Then it was my friend Háj Áhmed, who complained to me of his disappointment, and how he had been overreached by his enemies and rivals. He was certainly in an awkward position in this country; and I could never get quite at the bottom of his story. For, as I have mentioned above, he had been sent from Medína in order to obtain from the king of Bagírmi a present of eunuchs; but now, after he had been residing here about a year and a half, having been continually delayed by the ruler of the country, another messenger had arrived, who, it seemed, was to reap the fruits of my friend’s labours. Háj Áhmed had accompanied the sultan on his expedition the previous year; but he had almost lost his life, having received a severe wound in the head, from one of those iron hand-bills which form the chief weapon of the pagan tribes towards the south. He therefore thought it better this time to remain behind; but he made no end of complaints, on account of the miserly and inhospitable treatment of the lieutenant-governor. The situation of my friend became the more lamentable when his female slave, the only one he had at the time, managed to make her escape, having thrown down her mistress, who had gone outside the town with her. Scenes like these happened daily; and I had frequent opportunities of demonstrating to my friends, how the vigour and strength of the Christian empires of Europe were principally based upon their capability of continually renewing their vitality from free native elements, and by totally abstaining from slavery. And I further demonstrated to them that slavery had been the principal cause of the speedy overthrow of all the Mohammedan dynasties and empires that had ever flourished. Another time it was my friend Slímán, who, besides topics of a more serious nature, used to entertain me with stories from his domestic life; for, being of a roving disposition, ever changing, and of rather desultory habits, he was accustomed to contract temporary matches for a month, which of course gave him a great insight into the habits of the females of the countries which he traversed on his peregrinations.