TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
sort of metal-far inferior to the excellent iron, the "su-bultu," of 
Bubanjidda. While passing through the place, I was greatly struck 
with the variety which the roofs of the huts exhibited, and made a 
slight sketch of them (see previous page). 
Munghono, which is likewise the name of the whole district, has 
been a place of importance from early times, and is often mentioned in 
the history of the B6rnu kings. After the richness of natural forms 
which 1 had beheld in Adamawa, the country seemed extremely 
monotonous, there being nothing whatever to cheer the eye except the 
blossom of the mimosas. which spread a sweet scent all around. We 
encamped during the hot hours of the day near the well of Kaine, 
where we had great difficulty in supplying ollrselves with water from 
the well, while a little later in the season a large lake is formed here: 
for Africa is the region of contrasts as well in nature as in human 
life. 
When we set out again from this place, people from the town, who 
had been informed of our approach, came to meet us; and I heard, to 
my great satisfaction, that the crafty Arab Mohammed , el Mugharbi, 
whom I had already met in Gummel, had at length arrived with the 
merchandize confided to his care, the nominal value of which ·was one 
hundred pounds sterling, so that there was at least some hope of being 
able to carry on the mission on a small scale. 
But I Qould not but feel pleased with my reception on returning to 
headquarters in this part of the world; for when we approached the 
southern gate of the town, three horsemen, who were stationed there, 
came galloping up to me, and having saluted me with their spears 
raised, placed themselves in front, and in stately procession led me 
through the town to my house, where I was soon regaled with a plenti-
ful supper sent by the vizier. I afterwards perceived that he had 
expected me to pay him my respects the same evening; but, as I felt 
very weak, 1 deferred the visit till the next morning, when, on his 
return from an early visit to the sheikh, he gave me an audience in 
the presence of all the people. Having expressed his sorrqw at my 
reduced state, and having inquired how 1 had been received in Adamawa, 
he entered, with apparent delight, into a long conversation with me 
respecting the form of the earth and the whole system of the world. 
On being asked what I now intended to do, I replied that it was my 
design, after having made the tour of the lake, to try to penetrate into 
the regions south of Bagirmi. He immediately expressed his doubts 
as to the possibility of going round the lake as far as the Bahar el 
Ghazal, but promised to further my plans as far as possible, although 
he thought that I had done enough already, and should rather tllink ot 
returning home safely with the results of my labours; for seeing me so 
weak during the first rainy season which I was spending in these regions, 
he was afraid that something might happen to me. 
Well satisfied with this audience, I returned to my quarters and 
wrote a short report to H.M.'s Government, of the results of my journey, 
informing them that my most deeply cherished hopes with regard to 
that river in the south had been surpassed, and requesting them to 
JULY 21.] RAINY SEASON IN KUKA WA. 49 1 
send an expedition in order to verify its identity with the so-called 
Chadda. This report, which was sent off by a courier a day or two 
before Mr. Overweg's return from his navigation of the lake, and which 
was overtaken by a messenger with a short account of his survey, 
created general satisfaction in Europe, and pro'cured for me the ~onfi­
dence of H.M.'s Government. Meanwhile I endeavoured to arrange 
the pecuniary affairs of the mission as well as I could. 
CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
RAINY SEASON IN KUKAWA.. 
I H AD left Kukawa on my journey \0 Adamawa ' in the best state of 
health, but had brought back from that excursion the germs of disease; 
and residence in the town, at least at this period of the year, was not 
likely to improve my condition. It would certainly have been better 
for me had I been able to retire to some more healthy spot; but trivial 
though urgenf business obliged me to remain in Kukawa. It was 
necessary to sell the merchandize which had at length arrived, in order 
to keep the mission in some way or other afloat, by paying the most 
urgent debts and provi.ding the necessary means for further exploration. 
There was merchandize to the value of one hundred pounds sterling; 
but, as I was obliged to sell the things ·at a reduced rate for ready 
money, the loss was considerable; for all business in these countries 
is transacted on two or three months' credit, and, after all, payment is 
made, not in ready money, but chiefly in slaves. It is no doubt very 
necessary for a traveller to be provided with those various articles which 
form the presents to be made to the chiefs, and which are in many 
districts required for bartering; but he ought not to depend upon their 
sale for the supply of his wants. Altogether it is difficult to carry 
on trade in conjunction ,,~th extensive geographical research, although 
a person settling quietly down in a place, and entering into close r ela-
tions Mth the natives, might collect a great deal of interesting informa-
tion, which would probably escape the notice of the roving traveller, 
whose purpose is rather to explore distant regions. Besides, I was 
obliged to make nUmerous presents to my friends, in order to keep them 
in good humour, and had very often not only to provide dresses for 
themselves and their \vives, but even for their domestic retainers; so 
that, all things considered, the supply of one hundred pounds' worth of 
merchandize could not last very long. . 
I have remarked that, when Ire-entered Kukawa, the cultivation of 
the ground had not yet begun; indeed, the whole country was so 
parched, that it became even a matter of perplexity to find sufficient 
fodder for the horses; for the whole stock of dry herbage was consumed, 
and of young herbage none was to be had. It is stated in my memo-
r~a, that on the 5th of August I paid twelve rotl for a 1/ MIa kaj!mbe," 
492 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
or large bundle of dry grass; an enormOus price in this country, and 
sufficient to maintain a whole family for several days; but that was the 
most unfavourable moment, for in a fe w days fresh herbage sprang up 
and made good all deficiencies. While speaking on this subject, I may 
also mention, that the herbage of Kilkawa, being full of " ngibbi," or 
Pen"iset",,, disticlmm, horses brought from other countries generally 
fare but badly on it, as they are reluctant to fill their mouths with its 
small prickles. 
Rai n was very' plentiful this year (1851), and I am sure would, if 
measured, have far exceeded the quantity found by Mr: Vogel in 1854. 
Indeed, there were twelve very considerable falls of rain during the 
month of August alone, which together probably exceeded thirty inches. 
It must be borne in mind, moreover, that the fall of rain in Kilkawa 
does not constitute the rule for the region, but is quite exceptional, 
owing to the entire absence of trees and of heights in the neighbour-
hood . . Hence, the statement of Mr. Vogel in one of his le tters, that the 
line of tropical rains only begins south of Kilkawa, must be understood 
with some reserve; for if he had measured the rain in the woody 
country north of that capital, bet \Veen Dawerghtl and Kaliluwa, he 
would, in my opinion, have obtained a vcry different result. It is 
evident that all depends upon the meaning of the expression, tropical 
rain. If it imply a very copious fall of rain, Kilkawa certainly does 
not lie within the limit of tropical rain; but if we are to understand by 
it the regularly returning annual fall of rain, produced by the ascending 
currents of heated air, it certainly does. There was a very heavy fall 
of rain on the night of the 3rd of August, which not only swamped our 
courtyard, but changed my room, which lay half a foot lower, and was 
protected only by a low threshold, into a little lake, aggravating my 
feverish state very considerably, and spoiling most of my things. 
On the 5th of August rain fell for the first time unaccompanied by a 
storm, though the rainy season in general sets in with dreadful tornadoes. 
The watery element disturbed the luxurious existence of the "kanam 
galgalma," the large termites, which had fed on our sugar and other 
supplies, and on the 6th they all of a sudden disappeared from the 
ground, and filled the air as short-lived winged creatures, in which 
state they are called by the people" tsiltsu," or "dsildsu," and, when 
fried, are used as food. Their tenure of life is so precarious, and they 
seem to be so weak, that they become very troublesome, as they fall in 
every direction upon man and his food. Of each swarm of these in-
sects only one couple seems ,destined to survive; all the rest die a 
violent death. 
The town now began to present quite a different appearance; but 
while it was agreeable to see the dryness relieved, and succulent grass 
and fresh crops springing up all around, and supplanting the dull uni-
formity of the AsclePias gigantea, on the other hand, the extensive 
waterpools formed everywhere in the concavities of the ground, were 
by no means conducive to heal~h, more especially as those places were 
depositories of all sorts of offal, and of putrefying carcasses of many 
kinds. The cOllsequ':!1c~ ~a_s that my health, instead of improvin1(, 
SEPTHmm 5.] NEWS FROM KANEM. 493 
became worse, although I struggled hard, and as often as possible rode 
out on horseback. All the people were now busy in the labours of the 
field although cultivation in the neighbourhood of th e town is not of a 
unif~rm, but of a varied character; and a large portion of the ground, 
consisting of "ange" and "£irki, " is reserved for the culture of the 
masakuwa (Holclls cermt1ts), or winter-corn, with its vari ety the keriram. 
On the 8th of August the neighbourhood presented a very animated 
spectacle, the crownlands in Gawange being then cultivated by a great 
number of people, working to the sound of a drum. T heir labours 
continued till the 15th; on which day Mr. Overweg had the honour of 
presenting his Budduma friends to the sheikh of B6rnu. All nature 
was now cheerful; the trees were putti ng forth fresh leaves, and the 
young birds began to fledge. I took great delight in observing the little 
household of a family of the feathered tribe; there were five young ones, 
the oldest and most daring of which began to try his strength on the 
12th of August, while the other four set out together on the 14th. 
Marriages are not frequent about this time, on account of the dear-
ness of corn; but matches are generally made after the harvest has been 
got in, and while corn is cheap. I shall speak in another place of the 
marriage ceremonies of this country. 
On the 5th of September we obtained . the firs t s pecimen of new 
" argum m6ro," white Negro millet, which is very pleasant to the taste 
when roasted on the fire; but this is regarded as a rarity, and new corn 
is not brought into the market in any great quantities before the end of 
November, or rather the beginn ing of December, when all the corn, 
which has been for a long time lying in the fields' in conical heaps, called 
" bugga," is threshed out. . 
My friend, the vizier, whose solicitude for my health I cannot acknow-
ledge too warmly, was very anxious that I should not stay in the town 
during the rainy season; and knowing that one of our principal objects 
was to investigate the eastern shore of lake Tsad, sent me word, on the 
I I th of August, that I might now view the Bahar el Ghazal, an under-
taking which, as I have already mentioned, he had at first represented 
as impossible. The news from Kanem, however, was now favourable ; 
but as I shall speak in another place of the political state of this dis-
tracted country, and of the continual struggle between B6rnu and 
Wada)" I need only mention here that the W elad Sliman, who had 
become a mercenary band attached to the vizier, had been successful 
during their last _e xpedition, and were reported on the very day of 
my return from Adamawa to hjive made a prize of one hundred and 
fifty horses and a great many camels, which, however, was a great 
exaggeration. 
We were well acquainted with the character of these people, who 
are certainly the most lawless robbers in the world; but as it was the 
express wish of the British Government that we should endeavour to 
explore the regions bordering on the lake, there was no course open to 
us, but to unite our pursuits with theirs; besides, they were prepared 
in some measure for such a union, for, while they inhabited the grassy 
lands round the great Syrtis, they had come ioto frequent contact with. 
494 7'RA VELS' IN AFRICA. 
the English. We had no choice, for all the districts to the north-east 
and east of the Tsad were at present in a certain degree dependent on 
Waday, then at war with B6rnu, and we were told at the commence-
ment that we might go anywhere except to Waday. Instead of fighting 
it out with his own people, which certainly would have been the most 
honourable course, the vizier had ventured to make use of the remnant 
of the warlike, and at present homeless, tribe of the Welad Slim an, in 
the attempt to recover the eastern districts of Kanem from his eastern 
rival; or at least to prevent the latter from obtaining a sure footing in 
them; for this object he had made a sort of treaty with these Arabs, 
undertaking to supply theln with horses, muskets, powder and shot. 
Thus, in order to visit those inhospitable regions, which had attracted 
a great deal of attention in Europe, we were obliged to embrace this 
opportunity. Under these circumstances, on the 16th of August, I 
sent the vizier word that I was r~a"y to join the Wehid Sliman in 
Burgu; whereupon he expressed a wish that Mr. Overweg might like-
wise accompany us; the stay in Kukawa during the rainy season being 
very unhealthy. 
Mr. Overweg had returned on the 9th to Maduwari from his interest-
ing voyage on the Tsad, of which everyone will deeply regret that he 
himself was not able to give a full account. Traversing that shallow 
basin in the English boat, which we had carried all the way through 
the unbounded sandy wastes and the rocky wildernesses of the desert, 
he had visited a great part of the islands, which are dispersed over its 
surface, and which, sometimes reduced to narrow sandy downs, at 
others expanding to wide grassy lowlands, sustain a populati~n in their 
peculiar national independence, the remnant of a great nation which 
was exterminated by the Kanuri. It was a little world of its own with 
which he had thus come into contact, and into which we might hope to 
obtain by degrees a better insight. He enjoyed excellent health, far 
better than when I saw him before, on his first rejoining me in Kukawa ; 
and as he was well aware of the strong reasons which our friend the 
vizier had for wishing us not to stay in the swampy lowlands round the 
capital during the latter part of the rainy season, he agreed to join me 
on this adventurous expedition to the north-east. 
Those regions had, from the very beginning of our setting out from 
Murzuk, attracted Mr. Overweg's attention, and while as yet unac-
quainted with the immense difficulties that attend travelling in these 
inhospitable tracts, he had indulged in the hope of being able, at some 
future time, to ramble about with our young Tebu lad, MoHammed el 
Gatr6ni, among the fertile and picturesque valleys ofBlirgu and Wajanga. 
For this reason, as well as on account of my debility, which left me, 
during the following expedition, the exercise of only a small degree 
of my natural energy, it is greatly to be regretted that my unfortunate 
companion, who seemed never fully aware that his life was at stake, 
did not take into consideration the circumstance that he himself might 
not be destined to return home, in order to elaborate his researches. 
If all the information which he occasionally collected were joiried to 
mine, those countries would be far b:tter kno~n than they now are i but 
SEPTEMBER 5.] POLITICAL SITUATION OF BORNV. 495 
instead of employing his leisure hours in transcri bing his memoranda 
in a form intelligible to others, he left them all on small scraps of 
paper, negligently written with lead pencil, which, after the lapse of 
some time, would become unintelligible even to himself. It is a pity 
that so much talent as my companion possessed was not allied with 
practical habits, and concentrated upon those subjects which he pro-
fessed to study. 
The political horizon of Negroland during this time was fiUed with 
memorable events, partly of real, partly of fictitious importance. Wbat-
ever advantages B6rnu may derive from its central position, it owes to 
it also the risk of being involved in perpetual struggles with one or 
other of the surrounding countries. And hence it is that, under a weak 
government, this empire cannot stand for any length of time; it must 
go on conquering and extending its dominion over adj acent territories, 
or it will soon be overpowered. Towards the north is the empire of 
the Turks, weak and crumbling in its centre, but always grasping with 
its outlying members, and threatening to lay hold of what is around; 
towards the north-west, the Tuarek, not forming a very formidable 
united power, but always ready to pounce upon their prey whenever 
opportunity offers; towards the west, the empire of S6koto, great in 
extent, but weak beyond description in the unsettled state of its loosely 
connected provinces, and, from the un energetic government of a peace-
fully disposed prince; for while one provincial governor was just then 
spreading around him the flames of sedition and revolt, towards the 
south another vassal of this same empire was disputing the possession 
of those regions whence the supply of slaves is annually obtained; and 
towards the east, there is an empire strong in its barbarism, and con-
taining the germs of power, should it succeed in perfectly un iting those 
heterogeneous elements of which it is composed-l mean Wad a.).'. 
With regard to the Turks, the state of affairs at this time was 
peculiar. B6rnu, as we have seen in the historical account of that 
empire, once embraced the whole region as far as Fezzan,-nay, even 
the southern portion of Fezzan itself, and even Wadan; but since the 
decline of the empire in the latter half of the last century these limits 
had been abandoned, and the communication witl" the north had, in 
general, become extremely unsafe. This state of things is necessarily 
disadvantageous to a country which depends for many things on the 
supplies conveyed from the north; and the authorities naturally wish 
that, since they themselves, in their present condition, are unable to 
afford security to this important communication, somebody els" may do 
it. Hence it was that, after my arrival in April, when the vizier was 
conversing with me about the prospects of a regular commercial inter-
course with the English, he declared that he should be much pleased 
if the Turks would occupy Kawar, and more particularly Bilma; and by 
building a fort and keeping a garrison near the salt-mines of that place, 
exercise some control over the Tuarek of Air, and make them respon-
sible for robberies committed on the Fezzan road. It was in conse 
quence of this communication that I begged H er Majesty's Government 
to enter into communication upon this point with the Porte. 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. [18'51. 
But the matter was of a very delicate nature with regard to B6rnti. 
Indeed, it seemed questionable whether the Turks, if once firmly 
established in Bilma, would not think fit to exercise some control over 
the latter country. Nay, it was rather to be feared that they might try 
to obtain there a firm footing, in order to extend their empire; and 
when the news arrived in B6rnu that the ambitious Hassan Basha had 
returned to his post as governor of Fezzan, with very ample instructions, 
the whole court of B6rnu became alarmed. The effect of this news 
upon the disposition of the sheikh and the vizier to enter into friendly 
relations with the British Government was remarkable. On the 5th of 
August they were not able to conceal their fear lest a numberless host 
of Englishmen might come into their country, if, by signing the treaty, 
access was once allowed them, as proposed by H er Majesty's Govern-
ment. For although they were conscious of the poverty of their 
country in comparison with Europe, at times they were apt to forget it. 
In the afternoon of the 6th the courier arrived, and the same evening 
Haj Beshir sent me word that they were ready to sign the treaty; and 
afterwards they were very anxious that the English Government should 
endeavour to prevent the governor of Fezz{m from carrying out the 
ulterior objects of his ambition. At that time I had assured myself that 
a northern road through the desert was not suitable for European com-
merce, and that a practicable highroad, leading several hundred miles 
into the interior of the continent and passing to the south of Kan6, the 
great commercial enkej;ot of Central Africa, and only about h,·o 
hundred miles in a straight line to the south of Kukawa, had been 
found in the river Benuwe. 
With regard to the empire of S6koto, there happened at this time 
a catastroph.e which, while it was an unmistakable proof of the debility 
of that vast agglomeration of provinces, proved at the same time 
extremely favourable to B6rnu. For on the 1st of August the news 
arrived that Bowari or Bokhari, the exiled governor of Khadeja, who 
had conquered the town and killed his brother, had thrown back, with 
great loss, an immense army sent against him by 'Aliyu, the emperor 
of S6koto, under the command of his prime minister, 'Abdu Gedado, 
and composed of the forces of the provinces of Kan6, Bauchi, Katagum, 
Marmar, and Boberu, when several hundreds were said to have perished 
in the komadugu, or -the great fiumara of B6rnu. In the spring, while 
Mr. Overweg was staying in G6ber, the l\1ariadawa and Goberawa had 
made a very successful expedition into Zanfara; and the emperor of 
S6koto could take no other revenge upon them, than by sending orders 
to Kan6 that my friends the Asbenawa, many of whose brethren had 
taken part in the expedition, should be driven out of the town, which order 
was obeyed, while only the well-known Kandake, the same man whom 
Mr. Richardson, on his former journey into the desert, has so frequently 
mentioned, was admitted into the town through the intercession of the 
people of Ghadames. 
The immediate consequence of these circumstances was, that the 
court of B6rnu tried to enter into more friendly relations with the 
Asbenawa, or the Tuarek of Asben, with whom at other times they 
SEPTEMBER 5.] SOKOTO AND WADA Y. 497 
were on unfriendly terms, and the prisoners .whom they had made on 
the last expedition were released. The coalition extended as far as 
G6ber; and the most ard en t desire of the vizier was to march straight 
upon Kan6. To conquer this great central place of commerce was the 
great object of this man's ambition; but for which he did not possess 
sufficient energy and self-command. H owever, the· governor of that 
place, terrified by the vidory of Bokhari, who was now enabled to carry 
on his predatory expeditions into that rich territory without hindrance, 
distributed sixty bemuses and three thousand dollars among the 
Mallemin, to induce them to offer up their prayers to Allah for the 
public welfare. 
We have se,en above, that the B6rnu people had given to their 
relations with Adamawa a hostile character; but from that quarter they 
had nothing to fear, the governor of their province being too much 
occupied by the affairs of his own country. 
