His feet were monstrous abortions, with soles as hard as hoofs, and his legs as high up as the knees were plastered with successive strata of dirt; his loin-cover or the queer “girding tackle” need not be described. They were absolutely appalling to good taste, and the most ragged British beggar or Neapolitan lazzarone is sumptuously, nay, regally, clothed in comparison to this “king” in Uhombo. If the old chief appeared so unprepossessing, how can I paint without offence my humbler brothers and sisters who stood round us? As I looked at the array of faces, I could only comment to myself—ugly—uglier—ugliest. As I looked at their nude and filthy bodies, and the enormous dugs which hung down the bosoms of the women, and the general indecency of their nakedness, I ejaculated “Fearful!” as the sum total of what I might with propriety say, and what indeed is sufficiently descriptive. And what shall I say of the hideous and queer appendages that they wear about their waists; the tags of monkey-skin and bits of gorilla bone, goat horn, shells, strange tags to stranger tackle? and of the things around their necks—brain of mice, skin of viper, “adder’s fork, and blind worm’s sting”? And how strangely they smell, all these queer man- like creatures who stand regarding me! Not silently: on the contrary, there is a loud interchange of comments upon the white’s appearance, a manifestation of broad interest to know whence I come, whither I am going, and what is my business. And no sooner are the questions asked than they are replied to by such as pretend to know. The replies were followed by long-drawn ejaculations of “Wa-a-a-antu!” (“Men!”) “Eha-a, and these are men!” Now imagine this! While we whites are loftily disputing among ourselves as to whether the beings before us are human, here were these creatures actually expressing strong doubts as to whether we whites are men! A dead silence prevailed for a short time, during which all the females dropped their lower jaws far down, and then cried out again “Wa-a-a-a-a- antu!” (“Men!”) The lower jaws indeed dropped so low that, when, in a posture of reflection, they put their hands up to their chins, it really looked as if they had done so to lift the jaws up to their proper place and to sustain them there. And in that position they pondered upon the fact that there were men “white all over” in this queer, queer world! The open mouths gave one a chance to note the healthy state and ruby colour of the tongues, palates, and gums, and, above all, the admirable order and brilliant whiteness of each set of teeth.