308 
INTERVIEW WITH THE SULTAN. 
negro character. He was about the age of forty- 
five or fifty. His costume was truly royal, con- 
sisting of a loose tobe of purple silk, and a black 
burnouse, embroidered, thrown oyer it. He wore a 
turban of Egyptian form, and very handsome. His 
highness received me very affably, and I took my 
seat near him, on a pic-nic stool which I have with 
me. I shook hands, and doffed my hat. There 
was no throwing of dust about, as at Zinder. But 
we found the Sultan already seated, with all his 
courtiers and officers around him. His highness 
asked about my health, and the Tuaricks. He 
observed, " The Tuaricks are afraid of you." Some 
persons of that tribe, perhaps, have given him this 
false view of the case, pretending that the Tuaricks 
are afraid I am come to spy out the country, to be 
taken possession hereafter by the Queen. His 
highness minutely scanned all my European clothes, 
making many inquiries about them. All the people 
were highly delighted to see me throw aside my 
miserable Soudan tobe, and dress in my European 
costume. In fact, I don't know what I should 
have done without these clothes. The people then 
pulled off my boots, and burst out into an involun- 
tary exclamation of astonishment when they saw 
my white leg under my stocking. My face and 
hands are both pretty well tanned, and the quality 
of the European skin is not so visible as in the parts 
of the body covered. His highness then inquired 
whether there was war in Europe, and whether 