I will now say a word about \Naday. That was the quarter to which 
the most anxious looks of the B6rnu people were directed. For, seven 
years previously, they had been very nearly conquered by them, and 
had employed every means to get information of what was going on 
there. But from thence also the news was favourable. For although 
the report of the death of the Sultan Mohammed Sherif, in course of 
time, turned out to be false, still it was true that the country was 
plunged into a bloody civil war with the Abu-Senun, or Kodoyi, and 
that numbers of enterprising men had succumbed in the struggle. The 
business of the tOlVll went on as usual, with the exception of the aid el 
fotr, the ngumeri ash am, the festival following the great annual fast, 
which was celebrated in a grand style, not by the nation, which seemed 
to take very little interest in it, but by the court. In other places, like 
Kana, the rejoicings seem to be more popular on this occasion; the 
children of the butchers or .. masufauchi" in that great emporium of 
commerce mounting some oxen, fattened for the occasion, between the 
horns, and managing them by a rope fastened to the neck, and another 
to the hind leg. As for the common people of B6rnu, they scarcely 
took any other part in this festivity than by putting on their best dresses ; 
and it is a general custom in larger establishments that servants and 
attendants on this day receive a new shirt. 
I also put on my best dress, and mounting my horse, which had 
recovered a little from the fatigue of the last journey, though it was not 
yet fit for another, proceeded in the morning to the eastern town or 
"billa gedibe," the great thoroughfare being crowded with men on foot 
and horseback, passing to and fro, all dressed in their best. It had 
been reported that the sheikh was to say his prayers in the mosque, 
but we soon discovered that he was to pray outside the town, as large 
troops of horsemen were leaving it through the north gate or " chinna 
yalabe." In order to become aware of the place where the ceremony 
was going on, I rode to the vizier's house, and met him just as he came 
out, mounted on horseback, and accompanied by a troop of horsemen. 
At the same time several cavalcades were seen coming from yarious 
quarters, consisting of the kashellas, or officers, each with his sq uadron, 
32 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
of from a hundred to two hundred horsemen, all in the most gorgeous 
attire, particularly the heavy cavalry; the greater part being dressed in 
a thick stuffed coat called" degibbir, " and wearing over it several tobes 
of all sorts of colours and designs, and having their heads covered with 
the" buge," or casque, made very nearly like those of our knights in 
. the middle age, but of lighter metal, alld ornamented with most gaudy 
feath ers. Thei r horses were covered all over with thick clothing called 
{I Hbbedi," "'lith various coloured stripes, consisting of three pieces, an d 
leaving nothi ng but the feet exposed , the front .of the head being pro-
tected and adorned by a metal plate. Others were dressed in a coat 
of mail, "sillege," and the other kind called "koma-komi-sube." The 
lighter cavalry was. only dressed in two or three showy tobes and 
small white or coloured caps; but the officers and more favoured 
attendants wore bemuses of finer or coarser quality, and generally of 
red or yellow colour, slung in a picturesque manner round the upper 
part of their body, so that th e inner wadding of richly coloured silk 'was 
most exposed to view. 
All these dazzling cavalcades, amongst whom some very excellent 
horses were seen prancing along, ,·vere moving towards the northern 
ga te of the" billa gedibe," while the troop of the sheikh himself, who 
had been staying in the western town, was coming from the south-west. 
The sigh t of this troop, at least from a little distance, as is the case 
in theatrical scenery, was really magnificent. The troop was led by a 
number of horsemen; then follo wed the livery slaves with their match-
locks ; and behind them rode the sheikh, dressed as usual in a white 
bemus, as a token of his religious character, but wearing round his 
head a red shawl. H e was followed by four magn ificent chargers 
clothed in libbed i of silk of various colonrs, that of the first horse being 
striped white and yellow, that of the second white and brown, that of 
the third white and light green, and that of the fourth white and cherry-
red. This was certainly the most int~resting and conspicuous part of 
the procession. Behind the horses followed the fou r large <l.lam or 
ensigns of the sheikh, and the four smaller ones of the mus keteers, and 
then a numerous body of horsemen. . 
This cavalcade of the sheikh's now joined the other troops, and the 
whole body proceeded in the direction of Dawergh u to a distance 01 
about a mile from the town. H ere the sheikh's tent was pitched, con-
sisting of a very large cupola of considerable dimensions, with blue and 
white stripes, and curtains, the one half white and the other red; the 
curtains were only half closed. In this ten t the sheikh himself, the 
. vizier, and the first courtiers were praying, while the numerous body 01 
horsemen and men on foot were grouped around in the most picturesque 
and im posi ng variety. 
Meanwhile I made the round of this interes ting scene, and endeavoured 
. to count the various groups. In their numbers I was certainly dis-
appointed, as I had been led to expect myriads . At the very least, 
however, there were three thousand horsemen, and from six thousand 
to seven thousand armed men on foot, the latter partly with bow and 
arrow. There were besides a' great ml11titude of spectators. The 
SEPTEMBER 5·] CERE1I10N1ES OF FESTIVITY. 499 
ceremony did not last long; and as early as nine o'clock the ganga 
summoned all the chiefs to mount, and the dense mass of human beings 
began to disperse and range themselves in various groups. They took 
their direction round the north-western corner of the east tow n, and 
entered the latter by the western gate; but the crowd was so great that 
I chose to forego taking leave of the sheikh, and went slowly back over 
the intermediate ground between the (wo towns in the company of 
some very chevalieresque and well-mounted young Arabs from Ben-
Ghazi, and posted myself at some di'stance from the east gate of the 
western town, in order to see the kashellas, who have their residence 
in this quarter, pass by. There were twelve or thirteen, few of whom 
had more th an one hundred horsemen, the most conspicuous being 
Fugo 'Ali, 'Ali iVlarghi, 'Ali Dendal, 'Ali Ladan, Belal, Salah, Kandil, 
and J erma. It was thought remarkable that no Shuwa had come to 
this festivity; but I think they rarely do, although they may sometimes 
come for the 'Aid-el-kebir, or the "ngGmeri layabe." It is rather 
remarkable that even this smaller festivity is celebrated here with such 
iclat, while in general, in Mohammedan Negroland, only tbe " laya" 
is celebrated in this way; perhaps this is due to Egyptian influence, 
and the custom is as old at least as the time of the King Edris 
Alaw6ma. 
I had the inexpressible delight of receiving by the courier, who arrived 
on the 6th of August, a considerable parcel of letters from Europe, 
which assured me as well of the great interest which was generally felt 
in our undertaking, although as yet only very little of our first proceed-
ings had become known, as that we should be ena,bled to carry out our 
enterprise without too many privations. I therefore collected all the 
little energy which my sickly state had left me, and concluded the 
report of my journey to Adamawa, which caused me a great deal of 
pain, but which, forwarded on the 8th of August, together with the 
news of Mr. Overweg's successful navigation, produced a great deal of 
satisfaction in Europe. Together with th e letters and sundry Maltese 
portfolios, I had also the pleasure of receiving several numbers of the 
Atltc1U1!Um, probably the first which were introduced into Central Africa, 
and which gave me great delight. 
Altogether our situation in the country was not so bad. We were 011 
the best and most friendly terms with the rulers ; we were not only 
tolerated, but even respected by the natives, and we saw an immense 
field of interesting and useful labour open to us. There was only on.e 
disagreeable circumstance besides the peculiar nature of the climate; 
this was the fact that our means were too small to render us quite 
independent of the sheikh and his vizier, for the scanty supplies which 
had reached us were not sufficient to 'provide for our wants, and were 
soon gone. We were scarcely able to keep ourselves afloat on our 
credit, and to supply our most necessary wants. Mr. Overweg, besides 
receiving a very handsome horse from them, had also been obliged to 
accept at their hands a number of tobes, which he had made presents 
of to the chiefs of the Bu.dduma, and they looked upon him as almost 
in their employment. He lost a great deal of his time in repairing, or 
500 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
rather trying to repair, their watches and other things. Such services I 
had declined from the beginning, and was therefore regarded as less 
useful; and I had occasionally to hear it said, "'Abd el Kerfm faidanse 
bago,"- "'Abd el Kerfm is of no use whatever;" nevertheless, I myself 
was not quite independent of their kindness, although I sacrificed all I 
could in order to give from time to time a new impulse to their favour 
by an occasional present. 
The horse which they had first given me had proved incapable of 
such fatigue as it, had to undergo, and the animal which I had bought 
before going to Adamawa had been too much knocked up to stand 
another journey so soon: and after having bought two other camels and 
prepared myself for another expedition, I was unable, with my present 
means, to buy a good horse. Remembering, therefore, what the vizier 
had told me with regard to my first horse, I sent him word that he 
would greatly oblige me by making me a present of one, and he was 
kind enough to send me four animals from which to choose; but as 
none of these satisfied me, I rejected them all. intimating very simply 
that it was impossible, among four ?Zags, II kAdara," to choose one ltOrse, 
" fir." This hint, after a little further explanation, my friend did not 
fail to understand, and in the evening of the 7th of September he 
sent me a horse from his own stable, which became my faithful and 
noble companion for the next four campaigns, and from wh ich I did 
not part till ,. after my return from Timbuktu, in December 1854, he 
succumbed to sickness in Kan6. 
He was the envy of all the great men, from the Sultan of Bag[rmi to 
the chiefs of 'the T ademekket and Awe][mmiden , near Timbuktu. His 
colour was a shade of grey, with beautiful light leopard-like spots; and 
the KanUri were not unanimous with regard to the name which they 
gave it, some calling it "sheggara," whi le others thought th e name" kerf 
sassarandi " more suitable to it. In the company of mares he was in-
capable of walking quietly, but kept playing in order to show himself 
off to advantage. The B6rnu horses in general are very spirited and 
fond of prancing. H e was an excellent /I kerisa ,. or marcher, and" doy" 
or swift in the extreme, but very often lost his start by his playfulness. 
Of his strength, the extent of the journeys which he made with me 
b ears am ple testimony, particularly if the warlike, scientific, and victual-
ling stores which I used to carry with me are taken into account. He 
was a "ng[rma," but not of the largest size. Mr. Overweg's horse was 
almost half a hand higher; but, while mine was a lion in agility, my 
com panion's horse was not unlike a hippopotamus in plumpness. 
With such a horse I prepared cheerfully for my next expedition, which 
I regarded in the light both of an undertaking in the interests of science, 
and as a medicinal course for restoring my health, which threatened to 
succumb in th e unhealthy region of Kukawa. Besides two Fezzani 
lads , I had t aken into my service two Arabs belonging to the tribe of 
the vVeliid Sliman, and whose names were Bu-Zed and Hasen J;>ep Hm, 
SEPTEMBER 11.] EXPEDITION TO KAN EM. 501 
CHAPTER XXXIX 
EXPEDITION TO KA NEM. 
Tltttrsday, Sept. I I.-Having decided upon leaving the town in advance 
of the Arabs, in order 'to obtain le isure for travelling slowly the firs t few 
days, and to accus tom my feeble frame once more to the fa tigues of a 
continual march, after a rest offorty days in the town, I ordered my people 
to get my luggage ready in the morning. I ha d plen ty of provisions, 
such as zummita, dweda or vermicelli , mohamsa, and nakia, a sort of 
sweetmeat made of rice with butter and honey ; t wo skins of each 
quality. All was stowed away with the lit tle luggage I intended taking 
with me on thi s adventurous journey, in two pairs of large leathern 
bags or kewa, which my two camels were to carry. When all was 
ready, I went to th e vizier, in order to take leave of him and arrange 
with my former servant, Mohammed ben Sad, to whom lowed thirty-
fi ve dollars. H aj Beshir, as usual, was very ki nd and amiable ; but as 
for my former servant, having not a single dolla r in cash, I was obliged 
to give him a bill upon Fezzan, for seventy-five dollars. There was 
also a long talk on the subj ect of an enormous debt due to the Fezzani 
merchant Mohammed e' Sfaksi; and as it was not p ossible t o settle it 
at once, I was obliged to leave its defini te arrangement to Mr. Overweg. 
All this disagreeable business, which is so kill ing to the bes! hours, 
and destroys half the energy of the traveller, had retarded my departure 
so long that the sun was just setting when I left the gate of the town. 
My little caravan was very incomplete; for my only companion on 
emerging from the gate into the high waving fi elds of Guinea-corn, 
which entirely concealed the little s uburb, was an unfortunate young 
man whom I had not hired at all, my three hired servants having stayed 
~ehind on some pretext or other. This lad was Mohammed ben 
Ahmed, a native of Fezzan, whom I wanted to hire, or ra ther hired, in 
Gllmmel, in March last, for two Spanish dollars a month, but who, 
having been induced, by his companions in the caravan with which he 
had just arrived from the north, to forego the service of a Christian, had 
broken his word, and gone on with the caravan of the people from 
S6kna, leaving me with only one useful servant. But he had found 
sufficient leisure to repent -of his dishonourable conduct, for, having 
been at the verge of the grave in Kan6, and being reduced to the 
utmost misery, he came to Kukawa, begging my pardon, and entreating 
my compassion; and, after some expostula tion, I allowed him to stay 
without hiring him, and it was only on seeing his attachment to me in 
the course of time, that I afterwards granted him a dollar a month, and 
he did not obtain two dollars till my leaving Zinder, in January 1853, 
on my way to Timbiiktu, when I was obliged to augment the salary of 
all my people. This lad followed me with my two camels. 
All was fertility and vegetation, though these fields near the capital 
are certainly, not the best situated in B6rnu. I felt strengthened by the 
fresh air, and followed the eastern path, which did not offer any place 
502 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
for an encampment. Looking round, I saw at length two of my men 
coming towards us, and found to the left of the track, on a little sandy 
eminence, a convenient spot for pitching my tent. I felt happy in 
having left the monotony and closeness of the town behind me. 
Nothing in the world makes me feel happier than a wide, open country, 
R commodious tent, and a fine parse. But I was not quite comfortable; 
for, having forgotten to close my tent, I was greatly annoyed by the 
mosquitoes, which prevented my getting any sleep. The lake being 
very near, the dew was so heavy that next morning my tent was as wet 
as if it had been soaked with water. 
Fnday, Sept. 12.-Notwithstanding these inconveniences, I awoke in 
the morning with a grateful heart, and cared little about the flies, which 
soon began to attack me. I sat down outside the tent to enjoy my 
liberty: it was a fine morning, and I sat for hours tranquilly enjoying 
the most simple landscape (the lake not being visible, and scarcely 
a single tree in sight) which a man can fancy. But all was so quiet, 
and bespoke such serenity and content, that I felt quite happy and 
invigorated. I did not think about writing, but idled away the whole 
day. In the evening my other man came, and brought me a note from 
Mr. Overweg, addressed to me "in campo caragre iEthiopiensis" 
(karaga means wilderness). 
Saturday, Sept. 13.-1 decided late in the morning, when the dew 
had dried up a little, upon moving my encampment a short distance, 
but had to change my path for a more westerly one, on account of the 
large swampy ponds, formed at the end of the rainy season in the 
concavity at the foot of the sandhills of Dawerghll. The vegetation is 
rich during this season, even in this monotonons district. Having at 
length entered the corn, or rather millet-fields of Dawerghii, we soon 
ascended , the sandhills, where the whole character of the landscape is 
altered; for, while the dum-bush almost ceases, the retern, Spartiltm 
1JIonospermmn, is the most common botanical ornament of the ground 
where the cultivation of the fields has left a free spot, whilst fine 
specimens of the mimosa break the monotony of the fields. Hal'ing 
passed several clusters of cottages forming an extensive district, I saw 
to the right an open space descending towards a green sheet of water, 
fi lling a sort of valley or hollow where, a short time afterwards, when 
the summer harvest is over, the peculiar sort of sorghum called masakWIi 
is sown. Being shaded by some fine acacias, the spot was very in-
viting, and, feeling already tired, sick and weak as I was, though after 
a journey of only two hours, I determined to remain there during the 
heat of the day. I had scarcely stretched myself on the ground, when 
a man brought me word that a messenger, sent by Ghet, the chief of 
the Wellid Sliman, had passed by with the news that this wandering 
and marauding tribe had left Biirgu and returned to Kanem. This was 
very unpleasant news, as, from all that I had heard, it appeared to me 
that Biirgu must be an interesting -country, at least as much so as 
Asben or Afr, being favoured by deep valleys and ravines, and living 
sources of fine water, and producing, besides great quantities of eXCellen,t 
dates, even grapes and figs, at least in some favoured spots. 
SEPTEMBER [4.] VARiETY OF TREES . 
The morning had been rather dull, but before noon the SUll shone 
1'orth, and our situation on the sloping ground of the high country, over-
looking a great extent of land in the rich dress of vegetable life, was 
very pleasant. There was scarcely a bare spot: all was green, except 
that the ears of the millet and sorghum were almost ripe, and began 
to assume a yellowish-brown tint; but how di fferen t is the height of 
the stalks, the very largest of which scarcely exceeds fifteen feet, from, 
those I sa\V afterwards on my return from Timbuktu, in the rich valleys 
of Kebbi. Several Kanembu were passing by, and en livened the 
scenery. When the heat of the sun began to abate, I set my little 
caravan once more in motion, and passed on through the level country, 
\.vhich in the simplicity of my mind I thought beautiful, and which I 
greatly enjoyed. After about an hour's march, we passed a large pond 
or pool, situated to the left of the road, and formed by the rains, 
bordered by a set of trees of the acacia tribe, and enlivened by a large 
herd of fine cattle. Towards evening, after some trouble, we found a 
path leading through the fields into the interior of a little vill age, called 
Alairuk, almost hidden behind the high stalks of millet. Our reception 
was rather cold, such as a stranger may expect to find in all the villages 
situated near a capital, the inhabitants of which are continually pestered 
by calls upon their hospitality. But, carrying my little residence a nd 
all the comforts I wanted with me, I cared little about their treatment; 
and my tent was soon pitched in a separate courtyard. But all my 
enjoyment was destroyed by a quarrel which arose between my horse-
man and the master of the dwelling, who would not allow him to put 
his horse where he wished: my horseman had even the insolence to 
beat the man who had received us into his house. This is the way in 
which affairs are managed in these countries. 
Sunday, Sept. J4.-After a refreshing night I started a little ·later 
than on" the day previous, winding along a narrow path through the 
fields, where, besides sorghum, kariis (Hibiscus esm lentlts) is cultivated, 
which is an essential thing for preparing th e soups of the natives, in 
districts where the leaves of the kOka, or monkey-bread-tree, and of the 
hajilij, or Balanites, are wanting; for though the town of Kukawa has 
received its name frem the circumstance that a young tree of this 
species was found on the spot where the Sheikh Mohammed el Kanemi, 
the father of the ruling sultan, laid the first foundation .of the present 
town, neverrheless scarcely any kuka is seen for several miles round 
Kukawa. 
The sky was cloudy, and the country became less interesting than 
the day before. We met a small troop of native traders, with dried 
fish, which forms a great article of commerce throughout B6rnu; for, 
though the Kanuri people at present are almost deprived of the dominion, 
and even the use, of the fine sheet of water which spreads out in the 
midst of their territories, the fish, to which their forefathers have given 
the name of food (bu-ni, from bu, to eat), has remained a' necessary 
article for making their soups. The fields in this part of the conntry 
were not so well looked after, and were in a more neglected state; but 
there was a tolerable variety of trees, though rather scanty. Besides 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
prickly underwood of tal has, there were principally the hajilij or bito 
(Balanites .L'Egyptiaca), the selim, the k6rna, the serrakh, and the 
gerredh or Mimosa lVilotica. Further on, a short time before we came 
to the village Kalikagorf, I obsen'ed a woman collecting the seeds of 
an eatable Foa, called" kreb" or "kasha," of which there are several 
5pecies, by swinging a sort of basket through the rich meadow-ground. 
These species of grasses afford a great deal of food to the inhabitants 
of B6rnu, Bagfrmi, and Waday, but more especially to the Arab settlers 
in these countries, or the Shuwa; in B6rnu J at least, I have ne\'er seen 
the black natives make use .of this kind of food, while in Bagirmi it 
seems to constitute a sort of luxury even with the wealthier classes. 
The reader will see, in the course of my narrative, that in Maseiia I 
lived principally on this kind of Foa. It makes a light palatable dish, 
but requires a great deal of butter. 
After having entered the forest and passed several small waterpools, 
we encamped near one of these, when the heat of the sun began to 
make itself felt. This district "bounded in mimosas of the species 
called gerredh, um-el-barka, or "kingar," which affords a very excellent 
wood for saddles and other purposes, whi le the coals prepared from it 
are used for making powder. Myoid talkative, but not very energ'etic 
companion Bu-Zed, was busy in making new pegs for my tcnt, the 
very hard black ground of B6rnu destroying pegs very soon, and in the 
meantime, assisted by Hosen ben Har, gave me a first insight into 
the numerous tribes living in Kanem and round the Bahar el GhazaL 
The fruits of the gerredh, which in their general appearance are very 
like those of the tamarind-tree, are a very important nati"e medicine, 
especially in cases of dysentery; and it is, most probably, to them that 
I owed my rccovery when attacked by that destructive disease during 
my second stay in S6koto in September 1854. . The same tree is 
cssential for preparing the water-skins, that most necessary article for 
crossing the desert. The kajiji was plentiful in this neighbourhood. 
