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mealie cobs daintily served on wooden platters, and presented them to
us with deep obeisances.

We ate and drank, and then, the beds having been all moved into one
hut by our request, a precaution at which the amiable young ladies
smiled, we flung ourselves down to sleep, thoroughly wearied with our
long journey.

When we woke it was to find the sun high in the heavens, and the
female attendants, who did not seem to be troubled by any false shame,
already standing inside the hut, having been ordered to attend and
help us to "make ready."

"Make ready, indeed," growled Good; "when one has only a flannel shirt
and a pair of boots, that does not take long. I wish you would ask
them for my trousers, Quatermain."

I asked accordingly, but was informed that these sacred relics had
already been taken to the king, who would see us in the forenoon.

Somewhat to their astonishment and disappointment, having requested
the young ladies to step outside, we proceeded to make the best toilet
of which the circumstances admitted. Good even went the length of
again shaving the right side of his face; the left, on which now
appeared a very fair crop of whiskers, we impressed upon him he must
on no account touch. As for ourselves, we were contented with a good
wash and combing our hair. Sir Henry's yellow locks were now almost
upon his shoulders, and he looked more like an ancient Dane than ever,
while my grizzled scrub was fully an inch long, instead of half an
inch, which in a general way I considered my maximum length.

By the time that we had eaten our breakfast, and smoked a pipe, a
message was brought to us by no less a personage than Infadoos himself
that Twala the king was ready to see us, if we would be pleased to
come.

We remarked in reply that we should prefer to wait till the sun was a
little higher, we were yet weary with our journey, &c., &c. It is
always well, when dealing with uncivilised people, not to be in too
great a hurry. They are apt to mistake politeness for awe or
servility. So, although we were quite as anxious to see Twala as Twala
could be to see us, we sat down and waited for an hour, employing the
interval in preparing such presents as our slender stock of goods
permitted--namely, the Winchester rifle which had been used by poor
Ventvoegel, and some beads. The rifle and ammunition we determined to
present to his royal highness, and the beads were for his wives and
courtiers. We had already given a few to Infadoos and Scragga, and
found that they were delighted with them, never having seen such
things before. At length we declared that we were ready, and guided by
Infadoos, started off to the audience, Umbopa carrying the rifle and
beads.

After walking a few hundred yards we came to an enclosure, something
like that surrounding the huts which had been allotted to us, only
fifty times as big, for it could not have covered less than six or
seven acres of ground.

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