there was no room for more than
one man to walk. This led them to the wall of Yaoorie, and they
entered the city through an amazingly strong passage, in which was an
immense iron door, covered with plates of iron, rudely fastened to
the woodwork. They were almost exhausted with fatigue on their
arrival, insomuch that they excused themselves from visiting and
paying their respects to the sultan, and they were conducted to a
convenient habitation, which had been prepared for them. They soon
obtained an introduction to the prince, whom they had been so
desirous to visit. After passing through a low dark avenue, and being
kept long standing in a yard, they were conducted into another area,
resembling that of a farm establishment. Here they discovered the
sultan sitting alone in the centre of the square, on a plain piece of
carpeting, with a pillow on each side of him, and a neat brass pan in
front. His appearance was not only mean, but absolutely squalid and
dirty. He was a big-headed, corpulent, jolly-looking man, well
stricken in years, and though there was something harsh and
forbidding in his countenance, yet he was generally smiling during
the conference. He showed considerable dissatisfaction, because
neither Clapperton nor Lander had paid their court to him on their
previous journey, and still more on being informed that their means
of making a present had been reduced very low by the rapacity of the
chiefs already visited. In regard to Park's papers, he merely
replied, with an affected laugh, "How do you think that I could have
the books of a person that was lost at Boossa?" Afterwards being
pressed upon the subject, he despatched an Arab to inform them, that
he declared to God in the most solemn manner, that he had never had
in his possession, nor seen any books or papers of the white
travellers that perished at Boossa. Thus it appeared, that his
overture upon that subject to Clapperton, by which the Landers had
been so unguardedly lured, was a mere pretext to induce them to visit
him, and bestow a portion of the valuable articles with which they
were understood to be provided. His whole conduct was in perfect
unison with this first specimen of it. He did not, indeed, absolutely
rob them, but there was no artifice so petty that he did not employ
it, in order to obtain the few commodities which still remained in
their possession. Wishing to purchase some things, he induced the
Landers to send them, desiring that th