hiefs, are merry with intoxication. As well
as I can understand, during the earlier part of the day they were
engaged in a solemn, religious observance, and since then King Forday
has publicly abdicated in favour of Boy, who is his eldest son. I
discovered those individuals in a court annexed to the habitation of
the former, surrounded by a great number of individuals with bottles,
glasses, and decanters at their feet; they were all in a state of
drunkenness, more or less; and all had their faces and bodies chalked
over in rude and various characters. Forday, alone, sat in a chair,
Boy was at his side, and the others, amongst whom was our friend Gun
and a drummer, were sitting around on blocks of wood, and on the
trunk of a fallen tree. The chairman delivered a long oration, but he
was too tipsy, and perhaps too full of days to speak with grace,
animation, or power; therefore his eloquence was not very persuasive,
and his nodding hearers, overcome with drowsiness, listened to him
with scarcely any attention. They smiled, however, and laughed
occasionally, but I could not find why they did so; I don't think
they themselves could tell. The old chief wore an English superfine
beaver hat, and an old jacket, that once belonged to a private
soldier, but the latter was so small that he was able only to thrust
an arm into one of the sleeves, the other part of the jacket being
thrown upon his left shoulder. These, with the addition of a cotton
handkerchief, which was tied round his waist, were his only apparel.
By far the most showy and conspicuous object in the yard, was an
immense umbrella, made of figured cotton of different patterns, with
a deep fringe of coloured worsted, which was stuck into the ground.
But even this was tattered and torn, and dirty withal, having been in
Forday's possession for many years, and it is only used on public and
sacred occasions. I had been sitting amongst the revellers till the
speaker had finished his harangue, when I embraced the opportunity,
as they were about to separate, of entreating King Boy to hasten our
departure for the vessel. He was highly excited and elated with
liquor, and being in excellent temper, he promised to take us
to-morrow.

"It required little time on the following day, to take leave of a few
friends we have at Brass, and we quitted the town not only without
regret, but with emotions of peculiar pleasure. King Boy, with three
of his women, and his suite in a large cano