Outside The Trench Sat About A Hundred Persons
Of All Ages And Both Sexes.
The men were well armed with bows, arrows,
spears, and broadswords.
Beside the husband sat a rather aged woman,
having a bad outward squint in the left eye. We put down our arms
about forty yards off, and I walked up to the centre of the circular bench,
and saluted him in the usual way by clapping the hands together
in their fashion. He pointed to his wife, as much as to say,
the honor belongs to her. I saluted her in the same way,
and a mat having been brought, I squatted down in front of them.
The talker was then called, and I was asked who was my spokesman.
Having pointed to Kolimbota, who knew their dialect best,
the palaver began in due form. I explained the real objects I had in view,
without any attempt to mystify or appear in any other character than my own,
for I have always been satisfied that, even though there were
no other considerations, the truthful way of dealing with the uncivilized
is unquestionably the best. Kolimbota repeated to Nyamoana's talker
what I had said to him. He delivered it all verbatim to her husband,
who repeated it again to her. It was thus all rehearsed four times over,
in a tone loud enough to be heard by the whole party of auditors.
The response came back by the same roundabout route, beginning at the lady
to her husband, etc.
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