248 
THE HAREM, 
The older wives came out unreservedly and shook 
hands, though laughing immoderately, and looking as if 
half ashamed to submit to this European salutation, 
which we were not sorry to substitute for the more royal 
one of kissing hands — unctuous with palm-oil. All the 
favourite wives had armlets and anklets of ivory, large 
and weighty. The principal dame had these ornaments 
of such an unwieldy size, that it obliged her to move 
the lower extremities in a manner neither easy nor 
graceful. 
AU the little toys and trinkets we took with us were 
gladly accepted ; but amid so many eager claimants, it 
was difficult to diAude our small stock satisfactorily; 
however, it was managed so that they all seemed pleased, 
especially the chief wife, who had a kaleidescope given 
to her, the bright and varying colours of which so 
much delighted her that she presented in return a 
white fowl, which we were told was an uncommon mark 
of favour. 
The strong and peculiar odour arising from the 
congregation of so many dark-skinned “Aowm” in this 
confined place, obliged us to retreat to the outside, where 
the atmosphere, if not much cooler, was certainly more 
agreeable. Adjoining Obi Osai’s house was a rather 
high enclosure, between the palings of which were several 
pairs of eyes turned towards us with anxiety and 
curiosity. On mounting up one of the posts to obtain 
a better view, they all rushed, more like wild animals 
than human beings, into small dens, the rattling of their 
