Chap. XV.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 123 



The expression of the despot's features, though 

 singularly cunning, wily, and suspicious, is not 

 altogether disagreeable. His figure is rather tall, 

 well turned, and active, but through neglect of 

 exercise, leaning to corpulency. Of dignified and 

 reserved manners, the searching quickness of his 

 eye, the point of his questions, and the extreme 

 caution of his replies, stamp him at once as a man 

 capable of ruling the wild and sanguinary spirits bv 

 which he is surrounded. He appeared about forty 

 years of age, but being totally beardless, it was 

 difficult to form a correct estimate of the years he 

 had numbered. The elliptical ring on his closely 

 shorn scalp was decorated with three green feathers 

 from the tail of the paroquet, placed horizontally, 

 two behind and one in front. A single strings of 

 small blue beads encircled his neck ; a bunch of 

 twisted sinews encompassed his left ankle, and the 

 usual girdle dangling before and behind with 

 leopards' tails completed his costume. 



The interpreters, three in number, were ranged 

 in front. After a long interval of silence, during 

 which the chieftain's eyes were far from inactive, 

 he opened the conversation by saying he rejoiced 

 we had come to bring him news from his friends 

 the white people. Mohanycom put this speech 

 into Sichuana, Baba translated it into Dutch, and 

 Andries endeavoured to render the meaning intelli- 

 gible in English. To this we replied, that having 

 heard of the king's fame in a distant land, we had 

 come three moons across the great water to see 



G2 



