402 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. L. 
forms a very conspicuous object, being meant ori- 
ginally to represent an idol, which is said to have been 
transplanted from the parent state Kenga Mataya, and 
evidently bore a great resemblance to the "fete" of the 
Margin and Musgu. Just in front of the sultan rode 
the facha, or commander-in-chief, who is the second 
person in the kingdom, similar to the keghamma in 
the old empire of B6rnu, and who in former times 
possessed extraordinary power. The sultan himself 
wore a yellow berniis, and was mounted upon a grey 
charger, the excellence of which was scarcely to be 
distinguished, it being dressed in war-cloth, or libbedi, 
of various-coloured stripes, such as I have described 
on my expedition to Miisgu. Even the head of the 
sultan himself was scarcely to be seen, not only on 
account of the horsemen riding in front and around 
him, but more particularly owing to two umbrellas, 
the one of green and the other of red colour, which 
a couple of slaves carried on each side of him. 
Six slaves, their right arm clad in iron, were 
fanning him with ostrich feathers attached to long 
poles ; and round about him rode five chieftains, while 
on his right were seen the gheletma and other 
principal men of the country. This whole group round 
the prince formed such a motley array, that it was im- 
possible to distinguish all the particular features with 
accuracy ; but, as far as I was able to make out from 
the description of the natives, there were about thirty 
individuals clad in bernuses, while the others wore 
nothing but black or blue- coloured shirts, and had 
