“Come with me now to our house that our brethren may see thee,” said Abduláhi, and taking me by the hand, he marched off, leaving Dam-Bornu and my companions to follow with the gratified Aminé. He led me to a large, prosperous-looking house in the Mahommedan quarter, and entering a gateway, we found ourselves in a wide compound where numerous packages of merchandise were piled under a thatched shed. Through an open doorway I had a view of Musa, Dambiri, and several other of my friends, seated upon a handsome rug, holding an animated discussion. They uttered a shout of surprise when they saw me, and leaping to their feet ran forward to greet me. “Now God be praised,” exclaimed Musa, holding both my hands, “that thou art delivered from the hand of the heathen. We had thought thee dead long since, and have spoken of thee as one cut off from the land of the living. But God is merciful and wise, and thou hast come back to us.” “I thank God truly that thou hast come back to us,” said Alhassan, “for it was I that showed thee the accursed pool. Often in my dreams have I seen the horned devil devouring thee, but now I trust I shall see him no more.” “Thou wilt come and stay with us, Yúsufu,” said Musa; “there is room to spare in this house. But who are these minstrels and the young woman who have come with thee?” “We,” said Ali, coming forward with a greasy smile, “are the friends of Yúsufu, who have stood by him in the hour of adversity, and whom I know he will not despise in his prosperity.” “Assuredly,” said I, “my good fortune shall benefit you as well as me, but go now, for I have to speak to my friends of matters which concern them alone.” “Very well,” replied Ali. “We will see thee to-morrow. Come, Aminé.” “I stay with my husband,” said Aminé haughtily, taking hold of my hand. “Yes; she will stay with me,” I said. “_Sei gobé_” (_au revoir_), and the three minstrels, returning my adieu, swaggered out of the compound. “Thou hast better taste in women than in men,” said Musa drily, as he gazed at Aminé, who wriggled shyly at the implied compliment. “Yes, truly, those minstrels seem but sorry knaves,” agreed Dan-jiwa. “Where didst thou pick them up?” “Thou shalt tell us all thy adventures to-night,” said Musa. “Now we must go and look at the market, but first let me give thee back thy goods and pay our debt to thee.” He fetched from his own chamber a bundle securely sewn up, which he proceeded to rip open before me. “Here are thy clothes,” he said, “and thy purse with the gold coins in it. Here is the strange gold _laiya_” (he meant my watch), “and the _laiya_ of leather, and the other things that we found when thou left us. Also I have put in this little bag the gold dust that we owe thee--for we sold all the _guru_ quickly at Kantámpo, and are even now going to Bontúku to trade with the profits before we set out for our country. See that all is right; thy spear standeth there in the corner.”