JOURNEY FROM BOUSSA TO KANO. 
113 
sible. “ As soon as the widow comes back/’ says he, “you shall 
go, not until then : send for her.” I said, I would not send for her ; 
I had nothing to do with her. “You allowed your servant to 
take a female slave from her ; send her hack ; and if the widow 
comes back to-night you shall go to-morrow.” I said, as to the 
widow’s coming or going, it was nothing to me : with respect to 
Pascoe’s returning the girl, that was his affair ; and that no offence 
had been meant to the governor in allowing him to accept her. 
He said, return her, and he would give him another ; and if the 
widow came to-night I should go in the morning : she was his 
enemy, and was gone to stir up war against him, as she had done 
once before. I said, he might blame his head man for my acquaint- 
ance with the widow : he was present when she first came to my 
house ; and, as she was an enemy of the governor, he ought to have 
told me then, and I, as a stranger, and the governor’s guest, 
would not have allowed her to come to my house. We parted 
after this, and in the evening he sent me a present of one fowl, 
yams, milk, and honey. 
Wednesday, 5th. — This morning the widow arrived in town, 
with a drummer beating before her, whose cap was bedecked with * 
ostrich feathers ; a bow-man walking on foot at the head of her 
horse ; a train behind, armed with bows, swords, and spears. She 
rode a-straddle on a fine horse, whose trappings were of the first 
order for this country. The head of the horse was ornamented 
with brass plates, the neck with brass bells, and charms sewed in 
various coloured leather, such as red, green, and yellow ; a scarlet 
breast-piece, with a bright brass plate in the centre ; scarlet saddle- 
cloth, trimmed with lace. She was dressed in red silk trowsers, 
and red morocco boots ; on her head a white turban, and over her 
shoulders a mantle of silk and gold. Had she been somewhat 
younger and less corpulent, there might have been great tempta- 
tion to head her party, for she has certainly been a very handsome 
Q 
