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Rh were regarding his singular appearance in silent wonderment. The spectators were partially covered by opossum rugs, and the portions of their bodies which were exposed were rudely painted with a white substance, the effect of which upon the black ground struck the new comers as peculiarly hideous.

One of the natives, a young man who had bisected his body by a broad white line and dotted himself according to the latest fashion on all parts of his body, came towards the dray, made an obeisance to the white men, and said,—

"Dat your white man sit down dere?"

"Yes:" said Hugh.

"Tick—dat fellow" said Benbo, giving an explanation of his meaning by signs, which Hugh translated into "sick."

"No."

"Drunk?"

"No."

Hugh noticed a brass plate with an inscription dangling from the neck of the black fellow, and was regarding it attentively, when the wearer said —

"What name me?"

said Hugh, reading it on the brass plate.

"Yock-ki, clever, white man:—me Benbo:—me like white man, and tea, and sugar, and bacca, and bread—all berry good. What name you?" inquired Benbo of Hugh.

"Raymond."

"Eigh—Mitter Ramon—berry good name dat."

"Name you? " said Benbo, addressing Slinger.

"Slinger."

"Telinger—Mitter Telinger," stuttered Benbo in a vain effort to pronounce the s, and producing a sound something