CHAP. VII.] OVAMPO BELLES. 213 



cowries and Damara sandals. I Avould have given 

 anything for ten pounds' worth of the right sort of 

 beads ; half of that value would have made a really- 

 good present to Nangoro, and franked me into the good 

 graces of all his people. As it was he was rather 

 sulky, for it is considered a kind of insult to an African 

 chief to visit him, and make use of his country without 

 commencing acquaintance by sending a tribute. He 

 insisted upon my giving him a cow which I, or rather 

 John Allen, had with me, besides the ox I had 

 presented him with ; and as there was no help for it, 

 the cow went. We then had a short conversation ; he 

 looked at our guns and made us shoot with them, 

 chatted a little, and then left us, saying that we were 

 free to buy and sell with liis people as much as we 

 liked. Immediately crowds of the Ovampo, who had 

 been gathering during the interview, poured down 

 upon us, laughing and talking, but taking the greatest 

 care not to touch our things, or to annoy us in any 

 way. They were a merry set, and all of them dressed, 

 or rather ornamented, very tidily. They wore a great 

 quantity of beads and rings, but scarcely anything else 

 except a kind of cartouche box, in which they kept a 

 tuft of hair for painting and powdering themselves. 

 The ladies were buxom lasses, having all the appear- 

 ance of being good drudges. Their hair was worn 

 short in front, but spread out behind into a broad 

 fan. They were decidedly nice-looking; their faces 

 were open and merry, but they had rather coarse 

 features, and shone all over with butter and red 

 pigment. They seemed to be of amazingly affectionate 



