KING OBIE'S visit TO MR. LANDER. 99 



to visit Mr. Lander. He was escorted by seven 

 vrar-canoeSj each containing between sixty and 

 seventy men, and about fifty others containing 

 from one to fifty persons in each. He dined with 

 Mr. Lander, having brought six of his women to 

 fan the company during the repast ; and remained 

 on board until four in the afternoon, when he 

 landed under a salute from the Alburkah. I had 

 allowed one half of the Quorra's crew liberty to 

 go on shore with the second mate. They met 

 him as he landed, and he instantly set to and em- 

 braced them all in their turn. He was afterwards 

 supported to his palace by two of the sailors, 

 where he regaled them with palm-wine and 

 roasted yams. The first mate and the engineer 

 of the Quorra had been on shore the day before, 

 and were treated in the same way : in fact, all 

 the natives were vying with each other in paying 

 them attention. 



Among my visitors on this day was the largest 

 woman I ever beheld — and a jolly good-tempered 

 dame she was. On thanking her and making 

 her a small present for the attention which she 

 had shown my men while on shore, she assur- 

 ed me that " her belly had long been hungry to 



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