It was a sad blow to the chief.
"Thief town, this highly respectable town of Egaja! a town whose
moral conduct in all matters (Shedule) was an example to all towns,
called a thief town! Oh, what a wicked world!"
I said it was; but I would reserve my opinion as to whether Egaja
was a part of the wicked world or a star-like exception, until I had
experienced it myself. We then discoursed on many matters, and I
got a great deal of interesting fetish information out of the chief,
which was valuable to me, because the whole of this district had not
been in contact with white culture; and altogether I and the chief
became great friends.
Just when I was going in to have my much-desired tea, he brought me
his mother - an old lady, evidently very bright and able, but, poor
woman, with the most disgusting hand and arm I have ever seen. I am
ashamed to say I came very near being sympathetically sick in the
African manner on the spot. I felt I could not attend to it, and
have my tea afterwards, so I directed one of the canoe-shaped little
tubs, used for beating up the manioc in, to be brought and filled
with hot water, and then putting into it a heavy dose of Condy's
fluid, I made her sit down and lay the whole arm in it, and went and
had my tea.
