4 UGANDA AND THE EGYPTIAN SOUDAN.

served a strict silence, so that we had a good opportunity of looking round and noting the appearance \ of the king and his chiefs. Place cm roi ! On ; a rich carpet lay Mtesa, supporting himself on his ) right arm on spotless linen cushions. He is a very fine man, about six feet high, and of well-proportioned build. He has a well-formed oval face, the deeply marked lines and the expression of which show to the close observer that he is a great sufferer ; while his large languid eyes, though usually dull, at times light up with a good deal of fire, as anger or pleasure causes him to express emotion.

' He was clad in a becoming Arab dress, richly embroidered with gold and silver braid; his head was covered with a tarboosh ; and in front of him lay a large jewelled sword, with the hilt of which his long nervous hand played. So much for the king; now for the officers of state. They were all attired in Arab garments ; a few wore tarbooshes, but for the most part they afi'ected the small Zanzibar cap, or a head-dress made of white linen cloth, tied up into fantastic shapes, by- no means unlike the napkins on an English dinner-table. Each of them held in his hand a native stick.

Near the door sat a few Arab half-breeds, an illlooking set of fellows, who watched the reception of the newly arrived Englishmen with marked disgust.

We had had time to observe our surroundinifs