The Latter Operation Was Particularly Necessary, As Previously To Their Inhabiting It, It Had Been Occupied By A Multitude Of Domestic Animals, Sheep, Pigs, Goats, Fowls, Guinea Fowls, Bullocks, In Fine, It Had Been A Kind Of Stable, Where Ebo, The Principal Eunuch, Kept His Stock Of Animals.

Here, however, they were glad to lie down to repose their aching limbs, although the stench arising from some

Parts of the hut was almost insupportable. In the evening, the king returned their visit, and immediately took a fancy to John Lander's bugle horn, which was very readily given him. He appeared to be greatly pleased with the present, turning about and inspecting every part of it, with the greatest curiosity. It appeared to him, however, to be immaterial as to which end the mouth was to be applied, for he put the lower part of the instrument to his mouth, and drawing up his breath to its full extent, sent such a puff of wind into it, as would have been sufficient for a diapason pipe of an organ; not hearing, however, the accustomed sound, he delivered the instrument to John Lander, who brought out of it the shrillest note which he could, which set the king and his eunuchs into a violent laugh, and he expressed his delight to the donors of so valuable a present, assuring them that it made his heart glad to see them, and hoped that they would make themselves quite comfortable whilst they remained at Katunga. They now shook hands, made a bow, not one that would have been deemed a very elegant one amongst the courtiers of St. James', and the sovereign departed, followed by a suite of wives, eunuchs, and other attendants. Ebo inquired if there were any thing further that they wished to be done to their residence, to render their stay as agreeable as possible. Their yard adjoined that of Ebo, with which it communicated by a door way, without a door, so that it enabled the travellers to have frequent opportunities of seeing his numerous unhappy wives, and a number of little boys and girls, who were his personal attendants. The circumstance of a eunuch keeping a whole retinue of wives, appeared to the Landers rather an extraordinary one, for he appeared to treat them with all the jealousy of a Turkish pacha towards his mistresses in his seraglio. Of their fidelity or continency, however, could be said, whenever an opportunity presented itself; but do not require to travel as far as Africa for the experience, when an opportunity of that kind is wanted, it is not long before it is obtained. The eunuch sent them a very fat sheep, as a further token of his good will. On Friday May 14th, Richard Lander accompanied by Ebo, and the other unwieldy eunuchs, took a present to the king, which was pretty well received; Mansolah, it was supposed out of compliment, remarked that if they had not brought with them the value of a single kowrie, they should have been favourably received at Katunga, and well entertained at his own expense. They had, previously to presenting themselves before the king, consulted their friend Ebo, on the subject of their journey to the Niger, and he strongly advised them by no means even to hint at such an intention to the king, whose suspicions, he assured them, would immediately take the alarm, so that instead of being forwarded on their way thither, they would either be detained in the town for an indefinite time, or sent back again to the coast. They therefore conceived it prudent to give him the following statement only: - "That the king of England, anxious to procure the restoration of certain papers which belonged to a countryman of theirs, who perished at Boosa about twenty years ago, which papers were supposed to be in the possession of the sultan of Yaoorie, they had been despatched hither by their sovereign, in the hope that the king of Katunga would forward them to the latter state, for the purpose of obtaining them from the sultan of Yaoorie, and taking them back with them to England."

Mansolah, with the natural indifference of the uncultivated mind, displayed neither eager curiosity as to their object in coming to his country, nor surprise when they had informed him of it, but very promptly observed, that in two days time, he would send a messenger to Kiama, Wouwou, Boossa, and Yaoorie, for the purpose of acquainting the rulers of those provinces of their intention to pay them a visit, and that on the return of the messenger, they should have his permission to depart. This was promised after Richard Lander's repeated solicitations and importunities, that they should not be detained here longer than necessary, as in a very short time, the violent rains would render the roads to those countries impassable, and, in consequence, they would not be able to travel till the return of the dry season. Their speedy departure was also a matter of importance to them on account of their health, which they found to be far better when they were travelling, than when cooped up in a close unwholesome hut, where ventilation appeared to be the object the least attended to, or considered of no importance at all.

They were expressly and repeatedly informed that the monarch of this empire was brother to the king of Benin; but notwithstanding this near relationship of the two sovereigns, not the slightest intercourse or communication is maintained between Yarriba and that power, and the reason ascribed for it is, that the distance between the two countries is too great. It must, however, be remarked, that friends and acquaintance are often called brothers in Yarriba; and to make a distinction in the above instance, they assert that Mansolah and the king of Benin were of one father and one mother. They made some inquiries of Ebo on this subject, but he soon silenced their remarks by observing, that they were too inquisitive, or to use his own words, "that they talked too much." It was the intention of the Landers, after leaving Yaoorie to proceed direct to Guarie, the prince of which country would no doubt send them to Funda, whence it would be their endeavour to discover the termination of the Niger, agreeably to their written instructions.

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