The root of this little plant, which is about the size of a nut, the natives 
use in the most extensive way for perfuming themselves with. 
Late in the afternoon we continued our journey through the forest, 
wh ich was often interrupted by open patches. After having. pursued 
the path for some miles, we quitted it, and travelled in a more easterly 
direction through a pleasant hilly country, full of verdure, and affording 
pasturage to a great many cattle; for the Kanembu, like the Fulbe, go 
with their herds to a great distance during certain seasons of the year, 
and all the cattle from the places about Ng6rnu northwa-rds is to be 
found in these quarters during the cdld season. But not being able to 
find water here, we were obliged to try the opposite direction, in order 
to look for this element so essential for passing a comfortable night. 
At length, late in the evening, traversing a very rugged tract of country, 
we reached the temporary encampment, or ber!, of a party of Kanembu 
with their herds, whilst a larger ber! was moving eastward. Here 
also we were unable to find water, and even milk wa~ to be got but 
sparingly. 
Monday. Sept. I 5.-Before we were ready to move, the whole nomadic 
SEPTEMBER 16.] THE TO WN OF YO. 
encampment broke up, the c~ttle going in front, and the men, 'women, 
and children following with their little households on asses . The 
most essential or only apparatus of these wandering neatherds are the 
tall sticks for hanging ul' the milk to secure it ; the " sakti " or skins for 
milk and water, the calabashes, and the k6ri6. T he men are always 
armed with their 10\lg wooden shields, the" ngawa f6gobe," and their 
spears, and some are most fantastically dressed, as I have described on 
a former occasion. After having loaded our c~mels, and proceeded 
some distance, we came to the temporary abode of another large herd, 
whose guardians at first behaved unfriendly, forbidding our tasting a 
drop of their delicious stuff; but they soon exchanged their haughty 
manners for the utmost cordi ality when Madi, an elder brother of Fetgo 
'Ali, our fri end in Maduwari, recognized me. H e even insisted on my 
encamping on the s pot, and staying the day with him; and it was with 
difficulty that he allowed me to pursue my march. after having swallowed 
as much delicious milk as my stomach would bear. Further on we 
joined the main road, and found to the left of it a handsome pool of 
muddy water, and filled two skins with it. Certainly there is nothing 
worse for a European than this stagnant dirty wa ter; but during the 
rainy season, and for a short time afterwards, he is rarely able to get 
any other. 
Soon after, I had another specimen of the treatmen t to which the 
natives are continua.lly exposed from the king's servants in these coun-
tries; for, meeting a large herd of fine sheep, my horseguard managed 
to lay hold of the fattest specimen of the whole herd, notwithstanding 
the cries of the shepherd, ",hom I in vain endeavoured to console by 
offering him the price 0f the animal. During the heat of the day, whcn 
we were encamped under the scanty shade of a few gawo, m y people 
slaughtered the sheep; but, as in gen eral, I only tasted a little of th e 
liver. The shade was so scanty, and the sun so hot, that I felt very 
weak in the afternoon when we went on a little. 
Tuesday, SejJt. 16.-I felt tolerably strong. Soon aft er we had 
started, we met a great many horses which had been sent here for 
pasturage, and then encountered another fish kana. My hors.eman 
wanted me all at once to proceed to the town of Y 6, from whence he 
was to return; and he continued on without stopping, although I very 
soon felt tired, and wanted to make a halt. The country, at the dis-
tance of some miles south from the komadugu, is rather monotonous 
and barren, and the large tamarind-tree behind the town of Y6  is seen 
from such a di~tance that the traveller, having the same conspicuous 
object before hIS eyes for sllch a length of time, becomes tired out 
before he reaches it. The dum-palm is the principal tree in this flat 
region, forming detached clusters, while the ground in. general is 
extremely barren. 
Proc.eeding with my guardian in advance, we at length reached the 
town, 1Il front of which there is a little suburb; and being uncertain 
whether we should take quarters inside or outside, we entered it. It 
consisted of closely packed streets, was extremely hot, and exhaled sllch 
an offensive smell of dried fish, that it appeareu to me a very disagree-
506 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. [1851. 
alJie and intolerable abode. Nevertheless we rode to the house of the 
shitima, or rather, in the fu ll form, Shitfma Y6ma (which is the title the 
governor bears), a large 'building of clay. He was just about taking 
another wife ; and large quantities of corn, intended as provision for 
his new household, were heaped up in front of it.· H aving applied to 
his men for quarters, a small courtyard with a large hut was assigned 
to us in another part of the town, and we went there; but it was 
impossible for me to make myself in any way comfortable in this 
narroW space, where a small gawo afforded very scanty shade. Being 
almost suffocated , and feeling very unwell, I mounted my horse again 
and hastened out ·of the gate, and was very glad to have regained the 
fresh air. Vve then encamped about six hundred yards from the town, 
near a . shady tamarind tree; and I stretched my feeble limbs on the 
ground, and fell into a sort of lethargy for some hours, enjoying a 
luxurious tranquillity; I was so fatigued with my morning's ride, that 
I though t with apprehension on what would become of me after my 
companions had joined me, when I should be obliged to bear fatigue 
of a quite different description . 
As soon as I felt strong enough to rise from my couch, I walked a 
few paces in order to get a sight of the river or "kOlmidugu." It was 
at present a fine sheet of wa ter, the bed entirely full, "tsimbullena," 
and the stream runnipg towards the Tsad with a strong current; indeed, 
I then scarcely suspected that on another occasion I should encamp 
for several days in the dry bed of this river, which, notwithstanding the 
clear and undoubted statements of the members of the former expedition 
with regard to its real character, had been made by Captain W. Allen 
to carry the superfluous waters of the Tsad into the Kwara. The 
shores of the komadugu near this place are quite picturesq ue, being 
bordered by splendid tamarind-trees, and "kinzim," or dum-palms, 
besides fine specimens of the acacia tribe on the northern shore. At 
the foot of the tamarind-trees a very good kind of cotton is grown, while 
lower down, jnst at this season of the year, wheat is produced by irri-
gating regularly laid out grounds by way of the shadUf or "lambuna." 
Cotton and small quantities of wheat are the only produce of this 
region, besides fish and the fruit of the Cuci/era or dum-palm, which 
forms an essential condiment for the "kunu," a kind of soup made of 
)\:. The marriage (niga) ceremonies in tIiis country fill a whole week. The 
first day is dedicated to the feasting on the favourite If nakia," the paste 
mentioned before j the second to the f{ tiggra," a dried paste made of millet, 
with an immense quantity of pepper; the third to the II ngaji," the common 
dish made of sorghum, with a little fish sauce, if possible j the fourth day is 
called" Hktere/' I think from the taking away the emblems of the virginal 
state of the bride, II larussa" ; the fifth, the bride is placed on a mat or 
bushi, from which she rises seven times, and kneels down as often; this is 
called II bushiro," or tI buchiro genitsin" j the next day, which must be a 
Friday, her female friends wash· her head ,·\lhite singing, and in the evening 
she is placed upon a horse and brought to the house of the bridegroom, 
where the final act of the nigra is accomplished. The Kanuri are very 
peculiar in the distinction of a marriage w ith a virgin, "fero," or H fero 
kuyanga," or a wid.ow, or "kamo.~war."· 
S EPTEMBER 18.] ARRIVA L OF MR. OVERWEG. 
Negro millet; for the place is entirely destitute of any other Ccreaiia, 
and millet and sorghum are grown only to a small extent. Cattle also 
are yery scarce in Y6 ; and very li ttle milk is to be procured. Fish is 
the principal food of the inhabitants, of which there are several very 
palatable species in the river, especially one of considerable size, from 
eighteen to twenty inches long, with a very small mouth, resembling 
the mullet. 
I saw also a specimen of the electric-fish, about ten inches long, and 
very fat, which was able to numb the arm of a man for several minutes. 
It was of an ashy colour on the back, while th'e belly was quite white ; 
the tail anc! the hi nd fins were red. Mr. Overweg made a slight sketch 
of one. 
During the night a heavy gale arose, and we had to fas ten the ropes 
attached to the top of the pole ; bnt the storm passed by, and there was 
not a drop of rain; indeed the rainy season, with regard to B6rn u, had 
fairly gone by. 
Wednesday, Sept. I7.-Enjoyed in the morning the scenery and the 
fresh air of the river. Men were coming to bathe, women fetching 
water, and passengers and small part ies 'yere crossing the river, 
swimming across with their c1othe~ upon their heads, or sitting on a 
yoke of calabashes with the water up to their middle. A kafl a or 
"karabka " of T ebu people from Kanem had arrived the day befo re, 
and were encamped on the other side of the river, being eager to cross ; 
but they were not allo.wed to do so till they had obtained permission ; 
for, during several months, this r iver or valley forms annually a sort 
of quarantine line, whilst, during the other portion of the year, small 
caravans, at least, go to and fro at their pleasure. 
The only boat upon the water was a makara, formed by several yokes 
of calabashes, and of that frail character described by me in another 
part of this work, in which we ourselves were to cross the river. Un-
fortunately it was not possible to enjoy quietly and decently the beau-
ti ful shade of the splendid tamarind-trees, on account of the numbe.r of 
waterfowl and pelicans which reside in their branches. 
On removing some of my luggage, I found that the white ants were 
busy destroying, as fast as possible, my leather bags and mats; and we 
were accordingly obliged to remove everything, and to place layers of 
branches underneath. T here are great numbers of ants hereabouts ; 
but only moderately sized ant-hills are seen ; nothing like the grand 
structures which I afterwards saw in Bagirmi. 
Thursday, Sept. I8.-About two hours after midnigh t Mr. Overweg 
arrived, accompanied by one of the most conspicuous of the W elad 
Sliman, of the name of Khalef-Al1ah, announcing the approach of our 
little troop ; which did not, however, make its appearance until ten 
o'clock in the morning, when the most courageous and best mounted of 
t hem galloped up to my tent in pairs, brandishing their guns. There 
were twenty-five horsemen, about a dozen men mounted upon camels, 
and seven or eight on foot, besides children. T hey dismounted a little 
to the east of our tents, and formed quite an animated encampment; 
though of course quarrels were sure to break out soon. . 
508 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
Feeling a little stronger, I mounted with my fellow-traveller in the 
afternoon, in order to make a small excursion along the southern shore 
of the river, in a westerly direction. The river) in general, runs from 
west to east; but here, above the town, it makes considerable windings, 
and the shore is not so high as at the ford. The vegetation was beau-
tiful; large tamarind-trees forming a dense shade above, whilst the 
ground was covered with a great variety of plants and herbs just in 
flower. On the low promontories of the shore were several small fish-
ing villages, consisting of rather low and light huts made of mats, and 
surrounded by poles for drying the fish, a great many of )vhich, princi-
pally of the mullet kind, were just suspended for that purpose. Having 
enjoyed the aspect of the quiet river-scenery for some time, we returned 
round the south side of the town. The ground here is hilly; but I think 
the hills, though at present cO\'ered with verdure, are nothing more 
than mounds of rubbish formed in the course of time round the town, 
\\'hich appears to have been formerly of greater extent. 
Friday, Sept. 19.-0verweg and T, acc.ompanied by Khalef-Allah 
and a guide, made an excurs ion do v.rn the river, in order, if pos-
sible, to reach its mouth; but the experiment proved that there is no 
path on the southern ,shore, the track following the northern bank: for 
on that side, not far from the mouth, lies a considerable Kanembu place 
called B6so, though, in the present weak state of the B6rnu kingdom, 
much exposed to the incursions of the Tuarek. Having penetrated as 
far as a village, or rather a walled town, named Fatse, the walls of 
which are in a decayed state, and the population reduced to a dozen 
families, WI' were obliged to give up our intended survey of the river. 
As for myself, I was scarcely able to make any long excursion; for on 
attempting to mount my horse again, I fainted, and fell senseless to the 
ground, to the great consternation of my companions, who felt convinced 
my end was approaching. \Ve therefore retu.rned to our encampment. 
In the evening I had a severe attack of fever. 
Saturday, Sept. 20.-It had been determined the day before that 
we should cross the river to-day, and the governor's permission had 
been obtained; but as the vizier's messenger had not yet arrived, we 
decided upon waiting another day. Feeling a little better, I made a 
rough sketch of the town, with the dum-palms around it, and prepared 
ll1yself, as well as I was able, for the fatiguing march before me. We 
had a good specimen to-day of the set of robbers and freebooters we 
had associated with in order to carry out the objects of the mission. 
The small Teebu caravan, which I mentioned above as having arrived 
from Kanem, and which had brought the news that the people of 
Waday had made an alliance with all the tribes hostile fo the Welad 
Slim an, in order to destroy the latter, had not been allowed to cross the 
river until to-day. They were harmless people, carrying very little 
luggage (chiefly dates) upon a small number of oxen; but as soon as 
they had crossed, our companions held a council, and, the opinion of 
the most violent having gained the upper hand, they fell upon the poor 
Tebu, or Kreda, as they call them, and took away all their dates by 
force. The skins were then divided: and the greater part of them had 
SEPTEMBER 23.] CROSSING THE RIVER. 
already been consumed or carried an-ay, when an old Arab arrived, and, 
upbrajding- his companions with their mean conduct, persuaded them 
to Gollect what remained, o~ that could be found, and restore it to 
th e owners. In the evening the vizier's messenger arrived, and tbe 
crossing of tbe river was definitely fixed for the next day. 
Monday, Sept. 22.-Rose early, in order to get over in time, there 
being no other means of crossing than two makara, each consist-
ing of three yokes of calabashes. The camels, as is always the case, 
being the most difficult to manage, had to cross first; and after much 
trouble and many narrow escapes (owing principally to the unevenness 
of the bottom of the valley, the water channel having formed a deep 
hollow-at present from ten to eleven feet deep-near the southern 
shore, while in the middle the bottom rises considerably, leaving a depth 
of only six or seven feet) they all got safely over, and were left to 
indulge in the foliage of the beautiful mimosas wh ich embellish the 
northern border of the river. The horses followed next, and lastly we 
ourselves with the luggage. 
About nine o'clock in the morn ing I found myself upon the river on 
my three-yoked "makara," gliding through the stream in a rather 
irregular style of motion, according as the frail fe rry-hoat was drawn or 
pushes! by the two black swimmers yoked to it. It was a beautiful day, 
and the scenery highly interesting; but, having been exposed to the 
s un all the morning, I was glad to find a little shade. When all the 
party had successively landed, and the heat of the day had abated, we 
loaded our camels and commenced our march. We were now left 
entirely to the security and protection which our own arms might afford 
us; for all the country to the north of the komaclugu has become the 
domain of freebooters, and though nominally Sheikh 'Omar's dominion 
stretches as far as Beri, and even beyond that place, neverth eless his 
name is not respected here, except where supported by arms. 
The country through which we were passing bore the same character 
as that for some miles round the capital; a very stiff,. black soil, clothed 
with short grass and a few trees far between. H aving encountered a 
flock of 9l,eep, our friends gave chase; and after they had laid hold of 
three fat rams, we decided to encamp. 
Tuesday, Sept. 23.-For the first four hours of our march the character 
of the surrounding country remained nearly the same; it then opened, 
and became better cultivated; and soon after we saw the clay walls of 
Baruwa, though scarcely to be distinguished, owing to the high mounds 
of rubbish imbedding them on all sides. Near the south-west gate of 
the town the road leads over the high mound (which destroys entirely 
the protection the wall migh t otherwise afford to the inhabitants), and 
lays its whole interior open to the eyes of the traveller. It consists of 
closely packed huts, generally without a courtyard, but shaded here 
and there by a mimosa or kuma, and affords a handsome specimen 
of a Central African dwelling-place. The inhabitants, whose want of 
energy is clearly seen from the nature of the mounds, do not rely upon 
the strength of their walls; and to the disgrace of the sheikh of B6rnu, 
who receives tribute from them, and places a governor over them, they 
510 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
li kewise pay tribute to the Tuarek. They belong in general to the 
Kanembu tribe; but many Yedina, or Budduma, also are settled in the 
town. Their principal food and only article of commerce is fish, which 
they catch in great quantities in the lake, whose nearest creeks are, 
according to th e season, from two to three miles distant, and from 
which they are not excluded, like the inhabitants of Ng6rnu and other 
places, on accoun t of their friendly relations with the warlike pirates of 
the lake. As for corn, they have a very scanty supply, and seem not 
to employ the necessary labour to prod,uce it, perhaps on accoun t of 
the insecure state of the country, which does not guarantee them the 
han'est they have sown. Cotton they have none, and are obliged to 
barter their fish for cotton strips or art icles of dress. Indeed, gabaga 
or cotton strips, and kulgu or white cotton shirts, are the best articles 
which a traveller, who wants to procure fish for his desert journey by 
way of Bilma (where dry fish is the only ar ticle in request), can take 
with him. 
At the well on the north side of the town, which does not furnish 
very good water, the horsemen belonging to our troop awaited the 
camels. Only a fe w scattered hajilij (Balanites /Egyptiaca) and stunted 
talha-trees spread a scanty shade over the stubble-fields, which were 
far from exhibiting a specimen of diligent cultivation; and I was very 
glad when, having taken in a small supply of ,vater, we were again in 
motion. W e Soon left the scanty vestiges of cultivation behind us, and 
some bushes of the siwak (Cappm'is sodata) began to enliven the 
country. At eleven o'clock, having mounted a low range of sand-hills, 
we obtained a first view of the T sad, or rather of its inundations. The 
whole coun try now began to be clothed with siwak. Having kept for 
about half-an-hour along the elevated sandy level, we descended, and 
followed the lower road, almost hidden by the thickest vegetation. 
T his lower road, as well as our whole track to Ngegimi, became entirely 
inundated at a later period (in 1854), and wili perhaps never more be 
trodden: in consequence, when I came this way in 1855 .we were 
obliged to make a circuit, keeping along the sandy level nearer to the 
site of the ancient town of wudi. 
Shortly afterwardS we encamped, where the underwood had left a 
small open space, at the eastern foot of a low hill. The prickly jungle 
was here so dense that I searched a long time in vain for a bare spot to 
lie down upon, when, to my great satisfaction, I found Bu-Zed clearing 
me a place with his axe. The s wampy shore of the lake was only 
about four hundred yards from our resting-place; but the spot was 
not well chosen for an encampment, and it was found necessary to 
place several watches during the night, notwithstanding which, a skin 
of mine, fuJI of water, disappeared from the stick upon which it was 
suspended, and the Arabs tried to persuade me that a hungry hyrena 
had carried it off; but it was most probable that one of themselves had 
been in want of this necessary article of desert travelling. 
Wednesday, Sept. 24.-We continued our march through the luxuriant 
pr ickly underwood, fuJI of the dung and footsteps of the elephant. 
Here and there the capPaI'is had been cut away, and large fireplaces 
SEPTE'lIlER 24.] NATIVE SALT. 51 [ 
" 'cre to be secn, \\"here the roots had been burn t to ashes. The tripods, 
of which several were lying about, are used for filtering the water 
through these ashes, which takes from them the salt .particles which 
they contain. This water is afterwards boiled, and thus the salt 
obtained. This salt is then taken to Ko.kawa by the Kanembo., whilst-
those who prepare it are Blldduma. 
On our return from I{anem we me.t large numbers of this piratical 
set of islanders; and on my home journey in 1855, I saw them in the 
full activity of their labours. This salt, weak and insipid as it is, is at 
least of a better quality than that which the people in K6toko prepare 
from neat-dung. In Miltu , on the Upper Shiiri, or Bii-bus6, salt of a 
tolerable quality is obtained from a- peculiar species of grass growing 
in t'oe river. The Mllsgu, as we shall see, prepare this necessary 
article (or at least something like it) from the ashes of the stalks of 
millet and Indian corn. 
After we had emerged from the underwood into the open country, 
we passed a considerable salt manufactory, consis ting of at least twenty 
earthen pots. Large triangular lumps of salt were lying about, which 
are shaped in moulds made of clay. Several people were busy carrying 
mud from an inlet of the lake which was close at hand, in order to make 
new moulds. Keeping close along the border of the latter, and enjoy-
ing the fresh breeze which had before been kept from us by the forest, 
we halted early in the aftemoon. A small Tebu caravan was also 
encamped here, no doubt with the intention of passing the night; but 
they did not like th@; neighbourhood of our friends, and, loading imme-
diately, started off. 
