Travels Of Richard And John Lander Into The Interior Of Africa For The Discovery Of The Course And Termination Of The Niger By Robert Huish
- Page 776 of 1124 - First - Home
There Is No Doubt That It
Was Owing To The Rusticity And Awkwardness Of Their Address, Not
Having Been Brought
Up amongst the fooleries and absurdities of a
court, that Mansolah's risible faculties were so strongly excited,
but he laughed
So long and heartily, and his wives, and eunuchs, and
subjects of all sorts joined with him with such good will, and such
power of lungs, that at length the travellers were obliged to laugh
too, and were constrained to unite their voices to the general burst
of kindly feeling, although, if they had been asked the cause of such
jollity and obstreperous mirth, they would have been at a loss for an
answer.
Mansolah's headpiece was something like a bishop's mitre, profusely
ornamented with strings of coral, one of which answered the purpose
of a ribbon, for it was tied under the chin, to prevent the cap from
being blown off. His tobe was of green silk, crimson silk damask, and
green silk velvet, which were all sewn together, like pieces of
patchwork. He wore English cotton stockings, and neat leathern
sandals of native workmanship. A large piece of superfine light blue
cloth, given the chief by Captain Clapperton, was used as a carpet.
The eunuchs, and other individuals who were present at the interview,
prostrated themselves before their prince, agreeably to the custom of
the country, and rubbed their heads with earth two separate times,
retreating at some distance to perform this humiliating and degrading
ceremony, and then drawing near the royal person, to lie again with
their faces in the dust.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 776 of 1124
Words from 212496 to 212759
of 309561