Chap. XXIII. THE GOVERNOR'S WILES. 
53 
resemble an actor; and such he really is, and was still 
more so in his younger days. 
Taking leave of him for the present, I followed 
Bel-Ghet to my quarters ; but we had still a good 
march to make, first through detached dwellings 
of clay, then leaving the immense palace of the 
governor on our left, and entering what may be 
strictly called the town, with connected dwellings. 
Here I was lodged in a small house opposite the 
spacious dwelling of Bel-Ghet ; and though on first 
entering I found it almost insupportable, I soon suc- 
ceeded in making myself tolerably comfortable in a 
clean room neatly arranged. It seemed to have once 
formed the snug seat for a well-furnished harim ; at 
least the dark passages leading to the interior could 
not be penetrated by a stranger's eye. We had 
scarcely taken possession of our quarters, when the 
governor sent me a ram and two ox-loads of corn — 
one of " d&wa " and the other of " gero." But in- 
stead of feeling satisfied with this abundant provision, 
we were quite horrified at it, as I with my three 
people might have subsisted a whole year on the 
corn sent us; and we began to have uneasy fore- 
bodings of a long detention. Indeed we suspected, 
and were confirmed in our suspicion by the statements 
of several people, that it was the governor's real in- 
tention to forward me directly to Sokoto, a circum- 
stance which alienated from me my servants — even 
the faithful Mohammed el Gatroni, who was much 
afraid of going there. 
E 3 