Our path now lay through fertile pasture-grounds, with a line of 
underwood to our left. It was a fine cool morn i ng. We passed a large 
pool of fresh water, frequented by great numbers of waterfowl of various 
species. Overweg, on his fine and tall, but rather heavy and unwieldy 
charger, made an unsuccessful attempt to overtake a pair of kelara 
(Antiloje Arabica? Aigocems ellipsiprymnus ?), who scampered play-
fully away through the fine grassy plain. At nine o'clock we reached 
the far-famed place Ngegimi, and were greatly disappointed at findi ng 
an open, poor-looking village, consisting of detached conical huts, with-
out the least comfort, which, even in these light structures, may well be 
. attained to a certain degree. The hungry inhabitants would not receive 
anything in exchange for a few fowls which we wanted to buy, except 
grain, of which we ourselves, in these desolate regions, stood too much 
in need to have giverr it away without an adequate substitute. 
The situation of this place is very unfavourable, since the ruler of 
B6rnu has restricted his real dominion within the border of the komadllgll, 
and the poor inhabitants are constantly in fear of being molested by a 
ghazzia of the Tuarek. Indeed, two years later, this village was 
plundered by these free booting hordes; and some months afterwards, 
in the year [854, the remainder of the population, who had not been 
carried away into captivity, were obliged, by the high floods of the 
lagoon, to leave their old dwelling-place altogether, and bu ild a new 
village on the slope of the sand-hills, where I found it at the end of 
512 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
May ·,855. As for Wlidi (a large place, once an occasional residence 
of the B6rnn kings) and Liri, both mentioned by Denham and Clapperton, 
they have long been deserted, Wlidi having been taken and ransacked 
by the Tuarek in the year 1838, and L ari a li ttle later. At present 
only a few palm.trees (said to yield, a kind of date far superior to the 
little black Kanem dates) in the sand-hills about eight miles south-west I 
from Ngegimi, indicate the site of the once celebrated Wlidi. Ngegimi i 
was then nominally under th e control of Kashella Hasen or Hassan. 
Plunged into sad reflections on the fate of this once splendid empire 
of Kanem, and the continued progress of the Berber race into the heart : 
of Sudan, I hung listlessly upon my horse, when, on leaving this un- · 
comfortable dwelling-place, we took our course over the unbroken 
plain, once no doubt the bottom of the lake, and soon to become once 
m.ore a part of it. Sometimes it was dry and barren, a t others clothed 
with rich verdure, wh ile on our left it was bordered by a range of sand-
hills, the natural limit of the lag00n. At a little before noon we came 
to a deep inlet of the lake, spreading the freshest verdure all around in 
this now desolate country. Having watered our horses, and taken in 
a sufficient supply of this element for the night, we crossed the plain, 
here not more than a thousand yards wide, and ascended a broad pro-
montory of the range of sand-hills, where we encamped. 
It was a delightful spot, where the heart might have expanded in the 
enjoyment of freedom. In front of us to the south-east, the swampy 
lands of the lagoon, one immense ricefield (as it ought to be at least), 
spread out to the borders of the horizon; but no "white water," or 
open sea, was to be seen, not even as much as connected channels, 
nothing but one immense swampy flat, stretching out as far as the eye 
could reach. To the south the green pasturages, a long which we had 
come, extended far beyond Ngegimi. It was a picture of one of t he 
most fertile spots of the earth doomed to desola ti on. But there was a 
feeble spark of hope in me th at it would not always be so; and I flattered 
myself that my labours in ' these new regions might contribute to sow 
here the first germs of a new life, a new activity. 
My companion:> and friends did not seem to share in my feelings: 
for, wholly intent upon mischief, they had been roving about, and having 
fallen in with some Kanembli cattle-breeders, they had plundered them 
not only of their milk, but also of the vessels which contained it; and 
if) the afternoon some respectable old men applied to Mr. Overweg and 
myself, the only just people they were sure to find amoogst this wild 
band of lawless robbers, for redress, and we were happy, not only to 
restore to them their vessels, but also to make them a few small 
presents. 
Thursday, Sept. 25.-Descending from our lofty encampment, we 
continued our march in the narrow 'grassy plain, between the sand-hills 
to the north, and another blue inlet of the lake to the south, where the 
rich pasture-grounds extended further into the lake. It was about 
seven o'clock in the morning when we had the good fortune to.. enjoy 
one of the most interesting scenes which these regions can possibly 
afford. Far to our right was a whole herd of elephants, arranged in 
NINEJ'Y-SIX E LEPllAN1'S. 
regular array, like an army of rational beings, slowly proceeding to the 
water. In front appeared the males, as was evident from their s ize, in 
regular order; at a little dis tance fonowed the young ones ; in a third 
line were the females ; and the whole were brought up by fi ve males of 
immense size. The latter (though we were at some distance, and pro-
ceeding quietly along) took notice of us, and some were seen throwing 
dust into the air; but we d id not disturb them. There were altogether 
ninety-six. 
The fine fresh pasture-grounds some time afterwards gave way to a 
drier plain , covered with a species of heath, and the country presented 
rather a melancholy appearance. A little before ten o'clock we came 
to a large herd of cattle or " berl," collected round a small hamlet or 
dawar, consisting of light, high-topped huts of com-stalks, fastened 
together by three rings of straw, and lightly plastered with a little cow-
dung. But although we obtained some milk, some of our fri ends, not 
content with filli ng th eir s tomachs, laid hold of a fi ne pony and carried 
it off, under th e pretext th at it belonged to the Blidduma, who, as they 
asserted, were the enemies of the sheikh; and when we had s tarted 
again, and encountered a small caravan of oxen laden wi th dates, not 
only were all the skins containing the dates taken, but another ruffi an 
laid hold of one of the beasts of burden and dragged it away with him, 
notwithstanding the lamentations of its owner. And yet the people who 
were thus treated were subjects of the king of B6mu, and the Welad 
Sliman were his professed friends and hirelings. 
Fine fresh pasture-grounds, and melanch@ly tracts clothed with 
nothing but heath, succeeded each other, whils t not a single tree broke 
the monotony of the level country. At length we encamped near a 
deserted village of cattle-breeders, consisting of about twenty small 
conical huts, built in the form of a large circle. We had scarcely begun 
to make ourselves comfortable, when a noisy quarrel arose about the 
dates so unjustly taken from their owners, and some of the Arabs con-
cerned in the dispute came to my tent in order to have their claims 
settled, when the whole particulars of the shameless robberies committed 
in the course of the day, came under my notice, and especially that of 
the horse. But this was a delicate subject, and one that excited the 
angry passions of those concerned·- so much so that one of them, 
named IbrahIm, came running with his loaded gun straight into my tent, 
threatening to blowout the brains of anybody who spoke of injustice or 
robbery. As for Bakher, and 'Abd e' Rahman, who were the actual 
possessors of the horse; they were about to leave by themselves. 
The violent proceedings of our protectors had spread such terror 
throughout these almost desolate regions, that in the evening, solely 
from fear, two oxen and a quantity of milk were sent from a neigh-
bouring bel' I as presents. The night was fresh, but not cold, and a 
very heavy dew fell. 
Ftiday, Sept. 26.-Reached about noon the first large cluster of huts 
of the village of Berl, after having followed a very numerous and fine 
herd of cattle (one of the finest I saw in the interior of the continent) 
for awhile, with the urgent desire of obtaining a drink of fre~h milk, 
33 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
and then crossed a tolerably deep inlet of the lagoon. Here we 
encamped on a terribly hot sandy spot, without any shade, some two 
hundred yards from the village, which stretches in a long line from 
north to south. 
Ber! is a place of importance, at least since the date of the greatest 
splendour of the B6rnu kingdom, and is frequently mentioned in the 
history of the great king Edris Alaw6ma, written during his lifet ime by 
his chief Imam Ahmed. Its situation is such as to render it of great 
importance as a station; for here the army proceeding from B6rnu to 
the interior of Kanem leaves the shore of the lagoon, and has generally 
to make a long stay, in order to regain strength for the ensuing march, 
and to supply itself with fresh provisions. Till a few years previously, 
a B6rnu governor of the name of Shitima Aba had been residing here; 
b ut he had given up the place, and preferred living in the capital. 
But here I must add, that there are two places called Beri, distant 
from each other a few miles, the one where we were encamped being 
called Beri-kura, the Great Reri, the other with the surname "fute" 
(the western), from its more westerly situation ; but it is at present 
greatly reduced, and we had left it unobserved on one side. ' The 
greater part of the inhabitants of Beri are Kanembu, and belong to the 
clan of the Sugurti, a large division of that tribe, which, however, in the 
last struggle of the old dynasty, suffered greatly. Besides these, a good 
many Budduma are settl ed here. 
I was very glad when, after another severe quarrel, the young horse 
was at length given up by the robbers, as likewise the beast of burden. 
One of the oxen sent yesterday as a present was slaughtered to-day, 
and divided amongst the whole band. As for myself, I made merry on 
a little fresh milk; for though the people are, and appear to have been 
from their birth (for "beri " means cattle-herd), in possession of 
nllmero"s herds of cattle, nevertheless, in the village, as is often the 
case, there is very little milk-only just as much as is. required for the 
use of the owners themselves-the cattle being at a great distance. 
Very little can be obtained here, and corn is scarcely cultivated, owing 
to the insecure and desperate state of the country. The inhabitants 
are in continual intercourse with the Yedina, that section of the K6toko 
who inhabit the islands in the lake, and who are generally called 
Budduma·. But of course the distance of their village from the lagoon 
varies considerably; and the nearest branch or inlet at present was that 
which we had crossed in the morning, and from which the inhabitants 
supplied themselves with water. The want of firewood is greatly felt; 
scarcely a single tree is to be met ,"';th in the neighbourhood. 
Saturday, Sept. 27.-We now left the shores of the lake, ascending 
a little, but had a difficult march this morning in order to avoid the 
many small boggy inlets and natron-lagoons which are formed by the 
lake, and wind along through the sand-hills. With regard to these 
natron-lakes, which, after the report of Major Denham, have led to 
many erroneous conjectures respecting Lake Tsad, I have to observe 
that the natron or soda is not originally contained -in the water, but in 
the groufld, and that all the water of Lake Tsad is fresh; but when a 
SEPTEMBER 27.) SUBMERGED IN A BOG. 
small quantity of water, after the lake has retired from the highest 
point of its inundation, remains in a basin the soil of which is filled 
with soda, the water of course becomes impregnated with this quali ty. 
The consequence is, that there are many basins round Lake Tsad 
which, according to the season, are either fresh or brackish ; for the 
soda contained in the ground has very little effect so long as the baSIn 
is deep, and does not begin to make itself felt till the water becomes 
shallow. Of this same character seems to be Lake B6ro in Kanem, 
which I shall mention hereafter. I here remind the reader of what I 
have stated above with regard to the importance of the natron-trade 
between B6mu and Nupe or NYffi. 
Having no guide-for who would willingly trust himself in the hands 
of such lawless robbers as our companions ?- we found it rather difficult 
work to get out of this labyrinth of lagoons ; and after a few miles we 
came to a narrow but very boggy inlet, which it was thought necessary 
to cross. 
Riding a lively horse, an excellent" sayar," I was rather in advance, 
and had only three horsemen in front of me; on coming to t he bog, the 
nature of which it was easy to perceive, we rode one after the other,-
Khalef-Allah being in front of me. The first horseman went in, made 
a few steps, and then came down; but he got hIS horse upon his legs 
again, went on, and again sunk into the bog, but being near the firm 
ground, got over tolerably well. As soon as tbose who were before me 
saw this they stopped their horses short, and wanted to return, pressing 
my horse upon his side, who, being annoyed by the morass, made a 
vacillating movement forward, and fell upon his knees ; upon being 
raised he made some wild exertions to get through, but after two or 
three ineffectual attempts, he again fell on his side, and I under him. 
The morass here was about four feet deep; and I received sev€ral 
smart blows from the forelegs of my horse, upon the head and shoulders, 
before I was fortunate enough to extricate myself from this interesting 
situation. Being clad in a white bemus over a Nyffi tobe, with a pair 
of pistols in my belt, my appearance may be easily conceived when, 
after a great deal of labour, I succeeded in reaching firm ground. I had 
still the difficult task of extricating my horse, which, after wild and 
desperate exertions, lay motionless in the bog. I had on this occasion 
a good specimen of the assistance we were likely to receive from our 
companions in cases of difficulty; for they were looking silently on 
without affording me any aid. Mr. Overweg was some distance behind, 
and, when he came up, was enabled to supply me with dry clothing. 
The spot would have been quite interesting but for this accident, as 
there was here, favoured by the rich soil and this very morass, a beauti-
ful plantation of red ngaberi or sorghum, of that peculiar kind called 
in6soga, or rather, masakwa, in the highest state of exuberance, and 
just beginning to ripen; it was the finest specimen I saw on my whole 
journey. Fortunately the sun was moderately warm, as I began to feel 
very chilly after my involuntary bath. We continued our march at first 
along another hollow containing fresh water, and then, ascending a little, 
£ame upon a sandy level well clothed with herbage and trees of the 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
mimosa kind. H ere we seemed to be entirely out of reach of the lake; 
and great was our astonishment when, a little after nine ·o'c1ock, we 
came close upon another fine sheet of fresh, blue water. It was a 
great satisfaction to me, in the state I was in, that we ' encamped at so 
early an hour on its northern border, where some s.errAkh afforded a 
tolerable shade. I was busy drying my clothes, arms, saddle-cloths, and 
journals, when there appeared certain indications of 'an approaching 
storm; and in order to avoid being wetted twice in the same day, I got 
my tent pitched. After a curious gale the rain poured down, and about 
a dozen of my companions took refuge in my small, frail dwelling; but 
a ll were not so fortunate as to escape a wetting, for the rain, being very 
heavy, came in at the door. The storm lasted more than an hour; and 
everything, including horses and camels, being thoroughly soaked, it 
was decided to remain here for the night. 
Sunday, Sept. z8.-For some reason or another, but chiefly in order 
to slaughter the other ox, divide it, and cut it up into" gedid," we 
remained here the whole morning; and the sun had long passed into 
zawal (past noon) when. we started through the sandy and slightly 
und ulating country full of herbage, principally of the plant called" nesi," 
besides bu rekkebah or AVella Forskalii, th e bur-feathered prickle (Pen-
niset",n disticlmm), and various kinds of mimosa, chiefly consisting of 
the talha, and um-el-barka (Mimosa Nilotica.) Our companions found 
several ostrich-eggs, and met a large troop of gazeIIes. The country 
then became more thickly wooded, and, where we encamped for the 
night, presented a very interesting character; but the danger from wild 
beasts was considerable, and the roar of a lion was heard throughout 
the greater part of the night. 
Monday, Sept. 29.-Started early: the character of the country con-
tinued the same as yesterday, and presented beautiful specimens of the 
mimosa, here breaking down from age, at another place interwoven 
with creepers, one species of which produces the red· juicy fruit called 
" fito" by the Kanuri, and has been mentioned by me before. It was 
nearly eight o'clock when, proceeding in groups, two of our horsemen, 
on passing near a very large and thick gherret, suddenly halted, and 
with loud cries hastened back to us. We approached the spot, and 
saw a very large snake hanging in a threatening attitude from the 
branches of the tree; on seeing us it tried to hide itself; but after firing 
several balls, it feII down, and we cut off its head. It measured 18 ft. 
'7 in. in length, and at the thickest part 5 in. in diameter, and was of a 
beautifully variegated colour. Two natives, who had attached them-
-selves to our troop the day before, cut it open and took out the fat, 
which they said was excellent. 
The ride was truly interesting; but by degrees it became too much 
for me, and after seven hours' march~I was so utterly exhausted as to be 
obliged to halt, ahd lie down. Most of the Arabs remained with us ; 
others, with 'Ali ben 'Aisa, went on to the well. When we pursued 
our march in the afternoon, the conntry for the first three honrs was 
more level, but then became very hilly; and at five o'clock we ascended 
a considerable elevation to our left, the highest point in the whole 
OCTOBER I.] ARRIVAL AT THE ARAB CAlvfP. 
country, but perhaps not more than six or seven hundred feet above 
the level o( the Tsad. From here we crossed two very pretty valleys, 
or dells, especially the second ene, where there were very curious 
hilly projections of a cqlcareous stone. But these valleys were very 
poor indeed, in- comparison with the valley or henderi F6yo, situated 
at some distance from the well where we encamped for the night; 
for its bottom presented one uninterrupted mass of vegetation, impene-
trable in many spots. Here the botanist might be sure to find some 
new species, although the principal trees were the kuma (Cormts), 
serrakh, um-el-barka or ilf,mosa Ni/otica, hajilij or Balanites, and the 
talha (M_ferruginea), but all interwoven with creepers, and offering the 
most delightful shade. These valleys, which afford the on ly watering-
_p laces, must of course be very dangerous during the night, all account 
of the wild beasts, principally lions, of which there are great numbers 
hereabouts_ Here our companions received a messenger from Ghet, the 
young chief of the Welad Slim an. 
Tuesday, Sept. 30_-We remained in the forenoon and during the 
heat of the day in our encampment. vVhile stretched out in the shade 
of a fine mimosa, I obtained some valuable information regarding 
the various tribes dwelling in Kanem, and the districts of their settle-
ments. But it will be better, instead of inserting it here, to collect all 
the information I received at different times into one general account, 
which shall be given in the Appendix. 
In the afternoon the camels and the heavier portion of the troop were 
allowed to start in advance, and the horsemen followed about half-an-
hour afterwards, after having watered' the horses; but instead of taking 
care to follow the footsteps of the camels in a wild country where there 
was no regular path, they rode all negligently, and soon became aware 
that they had missed the track. There now began a very disorderly 
riding in all directions. This fatigued me greatly, for nothing is so 
vexing t6 a weak man as to ramble about without knowing when he is 
likely to reach the place of repose so much looked for. After sending 
scout after scout, we at length found the track, and re-ached our men in 
the dark. 
Wednesday, Oct. I.-Having set out early, after nearly two hours 
ride we were met by a single horseman coming towards us from the 
encampment of the Welad Sliman, and bidding us welcome to -their 
wild country. They kept starting up from the thicket on our right and 
left, firing their muskets and saluting us with their usual war-cry, "Ya 
riyab, ya riyab." Having thus advanced for about half-an-hour, we 
came to a halt, in order to receive in a more solemn form the warlike 
compliments of a larger troop of horsemen, led on by a person of some 
importance. 
The dust raised by the horsemen having subsided a little, and the 
country being clearer of wood, we now saw before us the whole cavalry 
of the V\'elad Sliman drawn up in a line in their best attire, their chief 
Ghet the son of Sef el Nasr ben Ghet, and his uncle 'Omar the son of 
Ghet and brother of 'Abd el J elil, in the midst of them. This stately 
receptiOn, not ~;:,ving been anticipated by Ovenveg and myself, made a 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. [ 1851• 
great impression upon us; but we were not left to gaze long, but were 
desired by our Arab companions to ride in advance of the line in 
compliment to the chiefs. We accordingly put our steeds into a gallop, 
aBd r.iding straight up to our new friends, saluted them with our pistols. 
Having answered our compliments, and bidding us welcome to their 
wild abode, the young Ghet galloping along at the head of his squadrons, 
his sword drawn, and with the continuous cry" Ya riyab, ya riyab," 
they led us to the encampment, and we had a place shown to us where 
we might pitch Our tents. 
CHAPTER XL. 
THE HORDE OF THE WELAD SLIMAN. 
WE had now joined our fate with that of this band of robbers, who, 
in consequence of their restless habits, having been driven from their 
original dwelling places in the Syrtis, after a great variety of eveBts 
have at length established themselves in this border region between the 
desert and the fertile regions of Negroland, under the guidance of 
Mohammed the son of 'Abd el Jelil, on the ruins of the old kingdom of 
Kanem, very much in the same way as in the west the Welad Ammer 
(Ludamar) have established themselves on the ruins of the empire of 
Melle. At that time they mustered a considerable force, and being 
joined by a great many adventurers from all the Arab tribes from the 
Rif'as far as Fezzan, were able to bring into the field from nine hundred 
to one thousand horsemen. They then turned their attention towards 
our friends- the Kel-owi, and began to seize upon their camels, which 
came to Bilma for the salt-trade; these, as the reader hasseen from my 
previous account, are always proceeding in large caravans; but it is 
almost impossible to give implicit credit to the statement which was 
made to us by several individuals, that the Welad Sliman had taken 
from the Tuarek 'more than thirty thousand camels in the course of two 
or three years. 
