414 



ACROSS AFRICA. 



[Chap. 



Kongo's throne. 



Among 



this 



chair which served as King 

 group my seat was j)laced. 



Kongo then entered, dressed in a much faded and dilapidated 

 uniform, with a huge battered cocked hat on his head ; and be- 

 ing very aged, and much under the influence of drink, he had 

 to be helped along and placed upon his throne. I advanced 

 and shook hands with him, but doubt very much whether he 

 had a clear conception of who his visitor might be. 



Some officials commenced a conversation with me, remarking 

 that every thing they said was to be understood as the king's 

 own words ; but he had really very little voice in the matter. 

 As usual, they asserted that Kongo was the greatest chief in 

 the world. Taking me to a gap in the palisade, they pointed 

 to the surrounding country as being under his rule, and showed 

 me the position of several villages scattered about in the plain 

 that lay at our feet, as being those that supplied the inhabitants 

 of Kambala with food. The gun was then presented in due 

 form, and we took our leave. 



On returning to my hut, I passed a party of women j)oundiug 

 corn. They did not use pestles and mortars, as elsewhere, but 

 pounded the grain on the polished surface of a granite rock, 

 kneeling to their work, and using small mallets formed of a 

 piece of hard curved wood. 



When we reached our quarters, the prime minister's wife 



POUNDING OOBN AT KAMBALA. 



