DINNER WITH KING BOY. 329 



sometimes ankle-deep in the first house of the 

 three ; added to which, it was perforated with 

 numerous rat-holes. At one end of the apart- 

 ment, near the river, was an elevated mud plat- 

 form in the shape of a triangle, just as damp as 

 the floor. As stools or chairs formed no part of 

 the furniture of this palace in the swamp, we 

 procured as substitutes a quantity of mats to lie 

 down on. 



As soon as the numerous articles belonging to 

 King Boy were landed from the canoe, he invited 

 us to go with him and partake of some goat's 

 flesh ; and we therefore accompanied him through 

 several narrow, filthy streets, to the house oc- 

 cupied by his favourite wife, where, for the sake 

 of security, he invariably has his meals. After 

 some little delay we were accommodated with a 

 knife, when some boiled goat's flesh with the 

 hair upon it, and highly seasoned with Guinea 

 pepper, was placed before us. The accompani- 

 ment of the hair I did not much mind, but the 

 pepper I could not endure. When King Boy 

 saw I could not eat it, hungry as I felt, he very 

 considerately ordered some more to be cooked 

 without pepper, and to be better cleaned. But 

 I was again doomed to disappointment ; for my 