If they had continued in this way for a short time, they would have 
brought about an immense revolution in the whole of Central Africa; 
for the Kel-owi would of course not have been able to provide Hausa 
with salt, after having lost their camels, and thus, having no salt for 
bartering, would have remained without the most necessary articles of 
subsistence: they would accordingly have been obliged either to starve 
or to emigrate into, and take possession by force of, the more fertile 
districts of Sudan. But before they were driven to this extreme, they 
made one energetic effort against their enemies, and succeeded; for, 
having summoned the contingents of all the different tribes inhabiting 
Air or Asben, they collected a host of at least seven thousand men, 
chiefly mounted on camels, but comprising also a considerable number 
OCTOBER I.] THE WELAD SLIMAN. 
of horsemen, and proceeded to attack tbe lion in his den, in the 
beginning of the year 1850. 
I am almost inclined to suspect that the people of B6rnu had a h'and 
in this affair; at least, the e,:ishmce of such a warlike and restless 
horde of men, and mustering considerable forces, as the Welad S liman 
were then, under the guidance of Mohammed, and in such a neighbour-
hood, could not be wholly indifferent to any ruler of B6rnu possessed 
of prudence and foresight. Of course, since its power had "decreased to 
such a degree that it could not of itself make the necessary r esistance 
against the daily encroachments of the Tuarek, it was of great service 
to B6mu to have such a strong and energetic am.:iliary to keep them 
down. But, be this as it may, the Arabs left their very strong entrench-
ments at Keskawa (which, at the first news of the intended expedition, 
they had formed on the border of the Tsad ... and which the Tuarek 
themselves confessed to mS' they would never have been able to 
conquer), and separated, not thinking that their enemies were able to 
carry out their intention; for all those tribes which had come to join 
them, as the Gedadefa, the Ferjan, the Drfilla, the Ftaim, Swasi, 
Temama, and Dh6hob, after having enriched themselves with the spoils 
of the Tuarek, were anxious to carry away their booty in safety, and 
proceeded on their home-journey by way of Kuffara. They were just 
encamped in the Wady 'AlaI a, where my readers will soon have to 
accompany me, when a scout brought the news that a very large host 
of tfie Tuarek was close at hand; but they say that his report did not 
find credit, and that on this account the Arabs had no time to make any 
preparations, but were all on a sudden surrounded on all sides by the 
numerous bast of their enemy. It is moreover to be understood that 
the greater part of this band were merely armed with guns, which are 
very useful in a skirmish of horsemen, who can retreat after having 
fired them off, but of very little use in close combat i few of them were 
armed with pistols, and still fewer with swords. But the Kel-ow[, in 
addition to thei~ numbers, had also the advantage of superior arms, 
having spear, sword, and dagger, even if we do nQt take into account 
their muskets, which they rarely know how to use. The consequence 
was, that the Arabs, after having killed a small nwnber of their enemies 
in the foremost lines, were soon overpowered and massacred, not half 
of them succeeding in making their escape. Their chief Mohammed 
himself made his way through the host very severely wounded and 
was slain, according to report, shortly after by a Tebu woman' who 
recognized him. Said, the most valiant of all the Welad Sliman, but 
also the most violent, was killed on the spot, together with the bravest 
champions of the little horde; and a very considerable booty was made 
by the Tuarek, not only in camels and slaves, but also in silver, tbe 
chiefs having amassed a great deal of property. Thus the flower 
of this troop was destroyed, and only the least brave and youngest 
were left. 
The vizier of B6rnu then took the young man, to whom very little 
power and property were left, under his special protection, entering 
with him and the remaining part of the lribe into a contract, to the 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
effect that he would furnish them with horses and muskets, as far as 
they should stand in need of them, on condition of their delivering 
to him a certain share of their booty in every expedition. Of course, 
such a troop of swift horsemen armed with muskets, if kept in strict 
subjection and subordination, might have proved exceedingly usefnl 
on the northern borders of B6rnu, on the one side as a check upon the 
Tuarek, on the other upon Waday. But the great difficulty, which 
the vizier appears not to have overcome, was to subject the predatory 
excursions of such a set of people to some sort of political rul e. 
With this view he sent the young chief, who was scarcely more than 
twenty years of age, to Kanem with all that were left of the Welad 
Sliman, keep ing back in Klikawa, as hostages for his proceedings, his 
mother and the wives and little children of some of the principal men. 
But from the beginning there was a strong party against the young 
chief, who had not yet achieved any exploit, and whose sole merit con-
sisted in his being the nearest relation of 'Abd el Je li!. 'Omar, his 
uncle, who from his youth had given himself up to a life of devotion, 
and was called a Merabet, had a considerable party; and there were, 
besides, several men who thought themselves of as much importance 
as their chief. In the absence of individual authority in a small band 
like this, which only numbered two hundred and fifty horsemen, no 
great results could be produced. All the tribes settled in Kanem and 
the adjacent districts were their natural enemies: the N 6rea or N ulVarma, 
and the Shendak6ra and Medema, the Sakerda and Karda in the 
Bahar el Ghazal, the Bliltu, the Woghda, the Welad Rashid, the 
Diggana or Daghana, the Welad H amid, the Hommer and the ilHhamid 
in Khlirma, all were bent upon their destruction, whi le none but the 
Lasala or el Asala beyond Karka, and the KanembU tribe of the 
Fugabli, were attached to them. All the tribes around call them only 
by the name Minneminne, or Menemene C" the Eaters "), which name, 
although it seems to have arisen in the real gluttony of these Arabs, 
might be referred appropriately to their predatory habits. 
In the course of tlj,ese broils and petty intrigues the most respectable 
among them took to commerce, while others formed the design of 
returning; and when I left B6rnu in May 1855, the rest of the little 
band had separated into two distinct camps, and the dissolution or 
ruin of their community was fast approaching. This was the horde 
with which, in order to carry out the objects of our mission to the 
utmost of our power, Mr. Overweg and I were obliged to associate our 
fate; but, unfortunately, we were unprovided with that most essential 
article for exciting a more than common interest in ourselves personally, 
or the objects of our mission, namely, valuable presents. 
While our people pitched our tents, Mr. Overweg and I went to pay 
our compliments to Sheikh Gh"t and 'Omar, and to have a fri endly talk 
with them before we proceeded to more serious business. They seemed 
to expect this compliment, having lain down in the shade of a tree at a 
short distance from our place of encampment. Gh"t, who was smoking 
a long pipe, was a tolerably handsome young man; but his pronunci-
atiOn W<lS very d~fectivel and )1~ hile! nQthing very commilcnc:l ing in hi~ 
OCTOBER I.] INTERVIEW WITH THE SHEIKH. 521 
manner. Having exchanged a few compliments, and asked some 
general yuestions, we withdrew, and soon after received a present of 
dates and milk. A great many of th e Arabs paid us a visit; and a 
renegade Tripolitan Jew, 'AbdaIlab, with the surname" el Musulmani," 
who would not leave us for a moment, kept telling us of his adventures 
and bis importance, and assuring us of his most disinterested affection 
for us. Though his former religion differed from ours, and he had 
again exchanged this for anoth er from mere worldly motives, he never-
theless thought himself entitled to the claim of brotherhood, and was 
gracious enough to call us sometimes his cousins (weIa d ami). There 
was another man who tried to make himself as agreeable as possible to 
us, and endeavoured to obtain our friendship; this was an Egyptian 
named Ibrahim, a fine tall man who evidently belonged originally to a 
good family; but he had run away from home, and was now leading, 
in company with this little horde, a restless, remorseful, and wearisome 
life. 
"Vhen tbe heat of the day had a little abated, we prepared the small 
present we had to give to Sheikh Ghet, and which consisted of a red 
cloth bernus of good workmansh ip, a pound of cloves, a pound of jal.vi 
or benzoin, and a razor. We were well aware that it was rather a 
trifling gift, considering the assistance we required from these people to 
carry out our object ; but we knew also that it was rather a favour 
b estowed upon us by the vizier of B6rnu, ",ho regarded these people as 
in his service. Referring therefore to the fri endship which existed of 
old between their tribe, when stiIl in their old settlements in the Syrtis, 
and the English consul in Tripoli, and delivering a letter from Mr. 
Frederick W arrington, who was personaIly weIl known to the chief 
men, we open ly professed that the object of our coming was to try, 
with their assistance, to visit the eastern shore of the lake, and especiaIly 
the Bahar el Ghazal, which had formed a remarkable object of curiesity 
in our country for some time. But Sheikh Ghet without hesitation 
declared it was impossible for them to take us to that place, the most 
dangerous locality in all these quarters, on account of the many pre-
datory expeditions which were made to that spot from different quarters, 
and by tribes hostile to them. After some commonplace talk about the 
English, we left him, and went to his uncle with a present of precisely 
the same kind, and began here to urge the distinct object of our coming 
in a more positive way. I expressed the opinion that, as they would 
render acceptable service to the British Government, if they were to -
enable us to investigate the connection between the Bahar el Ghazal 
and the lake, so, on the other: hand, a great portion of the blame, if we 
should not be able to carry out our design, would certainly fall upon 
them, inasmuch as they had always professed to be under great 
obligations towards the English. 'Omar ben GMt ben Sef e' Nasr 
acknowledged all this; but he doubted very much if th e band, in its 
present reduced state, would be able to c~rry liS to those quarters, 
WlllCh were entirely und~r the sway of Waday. TJ;e Bahar el Ghazal 
havll1g glVen an opportul1lty of speaking about the nver-system between 
tile Tsad and the Nile, our friend qij1e forward wjth a mast confused 
522 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
statement, which it would not be worth while to explain. But with 
regard to that large wady itself we found that he, as well as the expe-
rienced men among these Arabs, asserted that it took its course not 
towards, but from the lake. 
We then took our leave of 'Omar, and returned to our tents. The 
place of the encampment was a fine, open, sandy, undulating level, 
commanding the vale, where are the wells Yongo or Bu-H alima, covered 
with verdure, and richly adorned with scattered mimosas. The tents 
and sheds of the Arabs were spread over a great space; and no precau-
tion was taken to obtain some degree of security by means of fences 
and stockades. The sun having set, I lay down outside my tent to 
enjoy the coolness and tranquillity of the evening after a hot and trouble-
some day. All seemed calm and tranquil, when suddenly a terrible 
screaming and crying arose from the women in the west part of the 
encampment. VITe hurried to our arms, thinking that an enemy had 
entered the place. The cry" 'Ala e' dhahar ! ala e' dhahar" (" Mount! 
mount! ")-properly speaking, "In the saddle ! in the saddle I "-
sounded from all sides, and the horsemen hurried past us; but it was 
only a small party of freebooters, who, in the twilight of the evening, 
had made an attack upon the camels, and after having put to flight two 
or three men and killed a horseman, had driven off a part of the herd. 
Our friends pursued the robbers at full speed, and soon overtook them, 
when they retreated into the thicket, and gave up their booty. In this 
way we had a specimen of the character of our present expedition 
the very first day we had joined this little horc,le; and the lamentations 
of the females, on account of the man who had been slain, sounded 
wofully through the night, and brought before our minds the fate which, 
in a very short time, might befall ourselves. Late in the night, when 
the alarm had subsided, Sheikh Gh"t sent us a heifer as a present.-
Tlttt1sday, Oct. 2.-We remained quietly in our encampment, and 
obtained a great deal of valuable information respecting the south-
eastern part of the lake and the districts adjacent. Thus the day passed 
by most pleasantly. Nothing remarkable happened to us on the follow-
ing day, except the arrival of the important news that the Agid of 
Waday, who had resided in Maw6, on the report of an attack intended 
to be made by the Arabs upon that town, had fled. This news, if it 
proved true, held out, of course, a feeble ray of hope that we might 
be able to penetrate to the eastern shore of the lake; and the Arabs 
formed schemes accordingly. As Haj 'Abbas, who had come with us 
in order to raise from the Arabs Haj Beshir's share in the spoil of their 
last predatory excursions, was to return to Klikawa in a few days, I 
wrote a letter to the vizier concerning the prospect we had of probably 
not being able to accomplish the whole of our design. The rest of the 
day I enjoyed in comfort, stretched quietly in the shade of a tree; but 
my tranquillity was a little disturbed by disputes that- arose amongst 
my men. 
Saturday, Oct. 4--Very early in the morning, when all was quiet, I 
was aroused from my sleep by the mournful song of an Arab, who, 
between the different stanzas of his dirge, seemed to give vent to his 
OCTOBER 5.] FEMALE SLA VE.-RICH VALES. 
tears. The impression made by this song, which was' full of decop feel-
ing, among such a horde of lawless people, where generally only the 
meanest side of man was exhibited, was charming; but as the singer 
was a t some distance from my tent, I could not distinctly make out 
what was the cause of his grief, neither was I able to learn it after-
wards: the thoughts of the Arabs were taken up by another affair. The 
most handsome among the female slaves who composed part of the spoil 
that was to be taken to the vizier by his officer Raj 'AbMs, had made 
her escape during the night; they were eagerly searching from dawn of 
day, but could not find her. At length they discovered her necklace and 
clothes, and the remains of her bones,-evident proofs that she had fallen 
a prey to the wild beasts. She belonged to the Yedina or Budduma, 
and was represented as having been possessed of considerable charms; 
and it was supposed that her loss would affect the vizier greatly, wbo, 
as I have before observed, was rather fond of an ethnological variety of 
female b eauty. There was a great deal of unpleasant conversation 
about this affair, the girl not yet having been delivered up to Raj 'Abbas 
when sbe made her escape. 
But there were many other causes of discord among this little horde, 
and when the vizier's officer set out, a great many more of the Arabs 
made use of this opportunity to go to Ko.kawa than had been agreed 
upon. The most serious loss to us was certainly the departure of 
Sheikh 'Omar, Ghet's uncle, who, on account of his experience and 
knowledge of the English, which much exceeded that of his youthful 
nephew, might have been of considerable service to us. At any rate he 
ought to have informed us of his intention to leave, as by his accepting 
our present, it was understood that he undertook the obligation of assist-
ing us in carrying out our project; and having nothing to spare, we felt 
rather disappointed. But although our prospects were 110t too flattering, 
at least we had hopes of moving a little onwards, as our departure from 
this place was fixed for the following day. 
Sunday, Oct. 5.-When the camels, guarded by the men on foot, 
had left in the morning, we went first with the other horsemen to the 
well, in order to water our horses. We had not visited it before, as it 
was at some distance from our tents. The vale was of that general 
wild and luxuriant character which distinguishes the valleys of Kanem; 
but it was even more wild and picturesque than usual, and a chill 
draught of air met us proceeding from the richly wooded dale, where 
the sun's rays never penetrated. There were several wells, which 
exhibited a busy and interesting scene, the horsemen in their pictur-
esque attire (a mixed dress of t~ir native abode and their present 
adopted home) thronging around these sources and centres of life, in 
order to water their poor-looking but persevering nags. When we 
returned to the place of our former encampment all was desolate, and 
lonelluess and silence had succeeded to the animated dwelling-place of 
a quarrelsome multitude of people. We hurried on over undulating 
s.andy ground, richly overgrown with trees, and S00n overtook our 
camels: the place of our destination was not far off; and at noon we 
were already encamped au a fine sandy level, rising over another 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
luxurian t hollow' or vale especially rich in kuma-trees, whence the well 
"Elr el Kuma" has received its name. It was a spacious encampment, 
with Arabs and Tebu intermixed, and could not but be very salubrious, 
although we fo und afterwards, just in this elevated position, the differ-
ence between the cold of the night and the heat of the day extraordinary. 
Our appetite being rather keen, we indulged in the luxury of some 
turtle-soup: for turtl es are by no means a rarity in these districts, 
although in general they seem to he of a rather smali size. I do not 
remember to have seen or heard in this quarter of such large specimens 
as seem to be common in the country round Air. 
jJ;[o7tday, Oct. 6.-The day of the 'Aid el keblr. I went in the 
morning, as soon as the sun began to shine forth, to a place in a cool 
shade a little south from our encampment, without knowing that this 
was the very spot which the Arabs had chosen for their holiday prayers. 
In general only a few of them were praying; but to-day the leading 
persons among them, who came here with Sheikh Gh;;t, offered up 
their prayer with solemnity and apparent fervour. This proved an 
unlucky day to us, and very unfavourable to our design to penetrate 
into those dangerous districts on the east side of the lake; for a con-
siderable portion of the tribe (one hundred and fifty men with about 
seventy horses) left that day for Kukawa, to our great surprise and 
mortification, and, as it would seem, also to the mortification of the 
young chief, a circumstance of which we became fully aware when we 
paid him a visit about noon. Of course, with our very small means, 
and the poor and insignificant character of our mission, we could not 
expect that this unsettled horde should have a scrupulous regard to our 
wishes and designs in arranging their affairs. It was quite evident 
that their proceeding was the mere effect of a stubborn sense of inde-
pendence and jealousy; and it seemed to be done in open opposition 
to the wish of their young chief. About one o'clock in the afternoon 
they left; and we forwarded a short note with them expressive of our 
dissatisfaction at this state of things, which filled us with the saddest 
forebodings as to the success of our mission. But while thus disap-
pointed in more important matters, we felt tolerably well off in material 
comforts; for in the morning a party of Fugabu arrived with a number 
of sheep for sale, selling two for a dollar, and thus enabled us to gratify 
the religious longing . of our servants for an extra dish on this their 
holiday. In the course of the evening, a numerous caravan of oxen 
laden with grain, or rather Negro millet, arrived from B6rnu, which 
made provisions a little cheaper. The grain grown in the country, in 
its present wild and desolate state ...i s not sufficient for the population, 
though so greatly reduced; and the last season had been rather an 
unfavourable one. In consequence of the arrival of this caravan, we 
not only had the opportunity of buying corn at a cheaper rate, but we 
also got some from the chief as a present. 
Everything in Kanem is bought with the common white B6rnu shirts, 
which form the general dress of the people, black tobes being worn 
only by richer persons. Even the general dress of the Arabs settled 
here ip l\apem C911Sis\s of the$e white tobes and a haik made of the 
OCTOBER g.) A JE WISH A D VENT URER. 
same stuff, only the wealthier individuals being able to buy it woollen 
plaid. The dress of the females, too, is made of toese "ery tobes, 
which are cut into the regular oblong pieces of ,lihich they consist, and 
sewn togeth er lengthwise. . 
Tuesday, Oct. 7.-Being obliged to remain here without the certain 
prospect of doing anything worth while, we at least thought we had 
some right to the hospitality of our hosts; and we expressed our desire 
to obtain a little more milk, as we ourselves possessed neither cows nor 
she-camels. Our request was complied with. Thus we accus tomed 
ourselves entirely to camel's milk, and found it by deg rees more 
palatable and wholesome than the milk of cows. I attribute the 
recovery of my strength principally to this sort of die t. There was 
always some milk brought into the encampment by the daughters of 
the Ben! Hassan; but this was generally milk in an unpleasant inter-' 
mediate state between sweet and sour, and the vessels (the k6ri6, made 
of the leaves of the palm-tree) in which it was carried had usually a bad 
smell, which they communicated to the milk. As the renegade J ew 
'Abdallah (el Musulmani) was the medium through which all our 
business with the chief was transacted, I made him to-day a present of 
a red sash, and continued to keep him in good humour by occasional 
small presents. This man was a curious specimen of a J ewish adven-
turer. He was by birth a Tripolitan, but had been obliged to leave his 
native home on account of a murder which he had committed. He 
then betook himself to the tribe of the Welad Sliman, exchanging his 
Jewish creed for that of Mohammed, and obtained protection. When 
he had gained a good deal of property as a silversmith, his new com-
panions stripped him of his treasures: he then for a time separated 
from them, and in company with two other renegade Jews, Musa and 
Ibrah!m, made a journey to Negroland-a memorable event, as ~hey 
were the first of their nation who trod this road. 0n his receiving news 
of the prosperity of the Welad Slim an in Kanem, he once more joined 
them, and became a freebooter. He was a very good horseman; but 
that was all, his horsemanship but badly supplying his want of courage. 
However he was useful to us in many respects, although we had to take 
care that the people did not confound us with these Jewish adventurers. 
I began this day my little vocabulary of the Tebu language, or rather 
the" m6di Teda," and provisionally that dialect of this language which 
is spoken by the inhabitants of Burgu, and which varies considerably 
from the language as it is spoken by the inhabitants of Bilma, and in 
the south of Fezzan. Already at that early period I became aware 
that this language is nearly related' to the Kanuri, while it has scar~ely 
any link whatever which externally connects it with the Berber language. 
