HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT 133

leaves of a forest plant in a great cauldron to make
a dark-blue dye. The smell of the cauldron, the
pressure of the crowd fingering my sleeves and the
cloth of my trousers, the necessity of keeping my face
fixed in a bright cheerful interested mask made me
feel weak and ill. There seemed no end to the parade
of industry. It was a tiny plateau, not much larger
than the Round Pond; wherever I looked, between
the shoulders of the crowd, I saw the huts give way
to trees, and above the trees the high forested ridge of
the Pandemai hills; but in the hot stuffy evening it
seemed as endless as a maze of which one doesn't
know the clue.

Two women sat on the ground smoothing out
cotton as it came from the pods; a group of women
were extracting the thick yellow oil out of the palm
nuts; another weaver. .... At last we were back at
our hut; the chairs and tables were out; and another
present arrived from the chief—a kid; it escaped and
led a howling chase between the huts before it was
brought back and tethered. My cousin went to bed,
couldn't stand the thought of food, and I had my
very English meal alone, sardines on toast, a steam-
ing hot steak and kidney pudding, a sweet omelette
washed down with whisky and orange. I was only
half-way through the second course when Peter
Bonoh put his head through the screen to say his
father was outside, and there the old chief was, sitting
in his chair at the entrance in his tea-gown and
turban. He had brought an orchestra with him and
all through dinner they played their monotonous
tinkling tones. The chief hadn't anything to say; he
$at there quite proud and happy and ignored,