Chap. XXIII. ESTIMATE OF SALT-CARAVAN. 43 
another projecting mass of granite rock, we passed 
two small villages on our left, called Tulla and 
Takumaku, from whence the inhabitants came out 
to salute us. We encamped at length in a large 
stubble-field, beyond some kitchen- gardens, where 
pumpkins (dumma) were planted, two miles N.E. 
from the town of Katsena. While we were pitching 
my tent, which was the only one in the whole 
encampment, the sultan or governor of Katsena came 
out with a numerous retinue of horsemen, all well- 
dressed and mounted ; and having learnt from Elaiji 
that I was a Christian traveller belonging to a mis- 
sion (a fact, however, which he knew long before), 
he sent me soon afterwards a ram and two large ca- 
labashes or diimmas filled with honey — an honour 
which was rather disagreeable to me than otherwise, 
as it placed me under the necessity of making the 
governor a considerable present in return. I had no 
article of value with me ; and I began to feel some 
unpleasant foreboding of future difficulties. 
An approximative estimate of the entire number 
of the salt-caravan, as affording the means of accu- 
rately determining the amount of a great national 
commerce carried on between widely-separated coun- 
tries, had much occupied my attention, and having 
in vain tried on the road to arrive at such an esti- 
mate, I did all I could to-day to obtain a list of the 
different divisions composing it ; but although Yahia, 
one of the principal of A'nnur's people, assured me 
that there were more than thirty troops, I was not 
