Chap. XLIII. THIEVES FORCED TO FIGHT. 
151 
rather odd that we should have encamped here, as 
the horses had to be led back to A'fage for water. 
I had scarcely pitched my tent, when that cruel 
minister of police, Lammo, a man whose character 
my friend Haj Edris used significantly to describe in 
the few words, "kargo dibbi, kindi dibbi" (bad in 
heart, and bad in deed), brought into my presence a 
famous cut-throat of the name of Barka-ng61o, whose 
neck was secured in a large machine called " bego," 
consisting of two pieces of wood from four to five 
feet in length, and very heavy, so that every move- 
ment was accompanied with the greatest pain. Never- 
theless my mischievous friend persuaded himself that 
it would gratify me to see this miserable wretch fight 
with another culprit secured in the same manner, by 
giving to each of them a long whip of hippopotamus- 
hide, and forcing them by threats to flog each other. 
It was a horrible sight ; and I had great difficulty in 
convincing my cruel friend that such a scene was far 
from being agreeable to me. In order to get rid of 
him, I presented him with a quantity of cloves to 
give to his beloved 'Aaisha, of whose culinary powers 
we had already had several proofs. He was greatly 
pleased with my present ; and with an amorous smile 
he described to me how deeply he was in love with 
his darling, saying that he loved her, and she loved 
him also : " and," added he in a very sentimental way, 
" such a mutual love is the greatest bliss on earth." 
Europeans must not fancy that there is no such feel- 
ing among these Africans as love, although it is not 
L 4 