Wednesday, Oct. 8.-The only thing which happened this day worth 
mentioning was the arrival of HallUf, a warlike Tebu chieftain, with 
seventeen horsemen of the Fugabu Tebu, who rode up in a very spirited 
manner to the tent of Sheikh Ghel. HallUf, a man of great bodily 
size and strength, and renowned in these quarters on account of his 
valour, had formerly been the enemy of B6rnu, but had now been won 
Over to its interest. However, he was still too much afraid of the 
'FRA VELS IN AFRICA. [18SI •. 
B6rnu 'people to join the Welad Sliman, as long as Haj 'Aboas the 
vizier's messenger was present; but he came as soon as he heard that 
he was gone. He was not a very scrupulous man, as I soon convinced 
myself, when he with the Fugabu called upon us, and as soon as he 
had introduced himself began begging for poison. We of course cut 
his demand short. He then sat quietly down with his companions, and 
took great delight in the performances of my musical box, which I really 
found, together with the watch, the most useful instrument for demon-
strating to the people the great superiority of European genius and 
handicraft. These people were not without sympathy for those lively 
airs which the little instrument was capable of performing, and would 
sit down quietly for a great length of time enjoying this mysterious 
music. The rumour soon spread, and Sheikh Ghet likewise desired to 
be made acquainted with the mysterious little ·box. But the day did 
not end so harmlessly; for bad tidings arrived. Haj 'Abbas, on his 
way to B6rnu, had seen a troop of Kindin near Ngegimi, and warned 
the Arabs to beware of a sudden attack. Thus uneasiness and anxiety 
spread through the encampment, and scouts were sent out to scour the 
country in every direction: 
Friday, Oct. IO.-News having ·been brought in the morning that three 
Tuarek on horseback, and five on camels, had been seen at a neighbour-
ing well, an alarm was raised immediately. All the Arabs mounted; 
and we followed their example, though I felt extremely weak, whi le 
my horse, having had rest and good food for several days, and seeing 
so many companions galloping and capering about, was almost un-
manageable. The whole encampment presented a very warlike 
appearance; but it turned out to be a false alarm. We therefore re-
turned into the encampment, and began to arrange our luggagl", as we 
were to leave here the heaviest part of our things, and take only as 
little as possible with us in our progress further eastward; for the Arabs 
had conceived the hope of plunder, the news having been brought that 
the Khalifa of Waday had left his residence Maw6, and that nobody 
was there to defend that quarter against their inroads. At the same 
time, our friends cast a longing look towards BateIi, the celebrated 
pasture-grounds in the northern course of the Bahar el Ghazal, two 
days'march beyond Ege, where numbers of camels were reported to 
be collected at the time. Of course they did not want it to become 
known where they intended to direct their foray, and therefore spoke 
now of this, then of that quarter, as likely to be the object of their 
expedition. 
CHAPTER XLI. 
SHITATI.-THE EASTERN, MORE FAV6uRED, VALLEYS OF KANEM. 
Satlffday, Oct. I I.-With the rest of our people, and with the remaining 
two camels carrying the smaller part of our luggage, we accompanied 
the following day the more active part of the horde, while the older 
OCTOBER 12.) THE FUCABt!. 
men were left behind for the defence of the encampment, with their 
families and property. The country through which our way led was 
entirely of the same character as that which I have already described, 
a sandy level adorned with trees of moderate size, almost all of the 
genns Mimosa, and in favourable seasons well adapted for the culti-
vation of Indian corn-now and then broken by deep hollows of larger 
or smaller extent, generally with a sufficient supply of water to produce 
fine plantations or cornfields, and overgrown with more luxuri,mt vege-
tation. We crossed a fine vale of this description about eight miles from 
our starting-point, and chose our camping-ground on the higher level 
commanding the" Bir el Ftaim." The hollow, however, which contains 
this well is rather of a peculiar kind i for, unlike the other basins, which 
afford sufficient space for cultivation, it is extremely narrow, while the 
encompassing slopes, at least that on the mlrth side, rise to a greater 
altitude than the general level of the country. I made a sketch of it. 
On this commanding point there was a village of the Fugabu K6bber ;-
and Overweg and I, before we went to our encampment, which was 
chosen on the southern slope, paid these people a visit, dismounting 
under a tree at some distance from their light huts, and were well 
received. They brought us immediately a dish made of the meal of 
Indian corn and sour milk, and sat down cheerfully, questioning us as 
to the difference between their country and ours, and asking, with 
regard to the politics of England, whether we were the friends or 
enemies of Dar-Fur and Waday (which countries, together with B6rnu, 
comprised their political horizon), and expressed great astonishment at 
our instruments. They brought us a lion's skin, and soon after another 
very palatable dish of deshishe made of wheat, with very good butter, 
which had nothing of that nasty taste peculiar to the butter of B6rnu 
and the surrounding countries: the dish was seasoned with dates. 
It would have been far more instructive and agreeable to us to be 
in the constant company and under the protection of these people, the 
natives of the country, who would have made us acquainted with its 
characteristic features so much better than that band of lawless robbers 
who took no real iuterest in it, except as regarded the booty which it 
afforded them. But they had neither power nor authority; and we 
were satisfied that where the Arabs were not able to conduct us, these 
people never could. Notwitnstanding their alliance with the Arabs, 
they are treated with contempt by the latter, and the Arabs never omit 
. to add a sneer when they speak of the" damned" (" am bu ") Kerada ; 
for so they call the Fugabu. Of course the intercourse of these two 
different people can neither be sincere nor intimate, and the natives 
were only waiting for their day of revenge. A storm gathering and 
threatening to burst upon us, we hastened away from this spot; but 
there was only a little rain. In the evening there arrived 1:wo Shuwa 
from the villages of the Woghda, and were thrown into irons, in order 
not to betray the approach of the Arabs. 
Sunday, Oct. 12.-We went on a short distance to another well 
situated in a considerable hollow or basin, which might afford, and has 
once afforded, a splendid place for cultivation, but which at present. 
525 TRA PELS IN AF~ICA. [ISSt 
was entirely blocked up al'ld made really impassabie by rahk and wild 
vegetation. "Vith great trouble we penetrated with the first horsemen 
to the well. Nobody had made use of it for a long period. TI,e water 
was very bad and unwholesome. The Arabs had not encamped at this 
place for at least seven years; hence there was a rich abundance of 
excellemt food for the camels; but the danger from beasts of prey was 
also very great. The ground was full of elephants' dung; and wild 
pigeons were hovering about in great numbers. 
The place for our encampment was chosen on the level commanding 
the rich basin on the eastern side, and descending into it by a steep 
slope of from three hundred to four hundred feet. Here I laid myself 
dowR'in the cool shade of a luxuriant semikh not far from the slope, 
and surveyed th e trains of the Fugabii, who in the course of the day 
arrived with their little nfbvable household, having left their former 
residence near Bir el Ftaim. In the evening we paid a visit to the 
sheikh, and as usual were obliged to gi" e him and his companions some 
account of European matters, though it would have been far more 
interesting for us to listen to their own stories, so full of incidents of a 
wild restless life . 
llfonday, Oct. 13.-The weather was cool, and a strong north win d 
made it rather chilly. , Having been told that we were not to lem'e the 
next day, I purchased a ram, with a while tobe which I had bought for 
about forty rotl in Kiikawa, receiving, besides the ram, one saa or zekka 
of Guinea-corn t6 complete the bargain. I afterwards got a fine fat goat, 
which we slaughtered to-day, and found its meat pretty good. Halliif 
came while I was lying in the shade of my semikh of the preceding day, 
which I had nicely cleaned, and sat down to a chat; he assured me 
that he was able to bring us to Karka or Kargha, the swampy country 
in the south-east corner of the lake, which form s an archipelago of 
small islands, and would offer his services for that purpose, but that 
he was afraid of Sheikh Ghe!'s jealousy, He then went with me over 
my little Tebu vocabulary, and corrected some slight mistakes. He 
was quite a soci'lble man; put Overweg, as well as I, doubted much 
whether he could be trusted. 
Having consulted what course to take, we went to the sheikh and 
asked him whether he really thought Halliif would be able to take us 
with any degree of safety to Karka . I-):e did not hesitate to declare that 
H alliif was unable to accomplish what he had boasted of, and begged 
us to have patience till news should arrive from" B6rnu, where he had 
sent to ask for advice with regard to our design of visiting the eastern 
side of the lake, and respecting his own proceedings. We rather 
imagined that the vizier had given him orders, at the same time that he 
sent us out to K1lnem, to assist us in carrying out our project in every 
respect; and we could scarcely hope for any favourable result by their 
asking advice at such a distance. We therefore complained to 'Abd-
allah of the sheikh's lukewarmness; and presuming that he was not 
content to leave us under the protection of Halliif because he expected 
that the latter would get some handsome present from us, we told him 
that even if we were to go with Halliif, we should regard ourselves as 
OCTOBER 16.] ELEPHANTS TRACK 
still under the protection @f the sheikh, to whom we were entirely 
indebted for HallOfs acquaintance, and would make him a valuable 
present if we should not fail in our enterprise. This seemed to take 
effect; and we received the satisfactory message in the evening, th at 
we should be allowed to go with Halliif, but that we must make a 
handsome present to the sheikh, besides the large ten t which I had 
prepared for myself in Tripoli. Being willing to make any sacrifice in 
order to carry out the express wish of th e Government who had sent us, 
and elated by the prospect that something might be done, we paid 
another ,isit to Sheikh Ghet in the evening, but could not arrive at any 
definite arrangement. There was a great deal of talk about a certain 
Keghamma, who alone had the power to take us to Karka, while Halliif 
at best was said to be able to conduct us to Maw6; but at that time 
we could not make out distinctly who this Keghamma was, except that 
we learnt that he resided in a place called Karafu, in the direction of 
Mitw6. 
Tuesday, Oct. 14--The strong wind making it rather uncomfortable 
outside, I remained in my tent studying the Tebu language, and con-
\'ersing with the faki 'Othman, a man who, by his mild conduct, formed 
a curious contrast to the lawless and quarrelsome character of this 
band of robbers, besides being possessed of less prejudice and super-
stition. In the afternoon several FugabO paid us a visit ; they all 
behaved well, and were not troublesome. It was at length decided 
that we should leave the second day following, with HallUf, for the 
Bahar el Ghazal and Karka; and although we were sorry at not having 
brought the affair to a more definite conclusion, we yet indulged in the 
hope that we should be able to attain our object, when suddenly in the 
evening we received information that Hal1Uf had receded from his 
engagement, and that therefore no further idea of Qur going with him 
could be entertained. "Vhat the reason was for this sudden change of 
proceeding I cannot say; but all our arguments, of course, were faulty, 
as we were unable to give them sufficient weigh t by good presents. 
That the tidings of the carrying off of three herds of cattle from a village 
at a few miles' distance from Y6, by the Tuarek, which arrived this 
evening, could have had any influence upon this course of policy was 
rather improbable. 
Wednesday, Oct. 15.-1 was so happy as to collect a good deal of 
information about the country of Shitati, which we had now entered, 
once densely inhabited in large and populous cities, and passed the day 
quietly and usefully. "Ve heard, to our great joy, that we were to go 
on the next day with the whole expedition. 
Thursday, Oct. 16.- We had scarcely left the place of our encamp-
ment when we fell in with an elephants' track, apparently leading to 
the well, and followed it for a long distance; it was well trodden, and 
was an undoubted proof that these huge animals abounded in this wild 
deserted region, where man had left scarcely any trace of his presence. 
Having proceeded at a swift rate, we crossed, at the distance of about 
six miles, a very fine hollow or vale stretching south and north , and 
capable of producing everything, and even at that time exhibiting a few 
34 
530 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. [ 1851. 
vestiges of human activity and industry ' in a small field of wheat, irri-
gated from those wells called "khattatir" by the Arabs, which name is 
given by them also to the spot irrigated in this way. Its native name, 
if I am not mistaken, is " Yakallogo." 
We then came to another hollow, formed like an ancient circus, and 
having its soil richly impregnated with natron; it is called Berende. 
After a short halt here, we continued our march; and Ovenveg and I, 
while our men and camels followed the direct road, turned off towards 
the south, and visited another hollow, called "B6ro," in whose deep 
bottom a lake is formed, which, according to the season and to the 
quantity of water it contains, like several other water-basins round the 
lake, may be termed a fresh or brackish-water lake. 
During the last rainy season but very little rain had fallen in Kanem ; 
and consequently this lake was of rather small extent, being about one 
mile and a half round, and limited to the more deeply depressed southern 
comer: of the basin, while its northern corner, which is rarely inundated, 
was thickly wooded. There was formerly much cultivation here, and a 
small village stood on the border of the lake. Now all is desolate; and 
our Kanemma guide, !\1usa Bede, unwilling to make a longer stay in 
such a spot, hurried on, ascending the steep eastern slope, which is at 
least three hundred feet high . Here we obtained a view over a great 
extent of country; but it was all one desol ate wilderness, and nothing 
particu lar to be seen, excepting a party of five men watching our move-
ments, and keeping parallel with us. W e therefore returned to our 
troop and informed them of the circumstance; and a body of horsemen 
were sent in pursuit. W e then, about half an hour before noon, crossed 
another hollow or vale, called Towader, with the dry basin or-a lake in 
its southernmost part, on whose border were several wells; the ground 
was thickly overgrown with underwood. Continuing our march, we 
reached, after noon, a more extensive and extremely beautiful vale, 
richly clothed with vegetation, but not in so wild a state, and not of the 
same impenetrable character, as many of those which we had seen; 
the reason seemed to be, that it was less deep, being only about one 
hundred and fifty feet under the higher level. 
H ere the troop halted during the heat of the day, the groups being 
scattered over the whole extent of the hollow; but it was not a fit spot 
for a night's encampment, as well on account of the wild beasts, as of 
the danger of a sudden attack from hostile men. Sweet as repose was 
here ill the cool shade of a luxuriant serrakh or a kuma, the ground 
was full of scorpions ; and my bodyguard, Bu-Zed, was severely stung 
by one. Accordingly, when the dhohor had Ifassed by, the order was 
given for decamping, and we kept along the vale and ascended the 
eastern slope, when, on an entirely open ground almost bare of trees, 
we chose a place for our night's encampment. The Arabs here brought 
us a young ostrich which they had caught in the valley; and we had a 
long unprofitable conversation with them in endeavouring to obtain 
their goodwill. 
Friday, Oct. 17.-We started very early, for a long day's fatiguing 
ride; for; notwithstanding . all the care I took of myself, I could not 
OCTOBER 1 7.] PREPARATIONS FOR ATTACK. 53 1 
recover from my sickly state, and was extremely sensitive of fatigue. 
The country in the beginning of our march was less adorned with trees 
than usual; but it became more densely wooded after we had passed 
the vale called AsfUra. This hollow, of small extent, and enclosed all 
around by steep slopes, is provirled with a great number of weIls of 
exceIlent water; but its b ottom, being in most parts stony, is almost 
bare of vegetation, with the exceptio" of here and there a dum-bush. 
While the men made a short halt for taking in a supply of water, I 
went a little in advance with AbdaIlah; but I soon found that he did 
not know the road at all, keeping far too much to the south, and I 
thought it wiser to return to our people, and march along with them. 
The country here offers a great variety in its configuration; and, in-
stead of an extensive level, as before, hill and dale succeed each other. 
Having passed several smaller concavities, we reached a more consider-
able valley, caIled Jena (I Shelllkko, which contained corn, or rather 
durra fields, but they were entirely destroyed by the elephants. Grain 
had also been cultivated at the foot of the slope; but it had failed 
entirely, on account of the scarcity of rain. There were no vestiges of 
human habitations. 
Our people had beg)ln to make themselves comfortable in this fine 
valley for passing the heat of the day, when suddenly orders were given 
for continuing our march. The conntry now became more billy. Hav-
ing passed en route a hollow provided with wells and called Agh6, once 
one of the most famous places of Kanem, we made, after noon, a short 
halt in the flat dell called Nundu l, in which are several khattatlr, or 
draw-wells, and stubble-fields, in order to provide ourselves with water, 
and also to water our horses. Tl1ere was a great bustle and confusion, 
everybody wanting to get first to the wells, and proceed with the 
principal troop, as we were now approaching a h,ostile territory. My 
she-camel, which was a very fine little animal, but rather too heavily 
laden for such an expedition, was among the last that arrived ; and, 
starting after the others, was soon left behind the whole troop; and I 
endeavoured in vain to bring her up. 
The country here was more level than it had been in the latter part 
of our route; and we left on our right on ly one vale, which is called 
Mainasa. Fortunately for me, the whole host made a longer halt at 
t wo o'clock in the afternoon, in one long line, in order to exhort the 
little band to valour, and to give them some instructions in case of a 
conflict with the enemy. No quarter was to be given, and anyone of 
them who should lose his horse or camel was to be indemnified for the 
loss. But a great deal was proclaimed besides, which, as I was at the 
very end of the line, I could not make out. T wo horsemen were 
galloping along the line and brandishing white banners, such as I had 
not observed before. There was a good deal of .parade in the whole 
scene; and a t the end of it several small troops of horsemen galloped 
out in advance of tbe line as "imaB," that is to say, as bound by an 
oath either to be victorious or to die. 
At length we pursued our course, the line breaking up into small 
irregular d(:'tachments, as · chance or attachment ~rouped the people 
532 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
together; but we soon came to another halt, and much conversation 
ensued, in consequence of which, three of the Fugabu horsemen \Vere 
despatched to the south, to bring up an experienced guide. Having 
at length resumed our march through a fine undulating and well-wooded 
country, we chose about sunset an open place for our encampment, 
where we were told we should rest till the moon had risen. Strict 
orders were given not to light a fire, in order that the enemy might not 
become aware of out approach. But as soon as it became dark, very 
large fires were seen to the south-east, forming one magnificent line of 
flame; and as it was clear that these were not common fires for 
domestic use, but appeared rather to be beacons, it was conjectured 
that the enemy had tidings of our coming, and were calling together 
their people. An order was therefore immediately given to proceed; 
but scarcely were the loads put upon the camels, and everything ready 
for the march, when a counter-order was received, that we .were to 
remain. We then began to make ourselves comfortable, when a third 
order was given to load immediately and to pursue the march. 
This ordering and countermanding seemed to arise rather from the 
bad organization of a band subject to no strict authority, but where 
every man of any experience and a little valour had something to say, 
than with the intention of misleading a lurking spy; but, whatever the 
cause, it was rather trying, and my two men, Bu-Zed and Ahmed, 
neither of whom was very energetic, could scarcely be persuaded to 
load a second time, while all the people were getting ready with great 
expedition, and marched off as soon as they were ready. We therefore 
remained behind from the beginning. Unfortunately the load was so 
badly adjusted that several things soon fell down and had to be 
replaced ; and this happening more \han once, the distance between us 
and the host became so great, that at last not even the slightest noise 
could be heard of the troop before us to direct our course; but ha\'ing 
once noticed the direction by the stars, I was able to guide my servants. 
To make matters worse, the ground was covered with high grass, and 
it was not easy to proceed at a rapid rate. Trees were very scanty 
here. 
At length the Arabs became aware of my having been left at a great 
distance behind, and about midnigllt made a halt, when I overtook 
them. After having lightened my camel, we proceeded with expedition 
through the dark night, illuminated only by the distant fires, which gave 
a painful idea of the resistance we were to meet with, till after two 
o'clock in .the morning of the r8th, when we reached a rising ground, 
and, dismounting, lay down near our wearied horses to get an hour's 
rest. 
We then continued our march with great alacrity for an hour, when we 
came to a halt on un~ulating sandy ground thickly covered with bushes. 
The horsemen galloped on in advance, while Overweg and I remained 
with the train, consisting of from sixty to seventy camels mounted by 
young men, and boys not more than ten years old, who were looking 
forward with such avidity 'for prey that they could scarcely be kept 
back. At length we began to proceed slowl)1, OUt SOOIl cam~ to another. 
OctOBER IS.) REGULARLY FORMED VALLEY. 533 
halt, as till now we had not heard a single shot; but wheh the day 
dawned, the greedy multitude could not be kept back any longer, and 
on we went. 
We here obtained a faint view of an irregular valley-formation ahead 
of us, adorned with a few palm-trees, which, in the dubious light of 
the da\.vTl, gave to the country an in teresting and entirely new appear-
ance. Crossing th is valley-plain, we gradually ascended higher ground, 
and reached a small deserted vi llage, consisting of large spacious huts. 
