"Kabba Rega Thus Stalked Along, Followed By His Great Chiefs, Kittakara,
Matonse, Rahonka, Quonga, And A Number Of Others.
Upon arrival opposite
the band, the bugles and drums suddenly commenced with such a clash of
cymbals that he seemed rather startled, and he entered the tent in the
most undignified manner, with an air of extreme shyness half concealed
by audacity.
"He was trembling with nervous anxiety, and with some hesitation he took
his seat upon the divan that had been prepared for him. His principal
chiefs sat upon skins and carpets arranged upon the ground.
"A crowd of about 2,000 people had accompanied him, making a terrific
noise with whistles, horns, and drums. These were now silenced, and the
troops formed a guard around the tent to keep the mob at a respectful
distance. Every now and then several men of Kabba Rega's body-guard
rushed into the crowd and laid about them with bludgeons five feet long,
hitting to the right and left. This always chased the people away for a
few minutes, until, by degrees, they resumed their position. Everybody
was dressed up for a grand occasion, mostly in new clothes of bark-
cloth, and many were in skins of wild animals, with their heads
fantastically ornamented with the horns of goats or antelopes. The
sorcerers were an important element. These rascals, who are the curse of
the country, were, as usual, in a curious masquerade with fictitious
beards manufactured with a number of bushy cows' tails.
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