I40 THE EXPLORATION OF THE NIGER you have passed," he went on with a smile. If the story he told me is true, and I shouldn't like to. swear that it was, I wouldn't mind taking my oath that the poor sheriff will not get all his property back. However, the unabashed R'alli continued, " You ought to dress me now as you do your other soldiers, for am not I now one of your troops ? " I observed that I had already given him stuff enough to clothe his whole family.

" But my bubu and breeches are dirty now ! " he replied.

" Well, go and wash them, you wretch ! " was the angry rejoinder. " What ! " he cried, " would you like a soldier under such a chief as you to demean himself by such work as that ? " Sheriff Hameit, to whom I had sent Abiddin's letter the evening before, answered us very impolitely, declaring that his religion forbade him to have anything to do with infidels.

I consoled myself for this fresh failure by having a chat with the little Kunta Tahar, Mohamed's companion, who had come on to Gungi to see that the rice was duly handed over to us.

He told me of the death in 1890 near Saredina of Abiddin, the son of Hamet Beckay, of whom he had been a faithful retainer when at Gardio near Lake Debo.

This Abiddin and his followers had come to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of the great marabout, and also to try to win recruits against the Toucouleurs of Massina, with whom Abiddin carried on the struggle begun by his father. Two columns had marched forth against them, one from Mopti, the other from Jenne, and surrounded them. Abiddin was wounded and taken prisoner, but his faithful Bambaras of Jenn6, who had always followed his fortunes, rescued him from the hands of the enemy. But, alas ! no