296 COURT ETIQUETTE. 



swords. Beside the husband sat a rather aged woman, having a 

 bad outward squint in the left eye. We put down our arms 

 about forty yards off, and I walked up to the centre of the circu- 

 lar bench, and saluted him in the usual way by clapping the 

 hands together in their fashion. He pointed to his wife, as much 

 as to say, the honor belongs to her. I saluted her in the same 

 way, and a mat having been brought, I squatted down in front of 

 them. 



The talker was then called, and I was asked who was my 

 spokesman. Having pointed to Kolimbota, who knew their 

 dialect best, the palaver began in due form. I explained the 

 real objects I had in view, without any attempt to mystify or 

 appear in any other character than my own, for I have always 

 been satisfied that, even though there were no other consid- 

 erations, the truthful way of dealing with the uncivilized is 

 unquestionably the best. Kolimbota repeated to Nyamoana's 

 talker what I had said to him. He delivered it all verbatim to 

 her husband, who repeated it again to her. It was thus all 

 rehearsed four times over, in a tone loud enough to be heard by 

 the whole party of auditors. The response came back by the 

 same roundabout route, beginning at the lady to her hus- 

 band, etc. 



After explanations and re-explanations, I perceived that our 

 new friends were mixing up my message of peace and friendship 

 with Makololo affairs, and stated that it was not delivered on the 

 authority of any one less than that of their Creator, and that if 

 the Makololo did again break His laws and attack the Balonda, 

 the guilt would rest with the Makololo and not with me. The 

 palaver then came to a close. 



By way of gaining their confidence, I showed them my hair, 

 which is considered a curiosity in all this region. They said, 

 "Is that hair? It is the mane of a lion, and not hair at all." 

 Some thought that I had made a wig of lion's mane, as they 

 sometimes do with fibres of the "ife," and dye it black, and 

 twist it so as to resemble a mass of their own wool. I could 

 not return the joke by telling them that theirs was not hair, but 

 the wool of sheep, for they have none of these in the country ; 

 and even though they had, as Herodotus remarked, "the African 

 sheep are clothed with hair, and men's heads with wool." So I 



