INVITATION FIIOM THE KING. 81 



charms upon. Some other Arabs were also going 

 to Timbuctoo, which is represented to be ten 

 or fifteen days' journey (nearly five hundred 

 miles) from Rabbah, and not situate on the banks 

 of the Niger, but about twenty miles inland. 

 A channel of the Niger, we are told, runs be- 

 fore the town, and rejoins the main river a little 

 below it. 



Bashere, who calls me Ras Kabul, or Doctor, 

 frequently came on board. He was labouring 

 under consumption : I frequently administered 

 medicine to him, as well as to many other Arabs, 

 and they all appeared to place great confidence 

 in whatever I prescribed for them. We were 

 told to-day, that there were two or three camels 

 in the town, two live ostriches, and a great num- 

 ber of jackasses for sale. 



On Tuesday, 1st of October, the king again 

 sent a messenger, inviting us to go on shore and 

 take some goods with us for his inspection, add- 

 ing that we might be assured that he was our 

 friend. 



In the evening we visited the old King of 

 Zagoshie. He had been indisposed, and I gave 

 him some medicine, which relieved him. He 

 sent for two large pots of beer, and (as is cus- 



VOL. II. G 



