34 
JOURNEY FROM BADAGRY TO KATUNGA. 
every corner was filled with them, and they kept drumming, blowing, 
dancing, and singing all night. The caboceer waited on us, and after 
shaking hands with us, rubbed all his face and body over, that his 
hands, by touching ours, might impart our blessing to his face, head, 
and body. They were well dressed, and said the king of Eyeo was 
most anxious to see us : they had a great deal of natural good- 
breeding ; and on my saying I had brought only a small present, they 
replied, if I had brought nothing the king of Eyeo would be glad to 
see us. Sent them a flask of rum. They kept firing all night. 
Monday, 23d. — The town of Tsliow was all bustle and hubbub 
with the great men and their attendants, the large grooms and 
their little horses. I left it early, being a poor place, with a good 
wall, and may contain four thousand inhabitants. Perhaps I 
might call them poor, as they had not fed us so well as we had 
been wont to be fed ; but considering the ravenous host which 
came to escort us to Katunga, and who live pretty freely wherever 
they can, this deficiency on our side is easily accounted for. The 
road through which we passed was wide, though woody, and covered 
by men on horseback, and bowmen on foot. The horsemen armed 
with two or three long spears hurrying on as fast as they could get 
us to go ; horns and country drums beating and blowing before 
and behind ; some of the horsemen dressed in the most grotesque 
manner ; others covered all over with charms. The bowmen also 
had their natty little hats and feathers, with the jebus, or leathern 
pouch, hanging by their side. These men always appeared to me 
to be the best troops in this country and Soudan, from their light- 
ness and activity. The horsemen however are but ill mounted ; 
the animals are small and badly dressed, their saddles so ill secured, 
and the rider sits so clumsily on his seat, that any Englishmen, who 
ever rode a horse with an English saddle, would upset one of them 
the first charge with a long stick. 
We were also accompanied by great numbers of merchants or 
