CHAP. VII.] NANGORO'S PALACE. 217 



my eyes instead. But Nangoro's mind was not so 

 easily satisfied ; he was harassed with suspicions ; and 

 though he invited me to drink beer at his palace, yet 

 he contrived to be out of the way when the beer was 

 brought in, and made the three corn-tiers sit down 

 with me instead. 



The plan of all the Ovampo houses is intricate, but 

 Nangoro's was a perfect labyrinth, and I could never 

 find my way about it. Conceive walls of paHsading 

 eight or nine feet high, the poles of which are squared, 

 smoothed, and driven in so close together, that it is 

 only here and there that an arrow could be shot out 

 between them. With these an irregularly circular 

 place of about one hundred yards across is walled, one 

 entrance being left, and to that entrance a broad 

 double pathway leads, which is marked and divided 

 by slight hedges. AVithin the outer cu-cle other walls 

 of palisading are placed in various ways ; on one side 

 a passage leads to the cattle kraal, in another place 

 there is one leading to the dancing-court; passages 

 lead to Nangoro's rooms, to the granaries, to the 

 threshing floors, to the women's apartments, and to 

 those of the attendants and of the three courtiers. I 

 tried to sketch out the plan several times, but my 

 head would never take it in. 



Nangoro came to my encampment one morning for 

 a chat, and to see the guns fired ; we talked about the 

 countries to the north, and of the great river, which was 

 four long or five easy days' journey ahead, but towards 

 visiting which I could obtain no offer of assistance 

 from him. He told me that the traders (Portuguese) 



