256 WHERE LIVES PRIMITIVE MAN yielding to no effort of friendliness. A third wandered aimlessly about, approaching repeatedly with the palms of his hands outstretched, and continually giving vent to some desire which even Belal failed to discover, and ended by saying " Magnun " (Mad).

Here the people were by no means so well fed as they were farther up-river, and showed correspondingly greater desire to trade, also explaining by signs in unmistakable manner that they were hungry, which of course is not necessarily worthy of credit ! They were joined, as a last demonstration of belief in security, by unmarried maidens and the younger of the married women. The former often shuddered when they first saw their faces in a looking-glass—shuddered sometimes without too much reason—jumped out of their skins (which was all that they had to jump out of) when they saw a match struck, and felt passing rich with a handful of the white beads {niaow), which their feminine hearts craved for.

The looking-glass proved an immediate introduction to good-will, and its reputation evidently was bruited far and wide, for as days went on many came round, and it was obvious, from signs as they talked to the initiated, that it had been the subject of prior conversation. All the old scenes with the earlier visitors were faithfully re-enacted with later arrivals. Conceited " mere man " will be forgiven for saying that the truly remarkable fact was exhibited that the men showed themselves vastly