III.

Such was this Tangi—such "The Wailing Sea;"
 Of form almost gigantic he—
Bull-necked, square jawed, firm-lipped, bold-eyed, broad-browed,
His looks proclaimed his character aloud:
And when he stood forth in full height and pride
In flowing vest of silky flax, undyed,
But crimson-spotted with round knobs of wool,
Black points of cord, alternate, hanging free;
And o'er it, down to the brown ancles bare
A mantle of white wild-dog fur well-dressed,
Its skirt's broad rim tan-hued; his snowy hair
Crowned with a jet-black crest
page 94 Of hoopoe-feathers stuck upright,
Their tips a crescent of pure white;
And In his hand, to order with or smite,
The greenstone baton broad of war or rule,
Green, smooth and oval as a cactus leaf-
Did he not look, aye, every inch a Chief?
Did not each glance and gesture stamp him then,
Self-heralded a God-made King of Men?