or four
herdsmen and innumerable small boys seemed to be in charge. Occasionally
we met a real chief or headman of a village, distinguished by the
fact that he or a servant carried a small wooden stool. With these
dignitaries we always stopped to exchange friendly words.

These comprised the travelling public. The resident public also showed
itself quite in evidence. Once our retainers had become sufficiently
numerous to inspire confidence, the jungle people no longer hid. On
the contrary, they came out to the very edge of the track to exchange
greetings. They were very good-natured, exceedingly well-formed, and
quite jocular with our boys. Especially did our suave and elegant Simba
sparkle. This resident public, called from its daily labours and duties,
did not always show as gaudy a make-up as did the dressed-up travelling
public. Banana leaves were popular wear, and seemed to us at once pretty
and fresh. To be sure some had rather withered away; but even wool will
shrink. We saw some grass skirts, like the Sunday-school pictures.

At noon we stopped under a tree by a little stream for lunch. Before
long a dozen women were lined up in front of us staring at Billy with
all their might. She nodded and smiled at them. Thereupon they sent
one of their number away. The messenger returned after a few moments
carrying a bunch of the small eating bananas which she laid at our feet.
Billy fished some beads out of her saddle bags, and presented them.
Friendly relations having been thus fully established, two or three of
the women scurried hastily away, to return a few moments later each with
her small child. To these infants they carefully and earnestly pointed
out Billy and her wonders, talking in a tongue unknown to us. The
admonition undoubtedly ran something like this:

"Now, my child, look well at this: for when you get to be a very old
person you will be able to look back at the day when with your own
eyes you beheld a white woman. See all the strange things she wears-and
HASN'T she a funny face?"

We offered these bung-eyed and totally naked youngsters various bribes
in the way of beads, the tinfoil from chocolate, and even a small piece
of the chocolate itself. Most of them howled and hid their faces against
their mothers. The mothers looked scandalized, and hypocritically
astounded, and mortified.

They made remarks, still in an unknown language, but which much past
experience enabled me to translate very readily: