
in a large well-leyebed courtyard, in which were three
huts. Two on the right belonged to the Maholi or slaves ;
that on the left was the royal hut, rather higher than
thè others, and adorned with ox-horns. The Queen was
seated on a mat in front of the door, with an enormous
gourd of beer at her side. Imbolo—such was her name
—was of a remarkable type. An enormous woman, nearly
six feet high, and with the build of a blacksmith; her
breasts hung down below her waist, while her enormous
stomach drooped down like an apron. Her only garment
was a petticoat of ox-skin, which is the official costume
of queens. Before her, at a respectful distance, squatted
some twenty natives, while Maholi women went to and
fro in the courtyard. On my appearance they brought
me a mat to sit down on, and placed at my side a pot
containing several pints of beer. The Queen then pro-,
ceeded to examine all my belongings, being especially
interested in my revolver and my watch. The interpreter
explained to her that the latter moved with the sun, and
that with its aid I could tell where the sun and moon
were without seeing them. This she found very extraordinary.
■ She then noticed my Japanese tattoo marks ;
a dragon appeared to her a new and very engaging beast,
but she was rather troubled by the fear that it went when
I washed. Her next question was whether my country
was very far away. I explained how many moons it
would take to march thither going northward. She replied
I7O
with decision that this was a lie, because all white men
came from the south. Was I married? was her next
inquiry; but here she was interrupted by one of the bystanders.
“ Come, come,’’ he said, “ he is too young for
that.” The whole party burst into roars of laughter when
I blew my nose. After a desultory conversation of this
rather unprofitable kind, I said I must go; but Her
Majesty’s hospitality cried out against -the idea. I must
wait till the sun went down, she said ; then she would kill
a beast and we would eat meat—the summum bonum of
the native mind. I was firm; but before departing got
them to show me the whole place. The Queen’s hut,
of which I have already spoken, was low, the door
hardly two feet high by three wide. I wondered how this
enormous woman could ever manage to get through it.
The ground inside was polished like a waxed floor. For
such floors they use a sort of cement they get from anthills.
This is kneaded into mortar and then polished by
rubbing with a stone. On the threshold a row of small
stones is embedded in the cement. The walls of the hut
are made of mud. Behind the royal hut was another
enclosure almost as important—the ox-kraal. In the
middle of this were planted four poles about twelve
feet high, on the top of which stood a little square hut.
Here were kept the shields of the warriors ; they were
the property of the King, and the Queen was their
guardian.
Before bidding adieu to Her Majesty I again presented
17 1