Page:Travels in West Africa, Congo Français, Corisco and Cameroons (IA travelsinwestafr00kingrich).pdf/58

 attained a size more in keeping with the coal period than with the nineteenth century. That unhappy furniture! Ilow it suffers! From everything save one noble old gilt chair with the arms of Denmark embroidered on its throne-like form which is apparently acclimatised, the veneer hung in strips, as if each article had been trying to throw its clothes off to get cooler.

The looking-glasses, too, were in a sorry plight. You only saw yourself in sections in them. A dangerous thing, I should imagine, for shaving operations, just to be able to dimly catch sight of the top of your head, one eye, a portion of your nose, and a bit of shirt front. One member of the Government, I observed, was considerably done up with sticking-plaster round the jaw, which I mentally put down to a shaky hand, until I had trouble with my back hair with those governmental mirrors. One must never judge a fellow creature unkindly, especially on the Gold Coast.

Along the front of the living-rooms facing the sea is a single immense verandah. This is the place for social gatherings, and after dinner the ladies arrange themselves in a hard and fast row on chairs, while the gentlemen hang round about and talk. Conversation is carried on under difficulties, because of the ceaseless roar of the surf. In the middle of January I found conversation with a new-comer consisted of "You should have been here last week." "Eh?" "You should have been here last week when we had the races (f)." "Oh! you have a race-meeting? (m.f)." "Yes, we have a regular race-course, you know (ff)." Then details regarding the races which you don't quite catch, but you say "Indeed," "Really though!" "That must have been very nice," at random, and get regarded as being sympathetic, and are rewarded with more details. Another individual, whose name you do not catch, is introduced. He says something. You say "Eh?" He says, "You should have been here last week when we had our races (ff)." Then come the details as before, and so on, da capo, throughout the evening. The other subjects of conversation with which one had to deal during meals relate to the new cathedral and Ashanti affairs. You of course know about the cathedral, and you ought to know about Ashanti affairs, and