Chap. XLVI1. RECEPTION IN THE KA'KNAK. 287 
and the house of the Keghamma or Ibalaghwan, to- 
wards the north. 
The entrance to the palace of the sultan — the 
" raana miyara" in the kelakii Logon or language 
of Logon, — is towards the east, where there is an 
open square, shaded by a few trees ; here I was 
obliged to wait a long time on horseback, while my 
quarters were getting ready, for etiquette did not 
allow me to dismount. The sun was very powerful, 
and my situation not exactly pleasant ; but it afforded 
me some amusement to observe the flights of falcons 
and other birds, who were nestling in the top of a 
group of tall dum-palms which towered above the walls 
of the mosque opposite the palace. 
I had also the pleasure of recognizing an old friend 
of Major Denham's, namely, Belal, the man who ac- 
companied him as well on his expedition to the Shari 
as to Kanem. This man, whose real name was Madi, 
and who was an extremely amiable and good-humoured 
personage, with a disposition akin to the character of 
Europeans, continued my friend during the remainder 
of my stay in B6rnu. His errand here at present was 
to collect the annual tribute which the ruler of the 
country of Logon has to pay to the sheikh of B6rnu. 
The quarters assigned to me were situated in the 
upper story of the palace of the Ibalaghwan, which 
surprised me not a little by the superior and even 
grand style of its architecture. This very spacious 
palace consists of a number of wings inclosing small 
quadrangular courtyards, and having an upper story 
