The National tribune., 1892-06-30

with the state vehicle it crumbled to pieces
and was at last Carried Off by the subjects, who
| wore huge bits of it about their necks for orna-
nents and thansed1 1.-THE foolish English who
| went to the expense Of concilia;ing savage
! who did not know enough to ride in n carriage
| which had been pEensEed for his pleasure.
MambO was another savage Solomon who
oncc gave audience TO Valdez, The explorer.
He sat on lot Of tiger skins, the tails OF
which radiated like tie spokes of a wheel. His
throne was STOOL covered with lion skin.
and in his dress he surpassed all the Kings OF
| Africa He wore on lis head bright scarlet
miter shaped like pyramid. and his forehead
was adorned with a diadem which contained
variety of jewels Over other parts OF his
| body were jewels and cowre shells, and when
fully arrayed ho fairly glistened in the sun
and dazzlcd the eyes of those who beheld him.
| Above the elbows the arms were ornamented
with bands of cloth four inches wide, which
had attached to them strips of skin with hair
hanging from each. No other person but his
| Primo MinisteT-it is curious that all these
wild monarchs have Prime Miusters-was per-
mitted to wear this badge OF rank.
The King was sheltered by several umbrellas,
which were varied in color. and formed splen-
did canopy over the royal person. All the time
these umbrellas were kept in motion by slaves.
oach of whom was also provided with tho tail
OF an antelope, which they moved to and fro for
| the purpose of preventing musketos from steal
| ing some kingly blood.
Day in and day out this was kept up, the old
King feeling highly pleased with his indolent
| life; but whenever he heard of the approach of
| some white traveller he would rouse himself,
polish up the insignias Of rank, and receive the
| paefaces with all the dignity of savage King
craft.
In southern Africa lived and ruled Shinte, a
King of whom DIR. Livingstone has left an in
tereSting account, for the great missionary OK
porer was once royalty entertained by him.
Shinte was a great man, probably the greatest
i'll that part Of the country, and it was right
that he should be surrounded with some dis
tinctive splendor.
DR.. Livingstone found him seated on sort
OF throne covered with leopard skin. He
had on at the time of the interview checked
jacket and kilt of scarlet baize, edged green.
Many strings of beads encrcled his neck, and
huge bands of iron and copper covered his
dusky limbs. His crown was helmet of beads
adorned with goose feathers and near him sat
three lads with bundles of arrows over their
shoulders
The court which Shnte kept was always
filled with gaily-dressed people. Lie was
usually surrounded by hundred women,
whose prevailing dress consisted of red baize.
His chief wife sat in front of him with red
cap on her head. Besides these people, there
were present in the Kings court number of
drummers and several pianists.
The royal drums are fashioned from the
trunks Of trees, with antelope hide stretched
across the ends. The piano is curiously made
from native woods, bent round, rs to resem-
bic half tho tire of carriage wheel. Across
this space are stretched wooden keys, with cal
abashes beneath them. These form sort of ho-
low sounding boards to the keys, and drum
sticks coax music from this outandish instru-
mcnt. Yet it is the heavenly music that
enlivcns Shintes Court, under which lie sinks
10 sleep after the affairs of state have been
passed upon with kingiy eclat.
Besides savage Kings there are Queens who
hold court with good deal of splendor in the
uncivilized lands Of the globe Bruce the cele-
brated African traveller, encountered one of
these female mOnarcls at home. Her name was
Sittima, or the Lady, and she held court in
Ahyssinia. When Bruce entered the palace
black laid hold of him, and led him to passage
with two doors at one end.
Presently these doors were thrown open and
the Semramis of Africa made her appearance.
1t is needless, from what follows, to say that
Capt Bruce was thunderstruck. Sittina was
gorgeously dressed. She might have been
compared to the Queen of Sheba as she ap-
pearcd TO Solomon fresh from the wonderful
Orient. On her head was dazzling gold crown,
hung round with sequiDs Her neck was en-.
circled with gold chains, and in her hair were
others which reached below her waist. Over
lier person was thrown a common white gar
ment but a purple silk stole hung gracefully
down her back. At her feet were solid gold
manacles, and her wrists were bracelets of
the same rich aud valuable material. She was
not illustrated in the least by the appearance of
the Englshman.
Bruce stepped forward and cavalierly kissed
her hand, the first white man to show her that
mark of respect. This so pleased Sittina that
she asked him if such was the custom among
white people, and on being answered in the af-
firmative, she admitted that her hand had never
been kissed before, and hinted rather strongly
that he had, TO her qualification, intyoduced a
new rule at her court.
Would my lady readers like to know what
this wild Queen looked like? Bruce describes
her as a woman Of 49, taller than the middle
size; bad very plump, round face, her mouth
rather large, very red lips, the finest teeth and
eyes he had ever seen but at the top of her
nose and between her eyebrows she had a small
speck made of antimony, four cornered, and of
the size of the smallest patches formerly worn
by ladies Of fashion; another rather longer,
upon the top of her nose and one on the mid
die of the chin.
On another occasion Bruce witnessed the
greasing Of the King of Scnaar. The old saw
age was taken into hut. where he was Off.
cially creased with elephant grease by one of
his household, his valet probably. This was
done to make the King strong after which he
the smell Of the grease, when he put on his
royal robes-a swailow-tail coat, stove-pipe
hat and one dlapidated shoe. Robed thus he
ascended the throne" and dispensed the hos
pitalities of the palace.
OF the many coronation ceremonies in vogue
among savage Kings none is stranger than that
which prevails among the Mpongwe, on the
Gaboon River. The new King is generally
chosen in secret session by the chief men of the
nation and the lucky man does not know Of
his fortune until the seventh day after the dead
monarch's funeral. He is suddenly pounced
upon by nearly everybody, who heap upon him
all manner Of abuse. He is pelted with mud
and even stones, and everyone shouts: "You
are not our King yet! while he is being peted
from pillar to post. The future subjects of the
King make life burden to him for some time.
At last this ceremony ceases as suddenly as it
began and the mud. .bespattered, bleeding and
weakened savage is dragged to the house of his
predecessor where the crown-which consists
of an old hat with feather stuck in its
brought forth, and he is invested with it amid
general rejocings.
Some Of these savage monarchs have fashion
of painting their bodies until they look like
demons. The King of the Fans is noted for
his taste in dress W. we'll as for the gorgeous
colors with whch ne paints the royal anatomy.
His entire body IL painted red, with here and
there stripes of black and yellow. AS the
leopard is regarded as d royal animal, he wears
a girdle of leopard skin with tho tail hanging
down behind. He f9ads his ankles with brass
waddles, and the red touraco furnishes his
hno6 -drnoo