JuLV.] AT THEIR GENERAL MEETINGS. 157 
diately, that the strength of the place might not 
be divided. 
Malalla stood with his assagais in his hand, 
looking towards the ground, as if convinced of 
the folly of his conduct, till the meeting broke 
up. 
Such is the freedom of speech at those public 
meetings, that some of the captains have said of 
the King, that he stupifies his mind by smoking 
tobacco, and is not fit to rule over them. 
At the peetso, or general meeting of the cap- 
tains, when it was resolved that they should go 
on no more plundering expeditions, to steal 
cattle from the neighbouring nations, Seemeeno, 
who opposed the motion, said, if they relinquish- 
ed going upon commandoes, the young men 
would have no way left of distinguishing them- 
selves by killing people, and rather than that 
they should not be renowned in this way, as 
formerly, he recommended that they should kill 
their mothers. 
Every peetso is begun and ended by pronounc- 
ing the word poola, or rain ; and every speech 
made at this meeting begins and ends with the 
