ppeared covered with
self-inflicted bruises, burns, and gashes--all indications of sorrow
and future uselessness.

The crowd reached the apartment, singing the praises of the defunct in
chorus, when the body was laid on a new mat, covered with his war
shirt, while the parched lump that indicated his head was crowned with
the remains of a fur hat. All the amulets, charms, gree-grees,
fetiches and flummery of the prince were duly bestowed at his sides.
While these arrangements were making within, his sons stood beneath
an adjoining verandah, to receive the condolences of the invited
guests, who, according to custom, made their bows and deposited a
tribute of rice, palm-oil, palm-wine, or other luxuries, to help out
the merry-making.

When I heard of the prince's death at Monrovia, I resolved not to
return without a testimonial of respect for my ally, and ordered an
enormous coffin to be prepared without delay. In due time the huge
chest was made ready, covered with blue cotton, studded with brass
nails, and adorned with all the gilded ornaments I could find in
Monrovia. Besides this splendid sarcophagus, my craft from the colony
was ballasted with four bullocks and several barrels of rum, as a
contribution to the funeral.

I had timed my arrival at Fanama, so as to reach the landing about ten
o'clock on the morning of burial; and, after a salute from my brazen
guns, I landed the bullocks, liquor, and coffin, and marched toward
the princely gates.

The unexpected appearance of the white friend of their father, lord,
and husband, was greeted by the family with a loud wail, and, as a
mark of respect, I was instantly lifted in the arms of the weeping
women, and deposited on the mat beside the corpse. Here I rested, amid
cries and lamentations, till near noon, when the bullocks were
slaughtered, and their blood offered in wash-bowls to the dead. As
soon as this was over, the shapeless mass was stowed in the coffin
without regard to position, and borne by six carriers to the beach,
where it was buried in a cluster of cotton-woods.

On our return to Fanama from the grave, the eldest son of the deceased
was instantly saluted as prince. From this moment the festivities
began, and, at sundown, the twenty widows reappeared upon the ground,
clad in their choicest raiment, their shaven skulls anointed with oil,
and their limbs loaded with every bead and bracelet they could muster.
Then began the partition of these disconsolate