332 THE CRUISE OF THE 'GURAQOA.' 



Lieutenant Meade, Mr. Veitch, ami mj'self, had tlie oppor- 

 tunity of visiting tlie Governor, by whom we were cordially 

 received. 



M. Guillain ha^ been for many years on tlie western 

 coast of Africa, Madagascar, &c., and has published a work 

 with plates and maps on those countries. He is a moderate- 

 sized man, about lifty-three years of age, and said to have 

 a great deal of energy. His wife, Madame Guillain, is a 

 pleasing Uttle woman, very gay and sprightly, and a good 

 deal younger than her husband. She told me that when 

 they first came here, it was with a party of seventeen, all of 

 whom, strangely enough, were unarmed, an act of confi- 

 dence or carelessness in these regions of an unusual kind. 

 With a most remarkable absence of mistrust, they went off 

 for some reason or other, leaving her alone in the boat, 

 which presently was surrounded by natives, who attempted 

 to carry her off, from which peril she was saved by her — 

 crinoline! How this much criticised decoration or garment 

 became a defensive weapon was not explained ; possibly in 

 the struggle, the steel ribs being broken protruded in a 

 variety of points, which thus formed a complete chevau,v-de- 

 frise ; luckily, how^ever, while the fray was going on, and 

 her alarm at the highest, the Governor witli his party came 

 back to her assistance, and vowed, in the fulness of his 

 indignation, he would be revenged upon them for causing 

 her this fright. And she had just had the pleasure of 

 knowing that this vow had been fulfilled. For he liad but 

 a few days before our arrival returned from an expedition 



