Daily camera. [volume] (Boulder, Colo.) 1891-1928, 1900-05-28
QUEER AFRICAN CHEF.
Dusky Monarch Who Takes All the
Lion Skins and Has . Hundred
Dusky Wives.

C1rcular shape. only Inuch larger tHAn
the other ones around it. When enter
ing the outer Enclosure the people
shout out "Bveti" 1.-THE roval salute),
and when crawling into the hut. the
entrance to which is only some two
and half feet high the same saluta-
ton is repeated. When I entered the
hut first I could not distinguish any
thing until my eyes got used to the
darkness. Then I discovered that
there were some Is people sitting on
the ground. while in the center, on a
little heap of cloth, was seated an old
man clad in dirty flannel shirt. and
with some cheap print around his loins.
This, says a writer in the British Cen
trail African Gazette, was the great
Mpeseni!
sat down on the cushion I had
brought with me for that purpose.
and. according to the usual custom.
waited until he should address me with
the usual "Ndiona inu" n see von}.
For fully five minutes nobody smoke a
word: all the while he was staring at
me with his BIG rlnrir" eves--a stare
which 7 returned. and then. at last.
he addressed me with the above men
toned words. whcreupon r"n'icd:
"Ndiona bamba" Il see you. f"ther\.
Anyhow. it had taken him a lor" time
to discover me in spite of nv six feet
six inches. but I was told that this is
his usual way: to stare at his visitors
for long time and try to stare them
out l then brought forth my 'milan-
du," telling him that Chuaula, whom
his men had raided, was a friend of
mine, and | wanted to ask hin! to re-
lease the prisoners. This he y omiscd
to do, and messengers were dispatched
at once to call the induna who had sent
the party raiding. Also men were
sent to call in the other chief, whose
raiding party to Chinundo l had in
tercepted.
Mpeseni speaks, or, at any rate, un-
derstands, Chikunda and Chinyanja
very we'll, and l could converse with
him without an interpreter. The day
of my arrival a lion had been killed
by his men, and the skin had been
brought to him, as the law prescribes.
In his hut l noticed at least dozen
lion skins, and was told that nobody
in the country except himself is al
lowed to keep one. At night they are
spread out and form his bed. Though
Mpeseni is between 60 and 70 years
old he is still hale and hearty. On the
second day he made me a present in
the shape of COW, and | then sent
him some cloth. In my tent was al
ways molested by his people, who came
to beg, but they were not very success
full. Mpeseni has been spoiled by Law
ish giving of presents.
A white man in Mpeseni's country
is little respected. They will enter
your tent, sit down, get hold of any
thing they fancy and say: "Make me
present of it, my FRIEND and not unit,
| had treated one of my ''fliencs'
somewhat cavalierly and sent him fly
ing out of my tent in spite of his wax
crown (Which signifed him as an i'll
duna) was l LETT in peace. If one were
to attempt to satisfy all the wants Of
Mpeseni's wives one would soon be-
come bankrupt, as he has 100 or more,
and they all come to beg. The king
las | have heard him calied) is the
worst of the lot as regards begging.
During my stay at least twice eNely
day he sent and asked me to make
him present of one of my guns, and
as other people have given him gun
and revolver he was rather disappoint-
ed to find me so obstinate.
When, after four days waiting, the
two aforementioned indunas did not
turn up, although Mpeseni had sent
repeatedly for them, | went myself.
Mpeseli is really dummy, and his
indunas do whatever they like. "Chi-
peta country he said, 81 have con-
quered long before the white men ever
came to the lake. What right had
they?" "What right had your | asked.
sin Asenga, Ulala, Bisa and Achewa
country?' "Oh, l was the stronger.
Does not lion kill the game?' he said.
"And does not the white man kill the
lion when provoked?' was my reply,
with silence on his part.
Truly royal manners prevail at
Mpeseni's court. In his hut the peo-
pie do not spit on the ground, but
against the mud-plastered wall, and
carefully rub it out with the hand.
Only Mpeseni himself enjoys the priv
lege of using kind of brush for this
delicate ceremony. The walls of the
hut through the long usage Of years
are perfectly glazed now and polished.
Ill Mo-