THE RECEPTION 99 



carpets. On this elevation sat, or rather lounged, His 

 Majesty, in a half-reclining attitude, his body supported 

 by two large pink satin-covered cushions and his legs 

 tucked on^ one side under him. In the chamber there 

 were some twenty attendants, mostly congregated round 

 the door on the Emperor's right. We were each 

 introduced in turn, and in my case vc.x name had to be 

 repeated twice, as Menelik could not catch it at once. 

 To each of us the Emperor gave his hand and smiled 

 as he half bowed in return to our obeisance. His 

 Majesty does not look his fifty-eight years. His very 

 dark, but by no means black face, pitted with smallpox, 

 is full of strength and shrewdness. His features, quick 

 in altering expression, are lit up with a pleasant smile. 

 Frequently he laughs with great heartiness, displaying 

 a row of even, but not very white teeth. He wears a 

 short greyish beard and whiskers. 



As I sat facing the Emperor, I noted that his head 

 was covered with a piece of white muslin drav^'n tightly 

 over the skull and with many folds on the forehead and 

 at the sides. A fine rose-cut diamond stud in the left 

 ear betokened that elephants had fallen to the royal 

 hand. This, together with a plain gipsy ring on the 

 little finger of the right hand, was the only jewellery 

 he wore. White trousers, a coat of green and yellow 

 striped silk, a black satin cloak with gold braid and 

 lined with pink, completed the Imperial costume. 



After a few words of welcome, he asked us to be 

 seated on the cane chairs which had been placed for us 

 in a semicircle in front of him. Then, as he listened to 

 the interpreter, his eyes moved from one to the other, 



