A GEAND SUPPER. 75 



wife set to work to prepare maize cakes for us, 

 and it was quite an open question whether 

 the big man six feet five or his little wife was 

 most nimble or at home in the house work. 

 Thanks to their joint endeavours our tea was 

 soon ready, and once we were well at work on 

 that meal, the priest went out to procure 

 the means of giving a grand supper of meat 

 and vodka to ourselves and any of the Svans 

 who considered themselves invited. Of course 

 we paid for the provisions, and we used in- 

 variably to ask our host and his family to 

 share whatever we had ; but we always found, 

 in addition to the somewhat large families 

 which assembled round our hosts, a crowd of 

 other visitors of whom we knew nothing, who 

 invited themselves to these suppers of ours. 

 In fact, our party was only limited by the 

 quantity of meat to consume. 



Now, in the priest's house, at any rate, 

 you would imagine that beyond the curious 



