92 CONCEALMENT OF THE DEATH OF KINGS. 



ready to catch her. I recollect watching about 

 twenty Felatah girls, with Lieutenant Allen, 

 at this amusement, and we were both much 

 pleased with their innocent ways. The natives 

 all play a game with river-stones, or kernels of 

 nuts, by placing them in a piece of wood bored 

 with seven holes. 



After the decease of Mallam Dendo, it was 

 reported that Sultan Bello, of Soccatoo, was 

 dead. The death of the king is generally con- 

 cealed from the natives, in order to prevent any 

 neighbouring chief or sovereign from taking any 

 advantages or making war, as there is generally a 

 dispute as to the successor. In order to conceal 

 Bello's death and account for his absence, it 

 was circulated throughout the country that he 

 had merely gone up into the clouds to look at the 

 salt icater ! The Felatahs are of opinion, that 

 if they could once reach the salt water, they 

 could conquer the whole world. 



The opinions of several intelligent Arabs with 

 whom I conversed respecting the river and its 

 course was, that the Quorra ran through two 

 countries, Nufie and Ibbodo, and afterwards to 

 the eastward, to Lake Tchad ; and that there 

 were more than five or six rivers running in and 



