LAUGHABLE SIGHT. 227 



with muskets, (three of which were minus their 

 locks,) accompanied also by his chief men and a 

 number of Mahommedan mallams. The king 

 graciously shook hands with me, and asked me 

 with a smile of satisfaction, if ever I had seen in 

 my own country such a sight as this ; I answered 

 him with great sincerity, that I never had ; for 

 certainly the wildest conceit of Ducrow never 

 approximated in the slightest degree to the 

 figure and appearance of his sable majesty and 

 his companions. Their clothes were all stuffed 

 so as to make them appear of an enormous size, 

 and their horses being small seemed so com- 

 pletely overladen, that if I had not been aware 

 of the want of solidity in their burthens, I 

 should have wondered at their lively prancing 

 under their apparently enormous riders. 



I took the lead in my hammock, and after 

 proceeding about a mile and a half from the 

 palace, we halted under a magnificent wild cot- 

 ton-tree, in the shade of which the king and his 

 courtiers seated themselves. The whole scene 

 was novel and inspiring ; the walls of the town 

 were crowded with spectators, and the road lead- 

 ing to the town was lined with an immense 

 multitude of persons. The sport commenced 



Q 2 



