150 
MISSIONARY LIFE IN ASUANTEE. 
and also sprinkled their chairs. On that occasion the 
king's wives may be seen, so my wife went with our baby 
to one of the Dampans, when all crowded round us to 
look at the little one, calling her " Amma Coomassie ; ""^ 
" 'tis a miracle — they are children of the gods," we heard 
them exclaiming, and often the enquiry, " which is the 
wife ? " was made especially by the women, who could 
not take their eyes off the little Kosa. 
The queen mother was passing as we arrived, with the 
glass and silver ornaments, followed by the eunuchs with 
the women. It appeared that the prohibition to look at 
them was again in force, for the men retired, and only a 
few mohammedans were allowed to remain beside us. 
The ladies appeared in groups, with a highly decorated 
leader at their head, which gave one the idea that the 
female part of the court was well organised. The 
favourites were dressed in silks, velvets, and gold orna- 
ments, while others followed in more simple or even mean 
attire. Between each group came eunuchs with little 
boys and girls, who carried small boxes of play things. 
The women had a long chewing stick in their hands, so 
that they could rub their teeth when they pleased. The 
most richly ornamented was evidently the first wife who, 
in virtue of her dignity, did not remove her stick from 
her mouth. Every age was represented, from young girls 
to grey-headed mothers. Some of them had been the 
wives of four or five kings. 
As we could scarcely distinguish the court ladies from 
the king's wives, we cannot give their number, but it 
seemed as if those who went past with bowed heads were 
the real wives, and I counted from two hundred and fifty 
to two hundred and sixty of these, so that with invalids 
* "The Saturday daughter of Coomassie," all girls being called after 
the day of the week on which they are born. See note at the close of 
the chapter. 
