244 JOURNEY TO LATTAKOO. 
[1813. 
lately been circumcised, as a sign of their having at- 
tained the years of manhood. One of the four was son 
to the late king, Malla37abang. They were all well- 
shaped, their bodies painted red, and their hair pow- 
dered with blue powder. They asked very modestly 
for a little tobacco, which we gave them. They all 
carried assagays, or spears, over their shoulders, and 
wore brown coloured skin cloaks, with a round musk- 
cat skin sewed over the cloak between the shoulders, 
which made them resemble soldiers with their knap- 
sacks. At two, P.M. we came to inclosed fields, into 
one of which I went, and found the last crop had been 
Indian or CafFre corn. In about half an hour we 
crossed the Lattakoo, a small river of charming water. 
Here the four youths left us, perhaps not being per- 
mitted to cross it till a certain time in the day, for we 
afterwards observed them leave the town in the morn- 
ing and never return until the evening. 
