98 
JOURNEY FROM KATUNGA TO BOUSSA. 
three or four knots, throwing a back-water up the Menai. The 
island on the other side of it is low and swampy, and covered with 
high reeds ; the colour of both the streams red and muddy, as if in 
flood ; but the messenger, on my asking if this was the case, said 
no, that the river was now at its lowest mark, and pointing to a 
place on the opposite bank of the Menai, about fifteen feet above 
the present level, said the river rose to that height during the 
rains. The trees on both banks were close down to the water’s 
edge, and the branches were in the stream, and every now and 
then a branch would be broken off, and washed away by the strength 
of the current. From this, and the muddiness of the water, I con- 
cluded it was rising ; but certainly the inhabitants must know 
best : had I not made inquiry, I should certainly have said it was 
rising. The canoe being on the other side of the Menai, the 
messenger stripped off* his tobe, and swam over for it. After 
crossing and swimming the horses over, in about a quarter of 
an hour’s ride I entered the walls of Boussa, by the western gate. 
The walls appeared very extensive, and are at present under repair. 
Bands of male and female slaves, accompanied by drums and flutes, 
and singing in chorus, were passing to and from the river with water, 
to mix the clay they were building with. Each great man has his 
part of the wall to build, like the Jews when they built the walls of 
Jerusalem, every one opposite his own house. 
I was much surprised, after entering the gate, to see only clusters 
of huts here and there, and no regular town, as I had been led 
to expect. I remained under the shade of a tree until the mes- 
senger went and acquainted the sultan of my arrival. On his return 
I accompanied him up to the sultan, whom I found sitting under 
a small projection of the verandah of one of his coozies : his midaki, 
or principal wife, sitting alongside of him. To this personage I 
had been advised by the widow Zuma to pay particular attention, 
as she was every thing with the sultan. He received me very 
