GAUARONGA, THE GREAT CHIEF 169 



to the side, and the troops and gatekeepers and offi- 

 cials were all there, but nobody came to pay court. 

 I felt there must have been rather a bad bungle, 

 probably about the time, though various little side- 

 shows began to take place. A man came in dressed 

 up as a woman, and fooled about, but nobody laughed, 

 and the most one could say for him was that he was 

 very good-natured to try and amuse us. Then we 

 had a solo on a small sweet-toned pipe — 



8va. 



$ 



—^ i 1 1 ^— 1 1— /^ =Bi 1 n \ H ^"^H- 



till the whole band cut in and drowned it. Behind 

 them danced some 120 women, waving stiff ostrich- 

 feather fans. They were mostly old and invariably 

 ugly, but they were interesting none the less, for 

 they are Gauaronga's slaves and accompany him every- 

 where, even into battle, where their duty is to taunt 

 cowards to an assumption of courage. 



My sympathy with their neglected sovereign had 

 meantime been banished by Captain Lucas, who said 

 that the delay was complimentary. It was due to 

 a certain high dignitary, the Bata Kuji, Keeper of the 

 Palace, who has the privilege of being the first to 

 present his homage, and for this one occasion takes 

 precedence even of the Magira, Incarnate Ghost of 

 the Queen-Mother. He is, however, so conscious of 



