SUAKIN. 
^89 
My servant killed a beautiful flamingo: the under feathers of 
the wing, black; the rest gradually shading from a fine scarlet to a 
pure white. It was four feet from the tip of the beak to the ex- 
tremity of the toe, and about the same from wing s end to wing's 
end. Abdallah procured us from the town a good vegetable, a Che- 
nopodium, that tasted exactly like spinach. This, the Hibiscus escu- 
lentus, and green pumpkins, were all that were procurable. 
The people themselves seem civil and good natured ; none of 
them are armed : they wear a piece of white cloth wrapped round 
their middle, and thrown over the shoulder. In general their 
figures are very fine, and the expression of their cbiintenances good. 
They are of a dark copper colour, their hair is somewhat woolly 
drawn out into points, and dressed with fat, occasionally powdered 
with red ; a piece of wood is stuck through it, nearly horizontally, 
which they frequently use to disturb any animalcula that bite too 
hard. It is in shape like a porcupine's quill, and of course polished 
by the grease. They also use it to separate the hair into ringlets 
and turn it round the finger. Many had the long hair behind se- 
parated by a narrow shaved passage, from the front curly division, 
which was formed into an ovaL They certainly are on the whole 
a well looking race of people. Their skins are perfectly clear from 
eruptions of any sort, but are much marked where actual cautery 
has been applied as a remedy for local disease. We saw great 
numbers during our stay, as every day strangers came off in the 
w^ater-boat to view the ship. I have given an etching of a man, 
who was above six feet high, and had a most singular expression of 
countenance. The likeness is admirably preserved. It is impossible 
not to be struck by the resemblance between them and the South 
