Chap. XXIII. THE PRESENTS. 
65 
Wakhshi and Gajere to the market, and thence pro- 
ceeded with the latter, who, stout and portly, strode 
before me with his heavy spear, like a stately body- 
guard or " kavas," to the house of Manzo, an agent 
of Masawaji, who always lives here, and paid him 
our compliments. Passing then by the house of the 
sultan of A'gades (" gida-n-serki-n- A'gades "), who 
occasionally resides here, we went to the " kofan 
Guga" (the north-western gate of the town), which 
my companion represented to me as belonging entirely 
to the A'sbenawa ; for as long as Katsena formed the 
great emporium of this part of Africa, the A'iri used 
to encamp in the plain outside this gate. The wall 
is here very strong and high, at least from without, 
where the height is certainly not less than from five 
and thirty to forty feet, while in the interior the 
rubbish and earth has accumulated against it to such 
a degree that a man may very easily look over it ; 
the consequence is, that during the rains a strong 
torrent formed here rushes out of the gate. On the 
outside there is also a deep broad ditch. We re- 
turned to our lodging by way of the " marina " and 
the market, both of which places were already sunk 
in the repose and silence of night. 
I had scarcely re-entered my dark quarters, when 
Bel-Ghet arrived, telling me that the governor did not 
want my property at all; however, to do honour to 
my present, he would condescend to keep the caftan 
and the carpet, but he sent me back the sedriye and 
the shawl — of course to be given as a present to his 
VOL. II. F 
