wefe not. He, indeed, had, some years before, made a journey to the
Kruman at the time when the Bachapins were residing in a town on
that river; but to all the others, this country and its inhabitants,
were not less new, than they were to myself.
The buildings were nowhere ranged in the form of streets, nor
placed according to any regular plan ; but were scattered about, in
some places far apart, and in others standing so closely together, as
pot to admit a passage for my waggons between them.*
I had desired Muchunka to conduct us at once to the dwelling
of the Chief. As we proceeded towards the middle of the town and
the waggons drove past their dwellings, the families ran out to get a
sight of us ; the women half-astonished, the children half-afraid: but
the men immediately quitted their employment and added themselves
to the countless crowd by which we were already surrounded,
and almost impeded. Yet, they conducted themselves without the
least disorderly behaviour or boisterous noise: nor did they, though
naturally roost importunate beggars of tobacco, attempt at this time
to interrupt our progress by any solicitations of the kind. One man
who was walking by the side of the waggon, once, as he looked up in
my face, pronounced the word mucMko (tobacco); but no others,
followed his example as I took no notice of it, being fearful, from the
experience I had already gained, that had I complied with his request,
the whole crowd would soon have been in an uproar; and the only
word to have been distinguished, would have been, muchuko.
At length we arrived before Mattim's house: it differed in no
respect from other houses, nor did its appearance exhibit the least
superiority, or indicate it to be the dwelling of the Chief of so large
a town, and the ruler of a whole tribe.
I waited a minute, expecting that the Chief himself, or some
* Th e jjfth plate will give some idea of. the appearance of the town of Litakun, on
entering it .from the west, and looking northward. The various objects seen in this view,
wjll be found fully explained in the two last chapters of this volume. On the left, is.
represented a man carrying a parasol made of ostrich-feathers; and in the middle of the
picture, are the figures of two women and a child. The large trees are mokaalas, or
camelthoms.