A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed BeforeDefoe, Daniel
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A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories; Voyages around the world -- Fiction
She was so surprised at the sight, that she knew not how to contain
herself; but, to show her gratitude, she pulled out another plate of
gold out of her own hair, and gave it to our officer; and, not content
with that, she sent one of her women to the crowd of females who first
attended her, and whether she stripped them of all the gold they had, or
only a part, she brought so many pieces, that, when together, they
weighed almost two pounds.
When she was thus dressed she stepped forward very nimbly and gracefully
towards the king, to show him what she had got; and, finding he was
dressed as fine as herself, they had work enough for near two hours to
look at one another, and admire their new ornaments.
Our men reported, that the king was a tall, well-shaped man, of a very
majestic deportment, only that when he laughed he showed his teeth too
much, which, however, were as white as ivory: as for the queen, saving
that her skin was of a tawny colour, she was a very pretty woman; very
tall, a sweet countenance, admirable features, and, in a word, a
complete handsome lady.
She was very oddly dressed; she was quite naked from her head to below
her breasts; her breasts were plump and round, not flaggy and hanging
down, as it generally is with the Indian women, some of whose breasts
hang as low as their bellies, but projecting as beautifully as if they
had been laced up with stays round her body; and below her breast she
had a broad piece of a skin of some curious creature, spotted like a
leopard, probably of some fine spotted deer. This was wrapped round her
very tight, like a body-girt to a horse; and under this she had a kind
of petticoat, as before described, hanging down to her ankles. As for
shoes or stockings, they were only such as nature had furnished. Her
hair was black, and, as supposed, very long, being wreathed up and
twisted in long locks about the plate of gold she wore; for when she
pulled off the plate above mentioned, it hung down her back and upon her
shoulders very gracefully; but it seems she did not think so, for, as
soon as she found it so fallen down, she caused one of her women to roll
it up, and tie it in a great knot which hung down in her neck, and did
not look so well as when it was loose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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