Identifier: travelsadventure00thom (find matches)
Title: Travels and adventures in southern Africa
Year: 1827 (1820s)
Authors: Thompson, George
Subjects:
Publisher: (London H. Colburn)
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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they greatly admiredthe black hair and flowing beard of Mr. Moffat. Public intimation had been issued by the king this morning, that a greatcouncil, or convocation, would be held next day, to deliberate on the measuresto be pursued in consequence of the approach of the Mantatees ; and messen-gers had been dispatched to all the neighbouring towns and stations underMateebes Government, to call the people to this important assembly, (orPeetsho, as it is termed in their language,)—at which matters involving thevery existence of their nation were to be discussed. I could not help con-gratulating myself on being so fortunate as to have made my visit at a periodso eventful, when the real character of this interesting tribe was likely to beso distinctly manifested. The critical situation of their public affairs did not, however, prevent mefrom being followed wherever I went, by crowds of the lower classes, impor-tunately begging for snuff, which, of all luxuries, appeared to be the one most
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PEC 1.0. VISIT FROM KING MATEEsfe.—THE MISSIONARIES. 97 prized by them; and in the use of which, indeed, they are very extravagant,drawing it up into their nostrils in large quantities, by means of an iron tube,or with a little ivory spoon, which most of them carry suspended fi-om theirnecks for that purpose. At dinner the king joined us at Mr. Moffats without any invitation, andpartook of our fare, seated upon a skin, on the floor, our mode of sittingbeing unpleasant and uneasy to him. Mateebe is an elderly person, about fivefeet seven inches in height, but not nearly so fine a looking man, or of soprepossessing an aspect, as many of his countrymen. The mode of addressamong them, I observed, was full of ceremony, and not less so among theinferior chiefs to one another, than when they addressed the king. The in-terpreter, when he spoke to Mateeb^, commenced by saying, I speak to thefather of Peclu; and any of them addressing Mr. Moffat, used to say, Ispeak to the father of Mary. In

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