Chap. LVL FIRST MEETING WITH 'ALI'YU. 133 
cess of my undertaking. The afternoon wore on 
without my being called into the presence of the 
sultan, and I scarcely expected that I should see 
him that day ; but suddenly, after the evening prayer. 
Alhattu made his appearance with some messengers 
of the chief, not in order to hasten my present, but 
first to give me a proof of their own hospitality, and 
bringing me a very respectable present consisting of 
an ox, four fat sheep, and two large straw sacks or 
takrufa containing about four hundred pounds weight 
of rice, with an intimation at the same time that 
"Aliyu wished to see me, but that I was not now to 
take my present with me. I therefore prepared my- 
self immediately ; and on going to the sultan's we 
passed by the ghaladhna, who had been lodged in a 
courtyard of the village, and who accompanied us. 
We found 'Alfyu in the northern part of the village, 
sitting under a tree in front of his quarters, on a 
raised platform of clay. He received me with the 
utmost kindness and good humour, shaking hands 
with me and begging me to take a seat just in front 
of him. Having paid my compliments to him on 
behalf of the Queen of England, I told him that it 
had been my intention to have paid him a visit two 
years previously, but that the losses which we had 
met with in the first part of our journey had pre- 
vented me from carrying out my design. I had 
scarcely finished my speech, when he himself assured 
me that at the right time he had received the letter 
which I had addressed to him through the sultan of 
K 3 