But though we turned off from it to the north, in order to prevent our 
little troop from dispersing to make booty, the best-mounted and most 
daring of them started off on their light mehara to see if somethi ng 
might not have been left to suit them. 
Some little cultivation was to be seen around the village; but in' 
general the country continued to bear the most evident traces of deso-
lation. At length its dreary aspect became relieved, and we descended 
into a regularly formed valley called Gesgi, about five hundred yards 
broad, and enclosed between high cliffs of sandstone. This was the 
first regular valley-formation which we saw 0n our journey to Kanem ; 
for as yet all depressions in the ground presented rather the character 
of hollows without a regular shelving or sloping in any direction. T his 
valley, on the contrary, extending from north to south, was ap parently 
the occasional channel of a small torrent, and, on accoun t of the 
moisture extending over the whole of it, was adorned with several 
groups of palm-trees, and in several places with cornfields. 
But while this valley presented great attraction to the European 
traveller, it was not less attractive to the covetous Arab freebooter; and 
all order ceasing in our little troop, the young inexperienced lads who 
composed our cortege dispersed in all directions. Some small fl ocks of 
sheep had been observed in the valley ; and they were now pursued by 
part of our companions, while others ransacked 'the huts of a small 
hamlet situated on the western brow of the vale, It was very fortunate 
for us that no natives were lurking- hereabouts, as they might have done 
immense mischief to our troop, scattered as it was about the country. 
O"erweg and I were almost left alone, when, after having looked abou t 
in vain for traces of the foot steps of the horsemen who had gone in 
advance, we ascended the eastern slope, which was extremely s teep 
and very difficult for the camels. Gradually our companions, fearing 
to expose themselves by staying behind, collected around us, and we 
proceeded in a south-easterly direction, when we soon came to another 
and more favoured valley, called H enderi Siggesi, its bottom adorned 
with a thicker grove of date-trees and with beautiful cornfields-that is 
to say, fields of wheat with their golden stalks waving in the wind-
\Vhile the high ground, being elevated above the bottom of the valley about 
one hundred and twenty feet, was planted near the brow with fields of 
millet, which was just ripe, but not yet reaped. What with the rich 
vegetation, the steep cliffs, the yellowish cro!", th e burning hamlet, and 
the people endeavouring to make their escape, it formed a very inte-
resting scene. 
Keeping along the western brow, which in some places, where the 
534 TRAVELS IN AFRICA. [1851. 
-rock lay bare, was extremely steep, we observed that several natives, 
including even two or three horsemen, had taken refuge in the thickest 
part of the date-grove, watching our motions. A s mall hamlet of straw 
huts of a pecl\liar shape, not unlike those of the Koyam described on a 
former occasion, and lying at the very brink of the steep rocky declivity, 
had been set on fire. Our wild, lawless companions no\l' began to 
descend into the valley a t a spot where the slope was more gradual, 
ra ising a war-ery in order to frighten those people who were hid in the 
grove. Five good horsemen would have sufficed to overthrow this 
whole troop of young unbearded lads, who were snapping their firelocks 
without being in general provided with balls. It was very lucky, indeed, 
that Overweg and I with our people kept well together in the foremost 
part of the train, for the natives, rushing suddenly out from their hiding 
place upon the stragglers, laid hold of two camels, with which they im-
mediately made good tbeir retreat, their young riders, who a moment 
before had shown such courage, having betimes jumped off their 
anima ls and run away. Our companions were now full of gesticulations 
and warlike threats; but nobody dared to attack the small body of men, 
and dispute with them their booty. 'We soon reached the level on the 
eastern side of the valley ; but if we had hesitated before what c,ourse 
to pursue, we were now quite puzzled to find the whereabouts of the 
horsemen. Wandering thus up and down without any distinct direc-
tion, we of course, as it was not safe for us to dismclUnt and take a 
moment's rest, suffered great fatigue, after a whole day and night's 
journey. Meanwhile the sun had almost reached the zenith, and I felt 
extremely weak and exhaustad. 
At length some of the horsemen were seen, at a great distance beyond 
a more shallow dell, driving before them a herd of cattle; and rescued 
at length from the dangerous position in which we had been, destitute 
as we were of any sufficient protection, we hastened to cross the valley, 
and to join our more warlike and experienced friends. Fa'lling in with 
them, we went together to a place a little further down this wide flat 
valley, where there were a small hamlet and stubble-fields . Here at 
length I hoped to get a little rest, and lay down in the scanty shade of 
a talha; but unfortunately there was no well here, and after a very 
short halt and a consultation, the order was given to proceed. I was 
scarcely able to mount my horse again and to follow the troop. The 
Arabs called this valley, which was very flat and produced no date-trees, 
Wady el Ghazal, but what its real name is I did not learn; it has of 
course nothing to do with the celebrated and larger valley of this name. 
The well was not far off, in another fine valley, or rather hollow, deeper 
than ''''ady el Ghazal, but much flatter than either Siggesi or Gesgi, and 
called Msallat or Amsallat. It was adorned with a wild profusion of 
mimosa, and in ifs deepest part provided with "khattatir" or draw-
wells, irrigating a fine plantation of cotton, the first we had yet seen in 
Kanem. 
The Arabs had not made a very. considerable booty, the Woghda 
having received intelligence of their approach and saved what they 
could. The whole result of the expedition was fifteen camels, a little 
OCTOBER 20. ] MUCH ANXIETY.-JOIN OUR FRIENDS. 535 
more than three hundred head of cattle, and about fifteen hundred 
sheep and goats. The Arabs were for some time in great anxiety about 
Ghet, and a party of horsemen who had gone with him to a greater 
distance; but he joined us here, driving before him a large flock of 
sheep. We were busy watering our horses, and providi ng ourselves 
with this necessary element. But there was not much leisure; for 
scarcely had we begun to draw water, when the alarm was given that 
the Woghda were attacking us, and three bodies of horsemen were 
formed in order to protect th e train and the booty. The main body 
rushed out of the valley on the south-east side, and drove the enemy 
back to a considerable distance; but the intention of encamping on the 
slope near th is well was given up as too dangerous, and it was decided 
to go to a greater distance, though the intention of penetrating to Milw6 
seemed not as yet entirelY.to be abandoned. It took us a considerable 
time to get out of this wooded valley, the Arabs being afraid of being 
attacked and losing their booty. 
At length, the cattle and flocks having Been driven in advance, we 
started, and, leaving the vale, ascended ele, atej rocky ground, from 
which, following a south-westerly direction, we descended, a little 
before two o'clock in the afternoon, into th e narrower eastern part of 
a deep and beauti ful valley, which here is adorned by a pretty grove of 
date-trees, while its western part expands into fine cult ivated ground. 
Here we made a halt of about half an hour, in order to water the 
an imals and replenish our skins; for not even here was it thought 
advisable to encamp, as it is regarded as a very inauspicious place, this 
being the spot where, in 1850, the Kel-owi fell upon the W elad Sl iman 
and almost exterm inated them. Afte r so short a halt we again pursued 
our march. I was now so totally exhausted that I was obliged to dis-
mount at short intervals and lie down for a moment; and once when 
left alone, it was only with the utmost exertion that' I was able to mount 
my horse again; but nevertheless I managed to drag myself a long. At 
length, about sunset, we chose a place for our encampment on the brow 
of the slope descending into a deep valley. Having now been thirty-
four hours on horseback with only short and insufficient intervals, I fell 
senseless to the ground, and was considered by Mr. Overweg and our 
people as about to breathe my last. But after an hour 's repose I 
recovered a little, and, having had a good night's rest, felt myself much 
stronger o.n the following morning, so that I could even undergo some 
exertion which was not exactly necessary. 
1l1'onday, Oct. zO.-Descended with our people into the vaHey when 
they wen t to fetch water. It is called Alali Adia, OF Jerad, from a small 
hamlet lying on the highest ground, and called Alali. The well was 
very rich and plentiful; but no traces of cultivation appeared at the foot 
of the date-trees. The slope was rather steep, and about one hundred 
and thirty feet high . The Arabs, who had contracted their encampment 
or "dowar" within the smallest possible compass, barricading it with 
their b aggage, as a' l the empty bags which they had taken with them 
on the expedition were now full of com from the magazines of the 
enemy, were not at all at their ease, and seemed not to know exactly 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. [1851. 
what course to 'take, whether to penetrate further in advance or to return. 
Several Fugabu and people belonging to HallUf came to pay th eir 
respec:s to Sheikh Ghet; and a person of considerable authority, called 
Keghamma, or rather Keghamma-futebe (Seraskier of the 'West), the 
very man of whom we before had heard so much talk, came also and 
paid me a visit in my tent; for, being in a weak state, I had been 
obliged, when the sun became oppressive, to pitch my tent, as there 
was no shade. There being no other tent in the encampment, I received 
visits from several parties who wished to breakfast a little at their ease, 
and among others from a man called Kedel Batram, H alluf's brother. 
Keghamma stated that he was certainly able to bring us to Karka; but 
this was a mere pretence, and he himself retracted his promise shortly 
afterwards before the sheikh. Our cherished object lay still before us, 
at a considerable distance; but our friend Ghet thought that he had 
brought us already far enough to desen'e some more presents, and 
plainly intimated as much to us through 'Abdallah. Fortunately I had 
a handsome yellow cloth caftan with me, embroidered with gold, and 
towards evening, when I had recovered from a severe fit of fever which 
had suddenly attacked me in the afternoon, we went to pay our com-
pliments to the chief, and begged him to accept of it; at th e same time 
we told him we should be satisfied if we were enabled to visit the 
district belongit,g to the Keghamma. But the situation of the Arabs 
soon became more dangerous, and nothing was thought of but to retrace 
our steps westward with the greatest possible expedition. 
I was lying sleepless in my tent, in a rather weak state, having 
scarcely tasted any kind of food for the last few days on account of my 
feverish state, when, in the latter part of the night, a great alarm was 
raised in the camp, and I he'ard the Arabs mount their horses and ride 
about in several detachments, raising their usual war-cry, "Ya riyab, ya 
riyab;" but I remained quietly on my mat, and was not even roused 
from my lethargical state when I received the intelligence that a 
numerous hostile army, consisting of the Woghda, the Medele, the 
Shiri, and the people of the Eastern Keghamma, was advancing against 
the camp. I received this news with that indifference with which a sick 
and exhausted man regards evcn the most important events. Neither 
did I stir when, with the first da\Vn of day on the 21st, the enemy 
having actually arrived within a short distance, our friends left the camp 
in order to offer battle. I heard about ten shots fired, but did not think 
that the Arabs would be beaten. Suddenly Overweg, who had saddled 
his horse at the very beginning of the alarm, called out anxiously to me 
that our friends were defeated, and, mounting his horse, started off at a 
gallop. My mounted servant, Bu Zed, had long taken to his heels; and 
thus, while Mohammed was hastily saddling my horse, I flung my 
bemus over me, and grasping my pistols and gun, and throwing my 
double sack over the saddle, I mounted and started off towards the west, 
ordering Mohammed to cling fast to my horse's tail. It was the very 
last moment, for at the same time the enemy began to attack the east 
side of the camp. All the people had fled, and I saw only the chief 
slave of Ghet, who, with great anxiety, entreated me to take his master's 
O CT013ER 22. ] CAMP TAKEN. 537 
state sword with me, that it might not fall into the hands of the 
enemy. 
But I had not gone a great distance when I heard firing close beh ind 
me, and, turning round, saw th e Arab horsemen rallying, and with the 
cry, " He keleb, keleb," turn round against the enemy, wh? had d is-
persed in order to collect the spoil. I went on in order to ll1 form Mr. 
Overweg, who, together with the Arabs who were mounted on camels, 
and even several horsemen, had fl ed to some distance and posted them-
selves on a hill. Ass uring him that the danger was over, I returned 
with him to the camp, where we were rather surprised to find that not 
only all our luggage was gone, but that not even a vestige of my ten t 
was left. 
The enemy, attracted only by the English tent and Sheikh Ghecs 
baggage, had scarcely touched the effects of the other people, but con-
sidered my tent as a fair prize and ran away ,"ith it. But the Arabs 
pursuing them, we .got back most of our thi ngs. A leathern English 
bag of mine which contained some articles of value had been cut open, 
just, as it seemed, a t the moment when our friends came up with the 
enemy. Our chief loss consisted in our cooking utensils and provisions ; 
I also much regretted the loss of an English P rayer-Book, which had 
belonged to Mr. Richardson. Four of the Arabs had been killed, and 
thirty-four of the enemy. Mr. Overweg was busily employed in dress-
ing some severe wounds inflicted on our friends . The Arabs were 
furious at the insolence, as they called it, of the enemy_w ho had dared 
to attack them in their own encampment, and they swore they would 
now go and burn do wn all th eir hamlets a nd their corn. The horsemen 
actually left, but re turned in the course of the aftern oon rather silently, 
with a sullen face and unfavourable tidings; and before sunset they 
were once more obliged to defend their own encampment against 
another attack of the energetic natives ; they, how'ever, succeeded in 
beating them off. H alliif distinguished himself greatly by his valour, 
killing three or four of the enemy with his own hand. 
But notwithstanding this little victory, the forebodings for the night" 
were very unfavourable, and our friends would certainly have decamped 
immediately if they had not been afraid that in the darkness of th e 
night the greater part might take to their heels, and that a shameful 
flight would be followed by great loss of life and property. Accordin gly 
they determined to remain till the next morning. But an anxious and 
restless night it was; for they had received authentic news that a body 
of from thirty to forty Waday horsemen were to join their enemies that 
night and to make a joint and last attack upon them; and they were 
well aware that the enemy had only been beaten from want of horses. 
All the horses remained saddled, and the whole night they sounded the 
watchcry; but the most restless was th e renegade Jew 'Abdallah, who 
felt convinced that this would be his last night, and was most anxious 
to get a razor in order to shave his head before the hour of death. 
Wednesday, Oct, 22.-The night passed on without the enemy appear-
ing, and with the dawn of day the sign for decamping was given, when 
everybody endeavoured to get in advance of his neighbour. The enemy, 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
as was positively stated afterwards, arrived there about an hour later; 
but seeing that we were gone, did not choose to pursue us. Thus we 
left the most interesting part of Kanem' behind us, the country once 
so thickly studded with large populous and celebrated towns, such as 
Njlmiye, Aghafi, and all those places which I shall describe in the 
Appendix from the account of the expeditions of Edris Alaw6ma, with 
many rich valleys full of date-trees. 
Keeping first in a westerly, and afterwards in a more south-westerly 
direction, through a rather uninteresting country, we arrived about 
eight o'clock in the morning in a wide vale called Takulum, full of rich 
succulent herbage and fine trees, where, it being supposed that we were 
out of danger, it was decided to give the horses and camels a feed after 
having watered them. I, for my part, was extremely thankful for 
getting a few hours ' rest in the shade of a venerable acacia, near the 
gentle slope surrounding the hollow. But just in the greatest heat of 
the day we left this pleasant resting-place, near which is the ordinary 
residence of the keghamma, in the valley Karafu, and followed a more 
north-westerly direction, ascending gradually from the vale, and entering 
a well-wooded district, where all the grass had recently been burnt, or 
was still burning; and in one place it was even with some danger that 
we found our way through the flames. This burning of the grass, as I 
have stated above, seems to be a general practice all over N egroland. 
Towards evening the country became quite open, and ahead of us a 
small range was seen, at the western foot of which our resting-place 
was said to be; but it seemed very distant, and it was quite dark when 
we made halt in two separate encampments, not being able to reach the 
point of destination. Our supper was very simple indee,d; for, having 
lost all our provisions at the taking of the camp at Alali, we were 
obliged to content ourselves with a few bad dates, the only thing we 
were able (0 obtain from our friend Sheikh Ghet. 
Thursday, Oct. 23.-VVhile our camels and people kept along the 
direct road, together with the train and part of the horsemen, Overweg 
and I, following Sheikh Ghet and his troop, took a more northerly 
direction, and passed the heat of the day in a fine valley. It was cer-
tainly one of the finest vales we had seen in the country, except th?t'it 
did not produce date-trees. But the district of Shitati, whiCH we again 
had entered here, seems not to be favourable for that tree, while Shiri 
and the neigh bourhood of Maw6 is very productive in date-trees. Part 
of the bottom was laid out in corn,fields, irrigated from Khattatfr, near 
which some huts were standing, while a larger village, at present 
deserted, is situated on the brow of the slope dominating the valley. 
It is called Burka-driisso, or Burka-driisto. Here we enjoyed a few 
hours of tranquil repose; but with the exception of this our enjoyment 
was very scanty, having nothing to breakfast upon but a handful of 
dates and some water. But our material wants were inconsiderable in 
comparison with the disappointment which we felt, as we clearly saw 
,that all hope of reaching the Bahar el Ghazal, or even Maw6, was to 
be given up, and the hope of attaining those districts had been the only 
reason which had induced us to join our fate with this ban.d of free-
OCTOBER ~.J WADA Y HORSEMEN. 539 
booters. We had spent all the property that remained to us to enable 
us to undertake this expedition, and our reflections therefore were far 
from pleasant. 
When the heat of the day had passed by, the Arabs pursued their 
march, aud we followed them, re-ascending the higher level and march-
ing over a pleasant country well adorned with trees and bushes, while 
we left a hollow called Nukko on our left, one of the three vales of 
Shitati which bear this name, and further on crossing another one called 
Arnanko. When night approached, ,our companions began to put their 
horses into a gallop in order to arrive betimes, while we preferred going 
on more slowly. 
The country here became more undulating, and afterwards even 
rugged, and we made our way as well as we could in the dark, s tumb-
ling along over a rugged ground in a north-westerly direction, and were 
not a little delighted when at length we saw the fires of the encamp-
ment, which this time had not been pitched on the highest level, but 
rather in a hollow not far from the well. Its name is Bir el Hamesh, 
or Yegil, or, as it is generally pronounced, Yiggeli. We were the more 
delighted to reach it, as we found here, not only all our people and 
luggage, but also provisions, and we were nearly famished. Of course, 
we were most cheerfully hailed by those of our servants whom, wi th 
the remainder of the Arabs, we had left at the Bir el Kuma, and who 
had felt the greatest anxiety about our safety, on account of the many 
unfavourable rumours which had reached them with regard to the 
proceedings and sufferings of our party. They had transported the 
camp from Bir el Kuma to this place several days previously, and were 
looking forward to our return most anxiously. We immediately attacked 
a bowl of camel's milK, and, thus materially comforted, rested outside 
our tents enjoying the freshness of the evening. Tile camp or dowar 
was rathet narrow, being encumbered by the booty which had been 
taken from the enemy; and the people, dreading lest the enemy might 
follow them, all huddled closely together, and kept strict watch. In 
such circumstances the wailings of the women over the dead, which 
sounded through the night, accompanied by loud, mournful strokes OB 
the great drum, could not fail to make a deep impression. However, 
we passed here tranquilly the following day, and enjoyed rest and 
repose the more as the weather was very oppressive. 
We received here the positive news that the body of Waday horse-
men who had come to th,e assistance of the Woghda, and had caused 
the Arabs so much fear and anxiety the day before, had returned to 
Maw6; and a very curious story was told with regard to them which 
at once shows how highly these horsemen of Waday are respe2ted by 
the Arabs, and the esteem which they themselves entertain for the 
latter. Thirty Waday h0o,r semen Were said to have arrived with the Woghda in consequence their entreaties, and to have followed with 
them the traces of our friends, the Woghda representing -fa them that 
ma.ny of the latter had been_killed. Thus they arrived in the morning 
when we had Just left the camp at Alali, and the dust raised by 
our host was plainly visible in the distance; but when the Woghda 
54D TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
instigated the Waday people to go and attack that host, they wanted to 
assure themselves how many of the Arabs had fallen in the last battle, 
in which thirty-four of the Woghda were said to have been slain, and 
when they found only two tombs, the latter told them that in each there 
were ten bodies; but the vVaday people. being anxious to make sure of 
the valour of their friends, had the tombs dug up, and found only two 
buried in each. Whereupon they stigmatized the Woghda as liars, and 
felt little inclined to follow the valian t robbers who had killed so many 
of the enemy, while they had lost so few of their own. But this 
story may have been adorned by our friends the Welad Sliman, who 
could not even deny that, besides a great deal of other booty from their 
own camp, which the enemy had succeeded in carrying away, the chief 
of the Woghda could pride himself on the red bemus which we had 
given as a present to Sheikh Ghet; nay, he could even boast of four 
horses taken from the Arabs. 
