GLUTTONY AT THE MANSION HOUSE. 255 



abundant, and well it might be so, for the grass was 

 short, crisp, and green, while water was in great 

 abundance. 



My people kept it up all night, as the new moon 

 made her first appearance, and they had an abund- 

 ance of their favourite food — zebra flesh. A little 

 of this meat goes a long way with me, in fact I do 

 not think that it would break my heart if I never 

 tasted it again ; but a black " brother " considers it 

 fit for princes, and proves his belief by getting out- 

 side of so much of it at a sitting, that I have often 

 wondered where space was found to stow it away. 

 The native population, with few exceptions, are not 

 given to great corpulence ; thus, eating five or six 

 pounds of half-cooked flesh at a sitting, to say the 

 least, is likely to provoke astonishment. A city 

 father I sat opposite to on one occasion at the 

 Mansion House performed, I am certain, a greater 

 feat ; but then, his girthage being taken into con- 

 sideration, I did not think the performance very 

 wonderful, especially as several others in his vicinity 

 at table were making a good race for championship 

 of the " veteran food destroyer " stakes. 



A quiet night passed, as far as prowling visitors 

 were concerned, although I strongly suspect there 

 were some of these gentry in the vicinity, as that 

 pretty nocturnal plover called the "blacksmith" — 

 from the metallic ring of its voice — kept constantly 

 uttering notes of alarm, a certain indication that 



