arket people, no one having been sent by the king to
ascertain the number of the adventurers, or the object of their
visit.

The king of Katunga, since the arrival of the travellers in his
capital, had been very niggardly in his presents, as coming from a
monarch of a large and mighty kingdom. Nor in other respects was the
conduct of Mansolah, such as to impart to them much pleasure, nor
could they in any wise account for it, than by supposing that their
own present had fallen short of his expectations, and thereby failed
to awaken those good-natured qualities, which were displayed at sight
of the infinitely more valuable, as well as showy one of Captain
Clapperton. But whatever might have been the reason, certain it is
that Mansolah and his subjects had seen quite enough of white men,
and that the rapturous exultation which glowed in the cheeks of the
first European that visited this country, on being gazed at, admired,
caressed, and almost worshipped as a god; joined to the delightful
consciousness of his own immeasurable superiority, will in the
present, at least, never be experienced by any other. "Alas!" says
Richard Lander, "what a misfortune; the eager curiosity of the
natives has been glutted by satiety, a European is shamefully
considered no more than a man, and hereafter, he will no doubt be
treated entirely as such; so that on coming to this city, he must
make up his mind to sigh a bitter farewell to goats' flesh and
mutton, and familiarize his palate to greater delicacies, such a
lizards, rats, and locusts, caterpillars, and other dainties, which
the natives roast, grill, bake, and boil, and which he may wash down,
if he pleases, with draughts of milk white water, the only beverage
it will be in his power to obtain." On the morning of Wednesday the
19th of May, Richard Lander was desired by a messenger to visit the
king at his residence, and on his arrival there, he found a great
number of people assembled. The object of this summons was explained
by Ebo, who said that Lander had been sent for, that the present
which he, the eunuch had received, should be shown to the people
without any reservation whatever. It was accordingly spread out on
the floor, together with the presents made to the king. Even a bit of
English brown soap, which had been given to Ebo a short time before,
was exhibited along with the other things; for so great a degree of
jealousy exists among the eunuchs and others, arising from the