XXV.] 



COIMBRA AN UNMITIGATED RUFFIAN. 



325 



kinky, and his almost beardless face, where not covered with 

 tilth, was of a dirty yellow color. Even had he not been always 

 in a half-drunken state, his blood-shot eye would have told the 

 tale of debauchery. In short, he was, true to his appearance, an 

 unmitigated ruffian. 



Alvez, his employer, was not behind in begging for small 

 things, besides the promised rifle, which he said he particularly 



January, 

 1875. 



wanted to get possession of at once, in order to j)rove the ex- 

 istence of the agreement between ns. After constant appeals 

 made on this ground, I allowed him to have it, hoping that he 

 might be induced to settle quickly with Kasongo, and start 

 away without further delay when he saw I was inclined to treat 

 him generously. 



Kasongo's arrival was not the signal for our speedy depart- 

 ure, as I had hoped. After seeing me and my wonders, he be- 

 gan Ijegging for all I possessed — my own guns, hat, boots, pis- 

 tols, books — in fact, every thing new to him he fancied and 

 asked for, and was so very persistent and difficult a beggar to 



