i think it is very interesting that the hero had to fight in a ring with several men and they kept up the fight with cutlasses and weapons until the last man would marry the sheik's daughter. The hero showed mercy by letting Mallam Adamu go, sparing his life and later costing him the life of his lovely bride a year later when Mallam Adamu came to take his revenge.
The hero would not forgive himself and dedicated his life pursuing and killing Mallam Adamu, He eventually spent his entire life and succeeded in killing Mallam Adamu.
The irony is that the young man who noticed a very weak wane Mallam Ilia in a train and persuaded him to begin telling him the story of his life turned out to be his son who he gave to caretakers to care for. Mallam Ilia dies sad but fulfiled that he did not let his wife's death go without vengeance.
The passport of Mallam Ilia is a very interesting book that goes into your imagination and makes it go wild, it is a very vivid book with amazing poignant words.