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ciiap. x. PRESENTS FROM PRINCES AT THE CAPITAL. 259 a servant to Captain Underwood, secretary to the late Lord Charles Somerset, the governor; but that many years ago he had returned to his native country, and had since, in the ca pacity of guide and interpreter, accompanied many foreigners from the coast to the capital. He said the present was the best season for making the journey, and that I need not be apprehensive of the fever. I was sorry to find afterwards that habits of drinking rendered my guide incapable of afford ing us much assistance. During the day I had many applications for medicine, and for books, dictionaries, spelling-books, &e.; and in the after noon four or five chiefs, arrayed in the large white lamba of the Hovas, came to my house. They were attended by a number of dependents, some of whom led an ox, while others brought turkeys and other poultry, with bags of rice, and other provisions, which they said they had been directed by their superiors residing at the capital to present to Mr. Cameron and myself on our arrival, but that as I alone had come, they had brought them for my acceptance. Through the medium of the interpreter, I thanked them for their kind ness, and begged them to convey to the princes at the capital my grateful acknowledgments. One of the chiefs handed me a letter, which, on reading it afterwards, I found to be from the prince royal and his cousin, expressing the pleasure with which they anticipated our arrival, and informing us that they had directed the present to be given to us as an expression of their regard. As the guide intimated that the ox was intended as provi sion during the journey, it was, at his recommendation, killed the same evening, and salt provided for curing it; but long before our departure it had all disappeared. Towards even ing two soldiers were stationed at my house, for the avowed purpose of preventing any of my packages being stolen, and from this time one or two soldiers were always in the house. s 2