the regent yet refused to meet with the tswana directly , an attempt at preserving his royal dignities , and delegated the conference to several of his noblemen headed by one dom soares da camara , a gentleman who spoke proudly of holding some thousand men , women , and children as chattel ; and meanwhile the tswana general mogotsi who had charge of their forces bore rather a contemptuous look when he came into the main fortification at paraty , which was too small to have allowed the entrance of dragons .