ctor," and gave orders for
them to be eaten at night, restricting her pombe and food until I saw
her again. My game was now advancing, for I found through her I should
get the key to an influence that might bear on the king, and was much
pleased to hear her express herself delighted with me for everything I
had done except stopping her grog, which, naturally enough in this great
pombe-drinking country, she said would be a very trying abstinence.

The doctoring over, her majesty expressed herself ready to inspect
the honorarium I had brought for her, and the articles were no sooner
presented by Bombay and Nasib, with the usual formalities of stroking to
insure their purity, than she, boiling with pleasure, showed them all to
her officers, who declared, with a voice of most exquisite triumph,
that she was indeed the most favoured of queens. Then, in excellent good
taste, after saying that nobody had ever given her such treasures, she
gave me, in return, a beautifully-worked pombe sucking-pipe, which was
acknowledged by every one to be the greatest honour she could pay me.

Not satisfied with this, she made me select, though against my desire,
a number of sambo, called here gundu, rings of giraffe hair wound round
with thin iron or copper wire, and worn as anklets; and crowned with
all sundry pots of pombe, a cow, and a bundle of dried fish, of the
description given in the woodcut, called by my men Samaki Kambari. This
business over, she begged me to show her my picture-books, and was so
amused with them that she ordered her sorceresses and all the other
women in again to inspect them with her. Then began a warm and
complimentary conversation, which ended by an inspection of my rings and
al the contents of my pockets, as well as of my watch, which she called
Lubari--a term equivalent to a place of worship, the object of worship
itself, or the iron horn or magic pan. Still she said I had not yet
satisfied her; I must return again two days hence, for she like me
much--excessively--she could not say how much; but now the day was gone,
I might go. With this queer kind of adieu she rose and walked away,
leaving me with my servants to carry the royal present home.

28th.--My whole thoughts were now occupied in devising some scheme to
obtain a hut in the palace, not only the better to maintain my dignity,
and so gain superior influence in the court, but also that I might have
a better insight into the manners and customs of thes