Before The Effect Of Astonishment Wore Off I Had A Basket
Unpacked, And Displayed Upon A Cloth A Heap Of Superb Necklaces, That We
Had Prepared While At Obbo, Of The Choicest Beads, Many As Large As
Marbles, And Glittering With Every Color Of The Rainbow.
The garden of
jewels of Aladdin's wonderful lamp could not have produced more enticing
fruit.
Beads were extremely rare in Kamrasi's land; the few that existed
had arrived from Zanzibar, and all that I exhibited were entirely new
varieties. I explained that I had many other presents, but that it was
not necessary to unpack them, as we were about to return with them to
visit another king, who lived some days' journey distant. "Don't go;
don't go away," said the headman and his companions. "Kamrasi will -"
Here an unmistakable pantomimic action explained their meaning better
than words; throwing their heads well back, they sawed across their
throats with their forefingers, making horrible grimaces, indicative of
the cutting of throats. I could not resist laughing at the terror that
my threat of returning with the presents had created. They explained
that Kamrasi would not only kill them, but would destroy the entire
village of Atada should we return without visiting him; but that he
would perhaps punish them in precisely the same manner should they ferry
us across without special orders. "Please yourselves," I replied; "if my
party is not ferried across by the time the sun reaches that spot on the
heavens (pointing to the position it would occupy at about 3 P.M.) I
shall return." In a state of great excitement they promised to hold a
conference on the other side, and to see what arrangements could be
made.
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