AN OPEN COUET. 
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skirmishing and larking in the grass, all again turned 
into the village to have their pombe ! There was a 
second attack on the 4th July. The people of a 
M'salala village had captured some cattle. A few 
men with short-handled hatchets, spears, bows and 
arrows, all the "troops" that coukl be spared, paraded 
under the command of a red -robed leader ; in ten 
days they returned all alive and safe, reporting the 
death of six of the enemy, and bringing the trophy of 
one head, which was stuck upon the palisading over 
the eastern gate, with the face to the zenith. Great 
rejoicing and pombe took place in the evening. 
On the 17th, at 1 p.m., a dance took place for an 
hour, after which a court assembled on the same 
ground to hear evidence regarding the M'salala war. 
In the centre space lay the tusk of an elephant. Only 
the sultan and his wuzeers or officers sat on stools. 
The women were most attentive listeners to the 
speeches, and all was marked with the utmost de- 
corum. For an hour the sultan addressed the crowd, 
sometimes stopping to think, and pulling out hairs 
from his face with iron tongs. There were bursts of 
laughter at his jokes, and when he had finished, a 
general conversation began. A wuzeer now spoke 
very sharply, and after each of his sentences there 
was a great clapping of hands and assent of " hums." 
Two of the crowd then delivered addresses, which 
were received with a single "viva," and the court 
abruptly broke up. Except the ridiculous part of 
pulling out the hairs of the sultan's beard, there could 
not be a more impressive or orderly court. It again 
assembled two days afterwards : the tusk still lay in 
the space, and was presented by the chief of M'salala 
