eir use, and with thankful
hearts and comfortable feelings, they laid themselves down to rest.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Fatigued with the journey of the preceding day, the travellers lay on
their mats rather later than usual, and before they had risen, the
king's messengers and others entered their hut to give them the
salutations of the morning. Richard Lander returned Yarro's
compliment, by calling to see him at his own house, while his brother
remained at home to take care of the goods. The natives of the
country having a very indifferent reputation for honesty, compelled
them to keep a watchful eye over all their actions. A number of
mallams from Houssa paid them a visit about the middle of the day,
but a body of more ignorant Mahommedans, it was supposed, could no
where be found, for not one of them, even to their chief, who had a
youthful appearance, understood a word of Arabic.

Just before sunset, John Lander selected a present, consisting of the
following articles for the king: viz. six yards of red cloth, a
quantity of printed cottons, a pair of silver bracelets, a
looking-glass, two pair of scissors, a knife, two combs, and a
tobacco pipe. The goods having been properly secured, they repaired
with this present to the king, who received it with much apparent
satisfaction.

Yarro professed the mahommedan faith, yet it was easy to perceive the
very slender acquaintance he had obtained of the precepts of the
Koran, by the confidence which he placed in the religion of his
fathers, in placing fetishes to guard the entrance of his houses, and
adorn their half-naked walls. In one of these huts, they observed a
stool of very curious workmanship. The form of it was nearly square;
the two principal figures were each supported by four little wooden
figures of men, and another of large dimensions, seated on a clumsy
representation of a hippopotamus, was placed between them. These
images were subsequently presented to the Landers by Yarro; and they
learnt that the natives, before undertaking any water excursion,
applied for protection to the hippopotami, and other dangerous
objects of the river, to the principal figure, which was mounted on
one of those creatures. This important personage was attended by his
musicians, and guarded by soldiers, some armed with muskets, and
others with bows and arrows, who formed the legs of the stool.

In the inner apartment they discovered Yarro sitting alone, on
buffalo hides, and they