FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   627   628   629   630   631   632   633   634   635   636   637   638   639   640   641   642   643   644   645   646   647   648   649   650   651  
652   653   654   655   656   657   658   659   660   661   662   663   664   665   666   667   668   669   670   671   672   673   674   675   676   >>   >|  
t I immediately checked the ill-natured construction, which I had put on her looks, and accused myself of injustice. For though, said I to myself, Adizzetta, poor simple savage, may be as fond of admiration as her white sisters in more civilized lands, yet her thoughts, for aught I know, might have been very remote from vanity or self-love. However, that she smiled I am quite certain, and very prettily too, for I saw a circling dimple, radiating upon her full, round cheek, which terminated in a momentary gleam of animation, and illuminate her dark languishing eye, like a flash of light; and what could all this mean I had forgotten to say that the person of Obie's daughter is tattooed in various parts, but the incisions or rather lacerations are irregular and unseemly. Her bosom in particular bears evident marks of the cutting and gashing, which it had received when Adizzetta was a child, for the wounds having badly healed, the skin over them is risen a full half inch above the natural surface. By the side of each eye, near the temple vein, a representation of the point of an arrow is alone formed with tolerable accuracy. They look a though indigo had been inserted into the flesh with a needle, and by this peculiarity, with which every female face is impressed, the Eboe women are distinguished from their neighbours and surrounding tribes. "Before breakfast, Adizzetta was employed above an hour in cleaning and polishing her teeth, by rubbing them with the fibrous roots of a certain shrub or tree, which are much esteemed, and generally used for the purpose in her own country, as well as in the more interior parts. A great part of the day is consumed by many thousands of individuals in this amusing occupation, and to this cause, the brilliant whiteness of their teeth, for which Africans, generally speaking, are remarkable, may be attributed." Such is Lander's description of an African beauty, and that beauty a queen. About ten in the morning, a mess of fish, boiled with yams and plantains, was produced for breakfast. As King Boy was fearful that the presence of the Landers might incommode the lady, they were desired to move farther back, that she might eat with additional confidence and comfort, for alas! they were not placed on an equality with Adizzetta and her kingly spouse. When they had breakfasted and swallowed a calabash of water from the stream, the Landers were served with a plateful, and afterwards the boat's
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   627   628   629   630   631   632   633   634   635   636   637   638   639   640   641   642   643   644   645   646   647   648   649   650   651  
652   653   654   655   656   657   658   659   660   661   662   663   664   665   666   667   668   669   670   671   672   673   674   675   676   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Adizzetta
 

beauty

 

Landers

 

breakfast

 

generally

 

esteemed

 
purpose
 

country

 

interior

 

indigo


inserted
 

consumed

 

polishing

 
surrounding
 
tribes
 
Before
 

neighbours

 
female
 

distinguished

 

thousands


peculiarity

 

fibrous

 

rubbing

 

impressed

 

employed

 
cleaning
 

needle

 
confidence
 

additional

 

comfort


incommode

 

desired

 

farther

 

equality

 
served
 

stream

 
plateful
 

calabash

 

spouse

 

kingly


breakfasted

 

swallowed

 

presence

 
fearful
 

attributed

 
remarkable
 
Lander
 

description

 
speaking
 
Africans