334 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA.

the Sultan's carpet that he may rest ? " said the shekh to one of my sailors. The carpet and pillows were immediately brought, and I stretched myself out in front of the shekh and vizier, who sat upon a fallen tree, while the others squatted upon the ground. The shekh at first took no part in the conversation, hut sat looking at me steadily, from under his heavy eyebrows. Our negotiations were conducted in genuine diplomatic style. Whenever His Majesty of the Shillooks had any thing to say, he mentioned it to'his vizier, who addressed Achmet, my vizier, who communicated it to me, the Sultan. The spectators observed the most profound silence, and nothing could surpass the gravity and solemnity of the scene.

In the mean time the other warriors had come up and taken their seats around us, each one greeting me before he sat down, with " ow-wow-wobba /" (probably a corruption of the Arabic " mar-liabbaV "how d'ye do?") The vizier, addressing me through Achmet, said : " Tell us what you want ; if you come to fight, we are ready for you." I assured the shekh through him that I came as a friend, and had no intention of molesting them, but he was not satisfied, and repeated three or four times, drawing a mark between us on the ground : "if you are really friends, we will be friends with you ; but if you are not, we are ready to fight you." Achmet at last swore by the Prophet Mohammed, and by the wisdom of Allah, that we had oome in peace ; that the Sultan wished to pay him a visit, and would then return home. At the request of the rai's we had come on shore unarmed, but it had not the anticipated effect. " Why have you no arms ? " said the shekh ; " are you afraid of us ? " I told him that it was in order to show that I had no hostile intentions, but the people seemed to consider it as mark of