288 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



who was suffering from starvation, sickness, or wrong, and 

 had been fortunate enough to get through the barrier of 

 officials who jealously guarded their master's good heart. 

 He would take the name of the suppliant and tell him to come 

 and speak to him afterwards, when he would help his case to 

 the best of his powers with money, medicine, or advice, or 

 whatever the unfortunate stood in need of. Yet he is not 

 popular with all classes of his subjects ; some call his kindness 

 weakness, and the warlike among his chiefs and soldiers 

 compare him unfavourably with his warrior father. Though 

 he may not have a great amount of the wisdom of Solomon, 

 he certainly has his share of that great king's weaknesses, 

 for it was told me that his harem harboured three to four 

 hundred wives. These dwell in the back part of the palace, 

 separated by their own courtyard, where twice a week they 

 are all turned out to march past for inspection and to be 

 counted by their lord. He has two sons by his queen. While 

 on the subject of his domestic arrangements, I am reminded 

 that in his intercourse with me his chief concern was to 

 ascertain if I could impart to him some medicinal charm 

 that would lessen the number of sinecures among the posts 

 in his private household. 



Though not exactly commanding in appearance, yet he 

 was at his ease and seemed fully conscious of the dignity 

 of his position. "^ Sanu ! bature " (Hail ! white man), he 

 said, and motioned me to be seated. Then passed the usual 

 greetings, and he pointed with evident pride to the sword 

 I had sent him some three weeks before, which now lay 

 before him as an emblem of authority. It was an unmounted 

 blade that I had given him, but handsome, nevertheless, 



