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38 what part of Africa," asked he, "did your grandmother come?" As this was a point on which I possessed no information, I could not give him a satisfactory answer. He remained silent for a short time, and at last said: "How can I tell but that you are of my own kindred, for many of my ancestors were taken and sold away." From that day he called me relative, and of course as every other African had as good a claim to kindredship, I soon found myself generally greeted as such.

Adjoining the American Baptist Mission Station, at which we sojourned while at Abbeokuta, is the compound of the chief Atambala. Less powerful and wealthy than his colleagues, he is still a very important personage in the councils of the nation, chiefly on account of his cunning. Every important mission re-quiring the exercise of such characteristic, is intrusted to him, and it is seldom that he fails: he is also a great orator. In personal appearance he is tall, but not as stout as the other chiefs spoken of above, and although fully eighty years old, he maintains much youthful vigor and comeliness. I am indebted to him for many kind offices. There are the names of three other chiefs attached to our treaty, but my acquaintance with them arose from only a single interview, and I am therefore unable to speak of them. I might, however, be permitted to mention that at our