76 CONVERSATION WITH MATEEBE AND [1820. 
possible, maintaining a pressure downwards. 
Mateebe next twirled the stick, then his daughter, 
each continuing to take their turn till part of the 
stick began to smoke ; after which fire appeared, 
when the king lighted his pipe, and smoked with 
as much unconcern, as though the procuring of 
the fire had been attended with no trouble. I 
petitioned to have the two sticks, to carry as a 
curiosity to England; but the king stated, that 
having been sick, every thing about his house 
was under the power of the doctor, but when that 
was removed, I should receive them. The sticks 
by which the fire was produced were from the 
milk tree, the other from a bush called the Ma- 
hacha. 
It being almost dark, I proposed putting off 
the conversation till next day at ten a.m. The 
interpreter, in mentioning ten o'clock, pointed to 
that part of the heavens where the sun would 
then be ; Mateebe signified his assent by nodding, 
on which we took leave. 
The two kings attended the evening worship 
in the meeting-house, at the conclusion of which 
they both came and shook hands with us. This 
is their usual custom on such occasions. On 
my former visit to Lattakoo, after the first inter- 
view with Mateebe, he held out the back of his 
hand, that I might touch it as a sign of mutual 
