1812. FEMALE PORTRAITS. — MASSISAN AND HER MOTHER. 
493 
A number of women assembled round my waggon, and in a 
goodnatured manner demanded to see me. When, in due obedience 
to the commands of the fair sex, I presented myself before them, I 
found they were come to see Massisan. The fame of this portrait, 
which was the first female I had drawn, had spread throughout the 
town, and had, it appeared, excited a strong curiosity among that sex, 
who seemed to consider it an important mark of respect to them, 
that I had put women ' into my book,' as well as men. 
The surprise, the laughter, and the whimsical gestures, of this 
crowd when I showed them the drawing, need not again be described ; 
they were the same as before, or perhaps, rather more marked, 
Among this party, were Mattivi's two sisters : one was a fine woman, 
who, as a black, might be termed handsome ; but the other was 
exceedingly ugly, a misfortune, if, indeed, it ought to be called so, 
which had been occasioned by the smallpox. Similar ravages on 
faces which before had, perhaps, been comely, were frequently 
observed among these tribes. 
After this crowd had left me, Massisan herself came, and in a 
very modest and half-timid manner, begged me to give her some 
tobacco. As she did not smoke, I was at a loss how to interpret the 
meaning of this request, till I saw her run away immediately to her 
mother, who was standing at some distance, and give it to her. The 
old lady, or, if she must be called so, the old queen, so often came 
begging at my waggon, that she knew there was no reasonable hope 
of getting any more ' smoke ' this day ; and necessity therefore com- 
pelled her to devise a new expedient. She thought that I should not 
refuse her daughter ; being aware that the simple petition of an 
innocent little girl might probably have in it more persuasive oratory, 
than the selfish importunities of an insatiable beggar. 
I proposed to Mattivi that he should sit for his portrait ; but he 
evaded the question by replying, that I must first draw his younger 
wife Mahutu. He then brought her to me ; and having succeeded in 
obtaining a good likeness, with which he expressed himself much 
pleased, I hoped that he would thus have been induced to allow his 
own to be drawn also ; but, without giving any reason for it, he 
