Late In The Evening, The Governor Of The Village Returned From His Labour In The Fields, And Presented Them With Corn And Honey.

On the forenoon of Friday the 28th, the musical jingling of little bells announced the approach of a body

Of horsemen, who in less than a minute galloped up to their hut, and saluted them one after another with a martial air, by brandishing their spears, to their great discomfiture, within a few feet of their faces. To display their horsemanship more effectually, they caused their spirited steeds to prance and rear in their presence, and when they imagined they were convinced of their abilities, they dismounted to prostrate themselves before them, and acquainted them of the welfare of their prince. The carriers who had arrived from Kiama, had preceded them on the road, and the whole of the men then sat down to partake of a little refreshment. It was twelve o'clock exactly when they set out on their journey, and the day being so far advanced, they wished to make all the haste possible, but the weather was extremely warm, and their horses were hardly strong enough to carry their riders, so that they were obliged after all to travel very slowly. At five o'clock in the afternoon, they reached the ruins of a small town. The path was through the same forest as they had travelled through on the preceding day, but this part of it was less thickly wooded. At one place they remarked two immensely large trees, springing up almost close together, their mighty trunks and branches were twisted, and firmly clasped round each other, like giants in the act of embracing, and presented an appearance highly novel and singular. Ant hills were numerous on the road; and a few paces from it, they observed, as they rode along, little cone-shaped mud buildings, erected by the natives for the purpose of smelting iron ore, which is found in abundance in different parts of the country.

At sunset they arrived at a village called Benikenny, which means in the language of the people, (a cunning man;) and they found there three women waiting their arrival, with corn and milk from the king of Kiama: this was very acceptable, for they had been without food for thirteen hours. They rested at Benikenny a little while, and fully expected to have slept there, for the afternoon had been excessively warm, and they were all much fatigued. It appears, however, that their armed escort were not in the same way of thinking as themselves, and they encouraged them to proceed to another village, which they said was at no great distance. They, therefore, quitted Benikenny, yet no village could be seen, and then the escort confessed that they had deceived them, in order that they might arrive at Kiama before night. The sun had gone down on their quitting the halting place, but the moon and stars supplied them with a cooler and more agreeable light, and they journeyed on through the forest more slowly than before.

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