Chap. XVI.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 135 



ivory. The king did wish this very particularly, 

 and the beads were accordingly given, the tusk 

 being, howevei*, left on the ground, to give to the 

 transaction the colour of an equitable exchange. 



We very justly took credit to ourselves for the 

 way in which we had brought this affair to so 

 amicable a conclusion. It was now evident that 

 Moselekatse, as we suspected, had been privy to 

 the whole transaction, and had availed himself of 

 this pitiful stratagem to gratify his insatiate appetite 

 for beads, and, if possible, to ascertain the extent of 

 our resources. The villain Andries was clearly in 

 the king's confidence, and had doubtless given him 

 all the information in his power ; and it is more than 

 probable that the realization of half a dozen bunches 

 of beads, by this paltry contemptible scheme, had 

 afforded his Majesty infinitely greater gratification 

 than he had been capable of deriving from the re- 

 ceipt of our liberal, and in his judgment, no doubt, 

 princely presents. 



But we had soon an opportunity of turning this 

 greediness to account, and dealing with the king in 

 his own fashion. In order to avoid creating suspi- 

 cion as to the object of our desired return by the 

 Vaal River, we lost no opportunity of impressing 

 upon him that our leave was limited, that we were 

 not colonial subjects, but that we had come in a 

 ship from a far country of which the Parsee was a 

 native. His Majesty frequently expressed amuse- 

 ment at his dress, remarking that he was a fine 

 fellow to come so great a distance, and must not 



