e judged them--rightly, as it
afterward turned out--to be chiefs.

But since the king was seated in the exact centre of the great square,
there was still a space of nearly four hundred and fifty yards
separating us when I passed through the line of warriors; therefore, for
the moment, I could only take in the general effect of the group, and
very imposing it was. For, with the exception of some half a dozen
elders, every one of those chiefs was in the very prime of life, ringed
of course, standing fully six feet in height, each one of them bearing
the scars of many battles--as I perceived when I drew near--and
evidently men who knew not the meaning of the word fear. And in every
respect worthy of them was their king, whom, as I approached, I saw to
be a man apparently of about thirty-five to forty years of age,
splendidly proportioned, and probably quite as tall as the tallest of
his chiefs, although I could only judge his height approximately, since
he was sitting down. Unlike his warriors, however, he was naked, save
for the usual mucha or apron of monkeys' tails round his loins, and a
superb leopard-skin kaross over his shoulders; and he was also unarmed,
save for a bangwan or stabbing spear with an enormous blade, which he
held carelessly across his knees as I approached. But I did not like
the expression of his countenance, or indeed that of any of the Mashona,
which seemed to me to be compounded of craftiness, treachery, and
ferocious cruelty. Moreover, His Majesty seemed to be in anything but a
good humour--perhaps I had kept him waiting rather too long; for as I
approached near enough to note the expression upon his features I
observed that his brows were contracted into a heavy frown, and there
was a certain glitter in his eyes that I by no means liked. However, if
he chanced to be striving to daunt me by his scowling looks it was
important that he should be made to understand that he had by no means
succeeded; therefore, walking slowly and with all the dignity I could
assume, I marched straight up to him, and, looking him fearlessly in the
eyes, halted about ten feet from him, and, giving him a military salute,
remarked, in the Bantu tongue:

"Greeting, Lomalindela, King and Lord of the Mashona! I, Edward
Laurence, one of the mighty English race, salute thee!"

"I see thee, white man of the unpronounceable name," answered the king
somewhat ungraciously. "Ye desired audience of me, and I have given it