THE author's interview WITH ALMAMY. 135 
march to procure wine and liquors ; in Africa they pay with 
their powder for the milk which they drink, or the fowls 
which they purchase ; so that when they come to an engage- 
ment, they often have but one charge of powder left. Almamy 
had halted in the thickest part of a v>^ood, and was resting at 
the foot of a tree. On alighting from my horse, I went like 
the warriors to shake hands with him ; he granted me the 
high favour to cause a sheep-skin to be spread near him, on 
which I seated myself. I cut but a sad figure there ; for those 
who came to pay their respects to the prince, did not fail to 
laugh at me, although his presence was some restraint upon 
their unmannerly jests. Almamy was at a great distance from 
his subjects, who were resting under other trees, and con- 
versing together on the war they were about to undertake. At 
a given signal every one was on horseback. When Almamy 
was on the point of setting off, all the children ran to take 
him by the hand, and he did not deny one of them this 
familiarity. 
This little army presented an imposing appearance, for all 
the men of Foutatoro, when they go to war, wear a dress 
similar to that of the Mamelukes. All their white turbans 
and robes of the same colour, and the horses, which to the 
number of three hundred marched in two lines like our 
squadrons, produced a magnificent effect. Behind the 
cavalry marched the infantry, mostly armed with muskets. 
All these troops might amount to twelve hundred men. On 
