86 MISSIONARY LIFE IN ASH AN TEE. 
The royal camp bedstead, covered with leather and orna- 
mented with glittering steel nails, appeared to be of 
British manufacture. Overseers marched by in fragments 
of European costume ; one had a scarlet coat, but no 
trousers; another wore a long dressing gown, reminding one 
of a German university professor; one of the generals 
was in a brown velvet dress and sash, another had 
proudly donned a field marshal's hat and white cockade^ 
while to the lot of a third had fallen a woman's under 
garment, in which he found it somewhat difficult to walk. 
A band of three musicians in Dutch costumes followed,, 
whose cymbal, clarionet, and European drum added con- 
siderably to the inharmonius noise (perhaps because 
their instruments were out of tune), but the effect was 
startling : these brought up the rear of the procession, 
and although their music was discordant and barbarous, 
in the extreme, it had a certain imposing effect even 
on a European ; while on the Africans it produced the 
wildest excitement, causing them to tremble. 
One of the slaves in a sort of frenzy knocked off the hat 
of brother K., v/hereupon he administered summary justice,, 
though in the presence of the king, giving the man a smart 
box on the ear; thus impressing on them the fact that we no 
longer meant to be treated as children. This sharp practice- 
had the desired effect, for he came afterwards humbly tO' 
beg pardon, and promised to call us in the evening when 
the procession returned, that we might see the first part 
which had preceded the king. Fifty sheep had been 
sent in advance for fe?oSting and for sacrifice ; whether 
human beings were killed or not we never ascertained. 
At five o'clock our chairs were placed in the street ; 
but we had scarcely taken our seats, when a cry of the 
eunuchs, who are mostly dwarfs, warned us to escape; 
my wife, however, remained, and received a friendly 
salutation from eight of the royal ladies, dressed in red 
