JOURNEY FROM KATUNGA TO BOUSSA. 
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tending to leave this for their own country as soon as they could 
procure an answer from the governor. 
I am lodged in the house of a widow, whose husband was one 
of the governor's head men. She is the only wife that bore children 
to the deceased, and in consequence was not taken and sold at her 
husband’s death. She wears a rope round her head, another round 
her neck, and one round her waist, until she has passed her time of 
mourning, or procures another husband ; but I suspect this will be 
until she dies, as she is ugly in the extreme. I had a visit, amongst 
the number, from the daughter of an Arab, who is very fair, calls 
herself a white woman, is rich, a widow, and wants a white husband. 
She is said to be the richest person in Wawa, having the best house 
in the town, and a thousand slaves. She showed a great regard 
for my servant Richard, who is younger and better looking than I 
am : but she had passed her twentieth year, was fat, and a perfect 
Turkish beauty, just like a walking water-butt. All her arts were 
unavailing on Richard : she could not induce him to visit her at her 
house, though he had my permission. 
The next day I went, after sending to say I was ready to give 
the governor his present, to his house, accompanied by his head man, 
and gave him seven yards of red cloth, seven yards of blue cloth, 
seven yards of blue silk, an umbrella, ten strings of beads, and a 
phosphorus box, after showing them off to the greatest advantage, 
a thing never to be neglected in Africa. I sat down and told him 
what I have told them all, and which has been so often repeated. 
He said there were two roads, one where there was war, the other 
peace. The one where there was war was by Youri ; that the sultan 
of that country was out fighting the Fellatas: the other by the 
way the merchants went, through Nyffe, which was safe, and he 
would advise me to go by that road. I thanked him, and said I 
would follow his advice, for that I had nothing to do with war. Says 
he, “You are come to make peace among all people, and make the 
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