90 DISCOVERIES OF THE PORTUGUESE. 
a monarch was not to be approached without pro- 
per ceremony ; the missionary, therefore, thought 
it expedient that his arrival should be preceded by 
a few presents, which, though of little value in Eu- 
rope, were well calculated to dazzle the eye of a 
monarch in the heart of Africa. They secured to 
him a most gracious reception, of which he soon 
received a proof, entirely characteristic of those by 
whom it was bestowed. The king had been sit- 
ting in judgment upon some of his subjects, who, 
at the instigation of a Singhiili, had been excited 
to revolt. According to the established practice 
of the country, the bodies of persons thus con- 
demned were sent to the king's favourites to be 
used as food ; in which capacity, they were consi- 
dered as the most delicate of any that could be 
procured. The king, willing to pay a compliment 
to his new visitor, selected the best conditioned of 
these subjects, and sent him to the father, hoping 
that he would find him afford some excellent meals, 
Jerome, though he had no relish for this diet, 
deemed it prudent to take the compliment in good 
part, and sent back polite thanks for so handsome 
a present. He soon found himself in high favour 
at the court of Concobella. The king, to testify 
his regard, proposed, and even urged, that he 
should accept his daughter in marriage ; and this 
example was followed by all the chiefs, who were 
eager to illustrate themselves by an alliance with 
