86 
JOURNEY FROM KATUNGA TO BOUSSA. 
around lier body she had a fine striped silk and cotton country cloth, 
which came as high as her tremendous breasts, and reached as low as 
her ankles ; in her right hand she held a fan made of stained grass, 
of a square form. She desired me to sit down on the carpet beside 
her, which I did, and she began fanning me, and sent hump-back to 
bring out her finery for me to look at ; which consisted of four gold 
bracelets, two large paper dressing-cases with looking-glasses, and 
several strings of coral, silver rings, and bracelets, with a number 
of other trifling articles. After a number of compliments, and 
giving me an account of all her wealth, I was led through one 
apartment into another, cool, clean, and ornamented with pewter 
dishes and bright brass pans. She now told me her husband had 
been dead these ten years, that she had only one son, and he was 
darker than herself ; that she loved white men, and would go to 
lloussa with me ; that she would send for a malem, or man of learn- 
ing, and read the fatlia with me. I thought this was carrying the 
joke a little too far, and began to look very serious, on which she 
sent for the looking-glass, and looking at herself, then offering it 
me, said, to be sure she was rather older than me, but very little, 
and what of that ? This was too much, and I made my retreat as 
soon as I could, determined never to come to such close quarters 
with her again. During the night squally, with thunder, lightning, 
and rain. 
Friday, 24th. — Amongst my numerous visitors this morning, I 
had a travelling musician, attended by two boys. His instrument 
was a violin made of a gourd, with three strings of horse hair, not 
in single hairs, but a number for each string untwisted ; the bow 
the same ; the body of the violin was formed of half a long gourd ; 
the bridge, two cross sticks ; the top, the skin of a guana stretched 
tightly over the edges ; the neck was about two feet long, orna- 
mented with plates of brass, having a hollow brass knob at the end. 
To this instrument was hung a diminutive pair of sandals to denote 
his wandering occupation, a piece of natron, strings of cowries, and 
