was that, when we returned the following year, we

found that the Nyam-Nyams had burnt all the tusks,

for as much as the Sultan thought that we were

desirous of cheating him. While we continued at

Dar Tikma, we all lived in a compound near

that of the Sultan. This was of an enormous

size, and there lived in it some of his wives*

in a kind of semi-circle round an open space

in the centre. One night, it chanced that one of

our donkeys escaped, and made its way into the compound of the Sultan, w here it began to eat the

heads of some Indian corn that had been left unconsumed by the people from the evening before.

Now it happened that the Nyam-Nyams had never

before seen a donkey, a camel, or a horse, and when

the women espied this strange creature they were moved to excitement, thinking it to be a man of

exceptionally fine physique : so too thought the

Sultan, w^ho was so 'enraged that he ordered

the animal to be killed. He then had the nogara, or

war drum, sounded, and called out all his warriors

to fight against us. So I sent Nur Angara with a

present of two rifles and forty rounds of ammunition,

but Tikma turned his back on him ; and when he

again tried to greet him face to face, he once more

turned his back to mark his displeasure. Nur Angara then said, " Why are you angry, Oh

1 He is said to have had 4,000 wives in all.