BEM SULEIMAN. 193 it, the cannon fired the salute to welcome the Pasha, who had ridden on before ; and the light smokeclouds ascended slowly to the deep blue sky, while on either side of the town we saw a dark line of forest, and the sunlight tipped the dhurra-fields with gold. We hastened on, our donkeys pricking up their ears at the sound of the band, and, knowing that they were near their journey's end, broke into a good canter, notwithstanding that we had ridden fifty miles in twenty-eight hours.

The stockade of Dem Suleiman is not constructed in the usual manner ; trees and logs of wood were stuck into the ground, and were often fifteen or twenty feet high, but the crevices were not filled up. At each corner of the oblong stockade wellbuilt platforms were constructed for cannon, so that all the approaches could be swept by their fire, and rocket-tubes were placed one on each side near the gates. As we went through the gate the people showed us a bullet embedded in the side post ; this bullet the Pasha had fired at Suleiman at 1500 yards, and had missed him by only a few inches.

Dem Suleiman is now the seat of government for the Bahr-el-Ghazel Province, and is garrisoned by 300 regular troops and 500 besingers or irregulars. These native troops, many of whom were formerly in the service of the slave-dealers, are well shown in the picture over-leaf. They wear few clothes, are VOL. II. O