398 
ALI BEY DRESSES US. 
the hand was a man of great influence and importance. 
As yet we had no interpreters, and it was difficult for 
us to guess what was ultimately to be done. How- 
ever, the Wukeel soon rejoined us, and, more myste- 
rious than ever, he beckoned and led us into the first 
or outer room of his house, where we were shown a 
quantity of seedy old-fashioned clothes, and told that 
we must put them on, — they were his. I don t know 
what possessed me — whether affection for my own tat- 
ters, or a natural repugnance to put on clothes that had 
been worn by another — but I shrank from wearing the 
garments, and objected strongly to a thick cloth sur- 
tout, stating that it was too hot for 94° in the shade. 
The Wukeel then commenced to put his fingers into the 
holes and rents of my ragged old flannel friend, and 
said, that I must really oblige him, because these holes 
were " ibes" or blemishes, which the expected visitors 
would observe. I accordingly submitted to being 
stripped by Bombay and our host, who seized my arms, 
pulled off my old coat, and replaced it by an extraor- 
dinary sky-blue paletot. Speke s costume was ludi- 
crous; he looked as if dressed up for some boyish frolic. 
His trousers, in front, though short, were passable, 
being of English blue cloth and cut ; but when he 
turned round we saw an immense piece of calico let 
in, so as to enlarge them for a figure of twenty stone. 
The next difficulty arose from his unwillingness to 
change his comfortable plaid waistcoat for a chintz 
jacket, which buttoned to the throat and had tight 
sleeves. He objected, because there was no watch- 
pocket, but one was found, and he yielded. Over this 
garment a tight-sleeved frock-coat was pulled on by 
