294 
PRIVATE INTERVIEV/ WITH SHINTE. Chap. XVI. 
African dignity of manner all tlie wliile, but my people remarked 
that lie scarcely ever took his eyes off me for a moment. About 
a thousand people were present, according to my calculation, 
and three hundred soldiers. The sun had now become hot; and 
the scene ended by the Mambari discharging their guns. 
18^7z.—We were awakened during the night by a message from 
Shinte, requesting a visit at a very unseasonable hour. As I 
was just in the sweating stage of an intermittent, and the path 
to the town lay through a wet valley, I declined going. Kolim- 
bota, who knows their customs best, urged me to go; but, inde¬ 
pendent of sickness, I hated words of the night and deeds of 
darkness. I was neither a hysena nor a witch.” Kolimbota 
thought that we ought to conform to their wishes in everything: 
I thought we ought to have some choice in the matter as well, 
which put him into liigh dudgeon. However, at ten next 
-morning we went, and were led into the courts of Sliinte, the 
walls of wliich were woven rods, all very neat and high. Many 
trees stood within the enclosure and afforded a gTateful shade. 
These had been planted, for we saw some recently put in, with 
grass wound round the trunk to protect them from the sun. The 
otherwise waste corners of the streets were planted with sugar¬ 
cane and bananas, which spread them large light leaves over the 
walls. 
The Ficus indica tree, under which we now sat, had very large 
leaves, but showed its relationship to the Indian banian by send- 
iag down shoots towards the ground. Shinte soon came, and 
appeared a man of upwards of fifty-five years of age, of ffanli and 
open countenance, and about the middle height. He seemed in 
good humour, and said he had expected yesterday ‘‘ that a man 
who came from the gods, would have approached and talked to 
him.” That had been my own intention in going to the recep¬ 
tion, but when we came and saw the formidable preparations, 
and all his own ]nen keeping at least forty yards off from him, I 
yielded to the solicitations of my men, and remained by the tree 
opposite to that under which he sat. His remark confirmed my 
previous belief that a ffank, open, fearless manner is the most 
winning with all these Africans. I stated the object of my jour¬ 
ney and mission, and to all I advanced the old gentleman 
clapped his hands in approbation. He replied through a spokes- 
