l88 Our Passionate Artist jloses His Mouel. 
liui-ry over tliei-e with a request for aid, altliougli the distance was so far 
that the sun Avould have set eleven times before he could be expected back. 
A few small preseuty giveu him for the chieftaiu of the Serekongs were 
intended to make the latter more willing to carry out our wishes. 
43J:, On the same day that the envoy took his, departure, the occu- 
pants of the large bee-hive house that Ave came across at Wararite, 
returned from their journey to the Mazaruni. With the most evident 
surprise they stared at the buildings that had been erected during their 
absence, as Avell as at their residents whose appearance seemed to be 
quite inexplicable to them. Among the beautifully made men, for the 
most part decorated Avith tlie most fantastic feather-crowns, Avas to be 
seen a young girl A\diose extraordinary loveliness gave us still greater 
cause for astonishment: it Avas indisputably the most perfect female 
figure that A\ e had ever seen aniongst tlie Indians. Her strikingly-dark 
eyes, her long ebony-black glistening hair falling over her Avell-formed 
shoulders in natural curls, her small mouth so rare amongst Indians, 
with its faultless row of wliite teetli, the aristocratic turn of nose, the 
delicate and Avell-bred shape of hands and feet combined to make her so 
perfect that in spite of her copper-coloured tint even the most exacting 
of European art critics A\'ould have found no fault Avith her. The numer- 
ous 1 leads worn l)y Cumndyaure indicated that even the marriageable 
Indian AA'illingly boAvs before sucli female l)eauty, that the son of the 
forest is just as keen as the European in making sacrifices before the 
triumphal car of Helen, and that a girl like her apju-eciates the tribute 
paid her just as much as a Avhitc Avoman does. She AV'as practically 
covered Avith strings of l)eads, the surest sign of her being the silent yet 
therefore no less passionate heart's desire of nuiny an Indian. To give 
her practical proof of our esteem, A^'e also presented her with several 
pretty strings of beads, an action that seemed to flatter her immensely, 
judging from the delightfully I'oguish and gi-ateful smiles that fell to our 
share: nevertheless the sullen looks cast in our direction by her father, 
an equally perfect Imman figure "with A^'hich was associated a savage 
grandeur that demanded attention and respect, as Avell as by a certain 
handsome young- Indian, probably her languishing lover, showed clearly 
enough that the attention Ave were paying her was not agreeable to them. 
The contrast between the gloomy looks of the men and the sparklingly 
happy eyes of the dark-tinted Grace, that rested now upon the beads and 
now upon us, could have given the skilled pencil of Goodall a Avorthy 
subject for an interesting character-study had not the passionate artist 
busied himself too actively over the object itself. Bublding over with 
excitement, he chaffingly asked the father to give Mm his daughter to 
wife, with the result that after looking sullenlv at him for a second, he 
said something unintelligible to the girl who, like a frightened deer, kept 
out of our Avay for the whole rest of the day. J^ext morning her father, 
the chieftain, gave orders for striking camp, pretty Tummiyaure 
appeared again, smiled at us even more SAveetly than tlie rising sun, 
received some more presents from ns Avith a smile, and in spite of her 
father's gloomy demeanour bade each of us adieu! with her pretty little 
hands, and when far away on the road, stealthily nodded to us a hearty 
