RESIDENCE AT KATUNGA. 
47 
Thursday, 9th. — This evening I had to take the eunuch to task 
about our provisions : he had been dealing us out too small a share, 
and pocketing the rest. He pretended to be in a great rage, and 
even the milk is now bad. 
Friday, 10th. — Moderate breezes and clear. A number of cabo- 
ceers from distant provinces arrived to-day, and we had nothing 
but drumming, and whistling, the whole day. The king sent us an 
invitation to see them, and we went in the afternoon. We found 
the king seated in an old easy chair covered with crimson damask. 
The caboceers at some distance in front, facing him, dressed in 
leopard skin robes, their heads well dusted, and also their cheeks, 
by rubbing their faces in the dust while making their prostrations. 
It is the court etiquette here to appear in a loose cloth, tied under 
one arm ; part over the other shoulder, and hanging down to the 
feet in a graceful manner : but no tobes, no beads, no coral, or 
grandeur of any kind, must appear but on the king alone. The 
cane I made him a present of holds, on all occasions, a conspicuous 
place : when he walks, he carries it, and when he sits, it is stuck in 
the ground at some distance before him. He presented us with 
gooro nuts, and asked me to fire off some rockets to-night. 
The caboceers from the country were attended by their bowmen. 
They are required to wait upon, and first to prostrate themselves 
before, the chief eunuch, with dust on their heads. When any one 
speaks to the king, he must do it stretched at full length on the 
ground, and it must be said to him through the eunuch, who is also 
prostrated by his side. When equals meet, they kneel on one knee ; 
women kneel on both knees, the elbows resting on the ground. 
Saturday, 11th.- — More caboceers arrive to-day, attended by their 
wild-looking followers, armed with swords, bows, and arrows ; they 
also, covered with dust and sweat, went through their prostrations 
before the fat eunuch ; the attendants dancing in a circle, while 
occasionally one came out, and danced a movement in the minuet 
