This distinguished personage he found laid up
with rheumatism, and unable to receive us as we desired. However, he
expressed a wish to see Dr. Overweg in his character of medical man, and
made a long harangue to Yusuf, the substance of which was, that inasmuch
as we had come from Constantinople,[13] from Tripoli, from Fezzan, from
Ghat, in peace and safety, why should he think of eating us up and
destroying us, like the people of Taghajeet and others?--"No; let the
Christians rest in peace. I will now protect them--let them not fear. If
I had not been ill, I would have come myself, and fetched them from
Taghajeet, and no one should have touched them. Now, I will take them
myself to Zinder, or send my sons with them. They shall be protected on
their journey to Bornou and Soudan."
[13] Where he got this news I cannot tell.
I shall only observe on this, that I do not think Sultan En-Noor could
have brought us clear through the countries of Taghajeet and Tidek. We
might have paid something less, but we must have paid. However, we felt
glad on hearing the report of this speech, and waited patiently for the
evening supper of the great man; but it did not come, to our great
disappointment. The Tanelkums said that this was a kind of home for
them, and that En-Noor always sent them a supper on the evening of their
arrival. When I saw these good people supperless, I considered that
En-Noor would not give one supper without the other, and was not
prepared for both.
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