468 KAWAWA'S DEMAND. Chap. XXIII. 



In the morning we had agreeable intercourse with Kawawa ; 

 he visited us, and we sat and talked nearly the whole day with 

 him and his people. When we visited him in return, we found 

 him in his large court-house, which, though of a beehive shape, 

 was remarkably well built. As I had shown him a number of 

 curiosities, he now produced a jug, of English ware, shaped like 

 an old man holding a can of beer in his hand, as the greatest 

 curiosity he had to exhibit. 



We had now an opportunity of hearing a case brought before 

 him for judgment. A poor man and his wife were accused of 

 having bewitched the man, whose wake was now held in the 

 village. Before Kawawa even heard the defence, he said, " You 

 have killed one of my children. Bring all yours before me, that 

 I may choose which of them shall be mine instead." The wife 

 eloquently defended herself, but this availed little, for these 

 accusations are the means resorted to by some chiefs, to secure 

 subjects for the slave-market. He probably thought that I had 

 come to purchase slaves, though I had already given a pretty full 

 explanation of my pursuits both to himself and his people. We 

 exliibited the pictures of the magic-lantern in the evening, and 

 all were delighted except Kawawa himself. He showed symptoms 

 of dread, and several times started up as if to run away, but was 

 prevented by the crowd behind. Some of the more intelligent 

 understood the explanations well, and expatiated eloquently on 

 them to the more obtuse. Notliing could exceed the civilities 

 which had passed between us during this day ; but Kawawa had 

 heard that the Chiboque had forced us to pay an ox, and now 

 thought he might do the same. When therefore I sent next 

 morning to let him know that we were ready to start, he replied 

 in his figurative way, "If an ox came in the way of a man, 

 ought he not to eat it ? I had given one to the Chiboque, and 

 must give him the same, together with a gun, gunpowder, and a 

 black robe, like that he had seen spread out to dry the day before ; 

 that, if I refused an ox, I must give one of my men, and a book 

 by which he might see the state of Matiamvo's heart towards him, 

 and which would forewarn him, should Matiamvo ever resolve to 

 cut off his head." Kawawa came hi the coolest manner possible 

 to our encampment after sending this message, and told me he 

 had seen all our goods, and must have all he asked, as he had 



