ARRIVAL AT MANDARA'S COURT. 
107 
a curious whistling sound with his pursed-up lips, I 
had leisure to examine his appearance thoroughly. 
Of fine height, as I have already observed, probably 
five feet ten or eleven inches, his frame was splendidly 
modelled, though the rounded form of his contour 
indicated a slight tendency to fleshiness. His face was 
a peculiar one, rather broad across the cheek-bones, 
with fine arched brows, good forehead, a slightly 
hooked nose, wide, thin-lipped mouth, and firm, rounded, 
resolute chin. One eye, as has been already re¬ 
marked, was biind, and had a vacant glassy stare, but 
the other was bright as an eagle’s, and lay glit¬ 
tering under an eagle’s 
brow. The general aspect 
of his face, especially the 
hooked nose and high 
cheek-bones, reminded me 
of the traditional likeness 
of the North - American 
Red Indian Chief. Man- 
dara’s ears, however, were 
all his own. The fashion 
of his country and people 
he had certainly carried to 
excess. The lobe of both 
ears had been pierced, and 
the distended aperture of 
one had become so en¬ 
larged that a great wooden 
ring had been forced into 
the centre. I can best ex¬ 
plain it by a drawing*, as Fig’. 26.—Mandara’s Left Ear. 
words are quite inade¬ 
quate. Fortunately, although Mandara would never 
