Chap. LXIII. THE ME'HEDI' EXPECTED SOMKI. 359 
among the Kel-owi, and of a tall stately figure. 
They behaved very friendly towards me, and one of 
them even embraced me very cordially ; but the 
scale of their religious erudition was not very con- 
siderable, and I was greatly amused when El Wa- 
lati, in order to get back from them his tobacco-pouch, 
which they had secretly abstracted from him, suddenly 
seized one of my books, which happened to be " Lan- 
der's Journey," and, on threatening them with it as 
if it were the Kuran, the pouch was restored with- 
out delay. 
I had been questioned repeatedly on my journey 
respecting the Mehedi, who was expected soon to 
appear; but these people here were uncommonly 
anxious to know something concerning him, and could 
scarcely be prevented from identifying me with this 
expected prophet, ,who was to come from the East. 
They were scarcely gone when a messenger arrived 
from the great chief Somki, whose name had already 
filled my imagination for so long a time ; and, at El 
Walati's most urgent request, who did not fail to 
enhance the importance of this man as much as he was 
able, I prepared a considerable present, worth al- 
together 33,000 shells, which my friend was to take 
to him on the following day. 
Now it would not have been at all necessary to 
have come into any contact with this chief, as the 
direct road to Timbuktu led straight from here, 
without touching at Sarayamo, near which place 
Somki had formed his encampment ; but my friend 
A A 4 