Sunday, Oct. 26.-This and the following day the Arabs were all busy 
in ,vriting, or getting letters written, to Kukawa, as a courier was to 
leave. I myself was almost the only person who did not get a note 
ready; for I could not muster sufficient energy to write a letter. Had 
I been strong enough, I should have had sufficient leisure to make up 
the whole journal of my excursion to the eastern parts of Kanem; but 
I was quite unable, and the consequence was, that this part of my diary 
always remained in a very rough state. Sheikh Ghet, who thought 
that we were greatly indebted to him for having seen so much of the 
country, sent for a variety of things ; but we were only able to comply 
with very few of his wishes. On our telling him that we were not at all 
satisfied with wha t we had seen, and that, in order not to waste more 
time, we had the strongest wish to return to Kukawa as soon as possible, 
he wanted to persuade us that he himself was to lea I'e for the capital 
of B6rnu in five or six days. But we prudently chose to provide for 
ourselves, and not rely upon his promise. 
Nfonday, Oct. 27.-The courier for Kukawa left in the morning, and 
in the evening a party of freebooters made an attack upon the camels 
of the Arabs, but, being pursued by the horsemen, whose great merit it 
is to be ready for every. emergency, they were obliged to leave their 
booty, and be contented to escape with their lives. The vale in which 
the well is situated is rather more exuberant than is the case generally, 
and there were several pools of stagnant water, from which the cattle 
were watered. There was even a'real jungle, and here and there the 
den of. a ferocious lion, who did not fail to levy his tribute on the 
various species of animal property of our friends, and evinced rather a 
fancy for giving some little variety to his meals; for a horse, a camel, 
and a bullock became his prey. 
Tuesday, Oct. 28.-Seeing that there was a caravan of people 
forming to go to KukalVa, while the Arabs intended once more to 
return to Burka-drusso, we at once went to the chief to inform him 
that we had made up our minds to go with the caravan. A chief of 
:he Haddada, or rather Bungo, arrived with offerings of peace on the 
part of the Shiri, and came to see us, together with the chief mentioned 
NOVEMBER 2.] DEPARTURE FROM KANE iY!. 541 
above, Kedel B" tram who was the fath er-in-law of the khalifa of Nl<i w6 ; 
K6bber, or rather the head man of the K6bber, and other g reat men of 
the Fugabu; and I amused them with my mus ical box. Overweg and 
I, disappointed in our expectations of penetrating further eastw,ard, 
prepared for our re turn journey, and I bought a small skin of tolerable 
dates for half a turked!; while to 'Abdallah, who had been our mediator 
"'ith the chief, I made a present of a jer!d, in order not to remai n his 
debtor. 
All this time I felt very unwell, which I attribute principally to the 
great changes of atmosphere, the nights being 'cool and the days very 
warm. 
Friday, Oct. 3I.-Though we were determined to return to l(flkawa, 
we had yet once more to go eastward. The Arabs removed th eir 
encampment to Armlnko, th e hollow which we passed on our way from 
Burka-drusso to Yegil. There had been a great deal of nncertainty and 
dispute amongst them with reference to the place which th ey were to 
choose for their encampment; but though, on the follo wing day, very 
unfavourable news was brought with regard to the security of the road 
to B6rnu, the departure of the caravan nevertheless remained fi xed for 
the 2nd November; for in the morning one of th e ' ;Yelad Sliman arrived 
from Kukawa, accompanied by two B6rnu horsemen, bringing letters 
from {he vizier, requesting the Arabs, in the most urgent terms, to 
remo,'e their encampment without delay to Keskawa, on the shore of 
the lake, whither he would not fail to send the whole remainder of their 
tribe who at that time were residing in Kukawa; for he had pos itive 
news, he 'assured them, that the Tuarek were medita ting another 
expedition against them on a large scale. . 
The report seemed not without found ation; for the three messengers 
had actually met, on -their road between Barrowa and Ngegimi, a party 
of ten Tuarek, three on foot, and the rest on horseback, and had only 
escaped by retreating into the swamps formed by the lake. This news, 
of course, spread considerable anxiety amongst the Arabs, who were 
still more harassed the same day by information received to the effect 
that a party of fifteen Waday horsemen were lying in ambush in a 
neighbouring valley; and a body of horsemen were accordingly sent 
out to sCOur the country, but returned without having seen anybody. 
Sunday, Nov. 2.-The day of our departure from Kanem at length 
arrived. Sorry as we were to leave the eastern shore of the lake un-
explored, we convinced ourselves that the character of our mission d id 
not allow us to risk our fate any longer by accompanying these free-
booters. The camels we had taken with us on this expedition were so 
worn out that they were unable to carry even the little luggage we had 
left, and Sheikh Ghet made us a present of two camels, which, however, 
only proved sufficient for the short journey to Kukawa; for the one 
fell a few paces from the northern gate on reaching the town, and the 
other a short distance from the southern gate on leaving it again on 
our expedition to Miisgu. 
The caravan with which we were to proceed was numerous; but the 
whole of the people were Kanembu, who carried their little luggage OJ) 
542 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
pack-oxen and a few camels, while, besides ourselves, there were only 
two horsemen. But there were some respectable people among them, 
and even some women richly adorned with beads, and, with their fine 
regular features and slender forms, forming a strong contrast to the 
ugly physiognomy and square forms of the Eorou females. The differ-
ence between the E6rnu and Kanembu is remarkable, although it is 
difficult to account for by historical deduction. 
Vve were so fortunate as to perform our home-journey without any 
serious accident, although we had some slight alarms. The first of 
these occurred when we approached the town of Eeri, and found all 
the inhabitants drawn up in battle-array, at a narrow passage some 
distance from the town; and at the first moment there was considerable 
alarm on both sides: but we soon learned that they had taken us for 
Tuarek, of whom a numerous freebooting party, consisting of two 
hundreQ camels and about as many horses, had a short time previously 
carried away all the cattle belonging to the place. The state of the 
country was so insecure that the inhabitants would not allow Mr. 
OveTweg to stay here, notwithstanding his earnest protestations, so 
that he was obliged to make up his mind to proceed with the caravan, 
a lthough he was sensible of the danger connected with such an under-
taking; and certainly, if we had met with a tolerably strong party of 
the Tuarek, our companions would have afforded us very little protec~ 
tion. We were so fortunate, however, as to pass through this infested 
track just at the time when an expedition, laden with booty, had 
returned homewards. 
Vie, however, met more than forty Budduma half a day's journey 
beyond Ngegimi, armed with spears and shields, and clad in nothing 
but their leather apron. They had been occupied in preparing salt 
from the roots of the siwak or Capparis sodata; and when they saw 
the first part of our caravan coming through the thick forest, they com-
menced an attack, so that Overweg and I were obliged to fire a few 
random shots over their heads, when, seeing that we were stronger 
than they had supposed, and recognizing some friends among the 
Kanembu, they allowed us to pass unmolested. But our whole march 
from Ngegimi to Barrowa, through the thick underwood with which 
the shores of the lake are here overgrown, resembled rather a flight 
than anything else. 
On the 10th we reached the komadugu; and after some lively nego-
tiation with the governor or shitima, who resides in the town of Y6 , I 
and iny companion were allowed to cross the river the same afternoon; 
for it has become the custom with the rulers of B6rou to use the river 
as a sort of political quarantine, a proceeding which of course they can 
only adopt as long as the river is full. During the greater part of the 
year everybody can pass at pleasure. Even after we had crossed, we 
were not allowed to continue our journey to the capital, before the mes-
senger, who had been sent there -to announce our arrival, had returned 
with the express permission that we might go on. -The shores round 
the komadugu were greatly changed, the river being now at its highest. 
Extensive patches were cultivated with wheat, being regularly laid out 
NOVEMBER 25.] ANOTHER E XPEDITION. 543 
in small quadrangular beds of from four to five feet in diameter, which 
were watered morni ng and evening from the river by means of buckets 
and channels. 
We reached Kiikawa on the 14th, having met on the road a party of 
about fifty Wehid SlirD<in, who were proceeding to join their companions 
in Kanem. We were well received by our host, the vizier of B6rnu. 
We had already heard from the governor of Y 6, that the sheikh and his 
vizier were about to leave in a few days on an expedition ; and, being 
desirous of employing every means of becoming acquaill ted with new 
regions of this continent, we could not but avail ourselves of this oppor-
tunity, however difficult it was for us, owing to our entire want ·of 
means, to make the necessary pr~parations for another campaign, and 
although the destination of the expedition was not quite certain. 
CHAPTER XLII. 
WARLIKE PREPARATIONS AGAINST MANDARA. 
Tuesday, Nov. 25.-Ten days after having returned to our headquarters, 
from the wearisome journey to Kanem, I left Kiikawa again, in order 
to join a new warlike expedition. T he sheikh and his vizier, with the 
chief part of the army, had set out already, the previous Saturday. 
The route bad not yet been determined upon-it was, at least, not 
generally known; but Wandala, or, as the Kaniiri call it, Mandara was 
mentioned as the direct object of the march, in order to enforce obedi-
ence from the prince of that small country, who, protected by its 
mountains, had behaved in a refractory manner. The chief motive of 
the enterprise, however, consisted in the circumstance of the coffers 
and slave-rooms of the great men being empty; and, a new s upply 
being wanted, from whence to obtain it was a question of minor im-
portance. There was just then much talk about a final rupture between 
'Abd e' Rahman and the vizier, the former baving intimate relations 
with the prince of Mandara; and it was for that reason that Mr. Overweg 
had at first thought it better to remain behind. 
My means were scanty in the extreme, and did not allow me to have 
a mounted servant, my camp-followers consisting merely of the same 
naga or "jige," as the Kanuri call the female camel, which ha d proved 
of the highest value to me on the journey to Kanem, and of two very 
indifferent Fezzani lads, weak in mind and body,-Mohammed ben 
Habib and Mohammed ben Ahmed. The weather being temperate, 
and my spirits excellent, I follo wed cheerfully the Ng6rnu road, with 
which I was well acquainted. The country looked much more inte-
resting now than three months before, on my return from Adamawa. 
Then all was dry and barren, scarcely a single fresh blade had started 
from the ground, and I was obliged to draw with immense exertion my 
supply of water from a deep well near Kaine; now the ground was 
544 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
covered with young herbs, the trees were in foli age, and, near the \'ery 
place of Kaine where the sheikh with his camp-followers had rested the 
first night, a large lake had been formed by the rains. This lake, whlch 
is surrounded by shady trees, retains its water until two or three months 
after the rainy season, when it begins gradually to dry up. I was 
therefore enabled to water my horse without any further trouble, after 
which I followed my people, who were in advance. Here I met with 
my friend Haj Edris and Shitima Makaremma, who were just returning 
from the camp" They told me that the sheikh had encamped that day 
at Klikia, beyond Ng6rnu. I therefore made a short halt at noon on 
tl1'! s side of that town, in order to reach the camp during the evening 
without staying in the place; for the city, on all sides, at about an hour's 
di stance, is almost entirely surrounded by fields devoid of trees. After 
I had enjoyed about an hour's rest, Ovenveg arrived with the disagree-
able tidings that his camel, soon after leaving the gate, had fallen, and 
was unable to get up again even after the hlggage had been removed. 
H e therefore sent his servant Ibrahim in advance, in order to procure 
another camel from the vizier, while he remained with me. vVhen we 
set out a'gain we took the direct roule to the camp, the road being 
enlivened by horsemen, camels, and pedestrians, The country on this 
side was only cultivated in some places; we perceived, however, two 
miles behind Ng6rnu a carefully kept cotton-plantation, and the fields 
near the village of Klikia were well cultivated. The whole of this 
fertile plain became a prey to the inundations of the Tsad in the year 
1854, caused by a sinking of the ground, when the whole country was 
changed in the most marvellous way. Here we obtained a first view of 
the camp with its tents; but it made no remarkable impression upon 
me, being still in an unfinished state, including only those people who 
were in the most intimate connection with the court, 
The II ngaufate " having its fixed arrangements, our place was assignee 
near the tents of Lamina, at some distance east from those of Haj 
Beshir. As the greater part of the courtiers were taking at least a 
portion of their harim with them to the" kerigu," a simple tent was not 
sufficient for them; but by means of curtains made of striped cotton-
stuff, a certain space is encompassed in order to insure greater privacy. 
For the sheikh and the vizier, as long as we remained in the B6rnu 
territories, at every new encampment an enclosure of matting was 
erected; for it is not the custom, as has been asserted, to separate the 
royal camp from that of the rest, at least not on expeditions into a 
hostile country, nor has it been so in former times. The common 
soldiers had no further protection, except some light and small huts 
with high gables, which some of them had built with the tall stalks of 
the Indian corn , which lay in great abundance on the stubble-fields. 
But I shall first say a fe w words about our friend Lam[no, whom I 
have already occasionally mentioned, and with whom on this expedition 
we came into closer contact. This man furnishes an example how in 
this country, notwithstanding the immense difference of civilization, in 
reality matters take the same course as in Europe, where notorious 
rogues and· sharpers often become the best police functionaries . LamIna, 
NOVEMBER 26.] ARMY IN MOTION.-LAMINO. 545 
originally "el Amfn," had formerly been -a much-dreaded highway-
robber, but had now become cltef de po/tce, or, as the Hausa people 
would say, "serki-n-karfi," being, in consequence of his hard-hearted-
ness and total want of the gentler feelings, of the greatest importance 
to the vizier, whose mild character did not allow him personally to 
adopt severe measures. Imprisoning people and ordering them to be 
whipped constituted one of Lamina's chief pleasures. H e could, how-
ever, at times be very gentle and amiable; and there was nothing wh ich 
afforded greater amusement to my companion and me tban to hear him 
talk in the most sentimental manner of the favourite object of bis affec-
tions, a woman whom he carried with him on this expedition. It 
caused us also great delight to witness the terror he felt at our com-
paring the shape of tbe earth to an ostrich's egg; for be seemed to be 
quite at a loss to understand how he should be able to preserve his 
balance on such a globe, with his great heaviness and clumsiness. 
Wednesday, Nov. 26.-Early in the morning the signal for the 
decampm~t of the army was given in front of the tent of the sheikh, 
by the sound of the great drum; and in broad battle-array (" bata ") the 
army with its host of cavalry moved onwards over the plain, which was 
covered with tall reeds, and showed only here and there a few signs of 
cultivation. This time I still remained with the camels and the train-
oxen, which, mixed with pedestrians and some single horsemen in long 
unbounded lines, kept along the road, while single troops of Kanembu 
spearmen, in their light fanciful garments, mostly consisting of a small 
apron of rags, or a hide tied round the loins, and armed with their light 
wooden shields, passed the luggage-train, shouting out in their wild 
native manner. Thus, after a march of about eleven miles, we reached 
the cotton-fields of Yedi, a town of considerable magnitude, surrounded 
by a clay wall in a state o!\good repair. We passed it on a rising 
ground to our left, while the Muntry on the north-western side spread 
out in one continuous sandy plain, dotted here and there by a few diim-
bushes (ngille) and by a few single dum-palms. On this s ide of the 
town, at about a quarter of an hour's distance, after the autumnal rains, 
a large pond is formed, on the borders of which gardens of onions are 
planted by the inhabitants of Yedi, and irrigated with the aid of 
khattatir. 
The sun was intensely hot; and the heat at noon was very great. 
Strange to say, during all this time I neglected to make thermometrical 
observations; and as far as I am aware Overweg did not pay more 
attention to this subject than myself: but the reason of this neglect was, 
that we usually started early in the morning, and seldom had shade in 
the neighbourhood of our tents at noon; for these, which by this time 
were so much worn that every object inside cast a shadow as well as 
o;ltside, could give us, of course, no measure for the temperature of the 
aIr. Our protector Lamfno afterwards sent us an excellent dish of rice 
boiled in milk and covered with bread and honey. The rice was of a 
wlllteness unusual in this country. Having received likewise a dish of 
bread and honey from the vizier, we thought it our duty to pay him a 
Visit, and through his mediation to the sheikh also. The sheikh had 
. . . ~5 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
alighted at his spacious clay mansion outside the walls of the city; and he 
was j list occupied with granting a grand reception to the townspeople. 
After the usual exchange of compliments, our discourse turned upon 
Captain Denham (Rais Khalil), who had once taken the same road in 
conjunctibn with Kashella Biirka Ghana, and with Bu-Khalum. On 
this occasion also the manner in which old Mllllem Shadeli or Chadeli, 
then a simple faki, who was present, behaved towards that Christian 
was mentioned. We related to them what a faithfnl description Major 
Denham had given, in the narrative of his adventures, of the hostile 
disposition of the faki, when the old mallem, who was now one of the 
grandees of the empire, in order to revenge himself upon Major Denham 
and ourselves, described to the assembly, with sundry sarcastic hints, 
how he had seen the Major, after his shameful defeat at Musfaya, half 
dead and stripped of his clothes, and exhibiting to uninitiated eyes all 
the insignia which mark the difference between the faithful and unfaith-
ful. The whole spirit in which the slory was told bore evidence of the 
enlightened character and the tolerance of these gentlemen. 
All the people behaved very friendly; and the sheikh sent us in the 
evening two sheep, a load of" ngaberi" or sorghum, besides two dishes 
of prepared food. We were also entertained by a young musician, who 
had accompanied Mr. Overweg during his voyage on the Tsad; and in 
this way there was no end of feasting. Nor was there any want of 
intellectual food, the inquisitive and restless vizier being desirous of 
learning from us as much as possible on this expedition, where he 
enjoyed plenty of leisure. H ere we remained also the following day, as 
some more detachments were to join the army.· 
Friday, Nov. 28.-The ngaufate advanced as far as the town of 
Marte. Not far from Yedi there extends in a southerly direction, a 
very expansive plain devoid of any sort of vegetation except some 
mimosas. This is the beginning of the" firki " ground, which comprises 
so large a space in the southern regions of B6rnu, and of which I have 
repeatedly spoken on former occasions; but the plantation of the 
Holczts cermtztS, called "masakwa" or "m6soga" (which is limited to 
this peculiar territory), had not turned out well this year, in consequence 
of the scarcity of rain. I had marched in advance with my camel, when 
the vizier got sight of me, and begged me to come to the sheikh. After 
having saluted me in the most friendly way, he asked me why I always 
wore my pistols in my belt round the waist, instead of fixing them at the 
saddle-bow; but he praised my foresight when I appealed to the example 
of Rais Khalil, who. when thrown from his horse, on his unlucky expe-
dition to Mandara, remained without a weapon in his hand. However, 
he was of opinion that at present, with such a large army, no danger of 
this kind was to be feared. He showed me also, in the most flattering 
manner, that he had imitated my example of having my chronometer 
continually girded around my waist; and he assured me that he found 
it very convenient. 
* Be!ween Y6di and the Tsad, the following places are situated-Lega, a 
considerable town surrounded by a wall i Dil?buwa, Jlggeri, Manawaze~ 
G6rdina, and M6golam. . • 
NOVEMBER 30.J A1ARTE. 547 
The troop was here proceeding in stately order, and a broad line of 
battle deployed, one officer, with the title of jerma, riding in advance, 
and being followed by the four fan-bearers of the sheikh, in fuIl array; 
but a little further on, a small tract of underwood compeIled them to 
change their order of march, and proceed in one long line. The vizier 
was kind enough to send me a message to the effect that I had better 
get in front, so as not to be in the mids~ of the confusion. The place 
of encampment was chosen on the north-west side of the town of Marte; 
and when the sheikh had dismounted, in order to take possession of the 
mat house which had been prepared for him, the whole host of cavalry 
galloped up in the fiercest manner, before I was able to get out of their 
way, so that I received a very severe shock from a horseman, who struck 
against me with great violence. 
In the afterpoon my friend and companion on my journey to Adamawa, 
Kashella Billama, called on me; and we mounted on horseback, in order 
to pay a visit to the market, which is held every Friday outside the 
western gate of the town, where an open area surrounded' by several 
wells spreads out. But the market, at least that day, was very insignifi-
cant: it was not furnished with a single shed or stall, and not a single 
article of manufacture was exposed, Negro millet, butter, and wooden 
bowls being almost the only articles offered for sal,,; and sellers, as 
well as buyers, were very few in number. The town contains about 
four thousand inhabitants, and, taking into account the strategical art 
of this country, possesses proper defences, the c1ay wall being in a 
good state of repair, and having a gate on each side excepting the side 
of the market, where there are two. Towards the east there is a little 
cultivated ground, and on the north a smaIl suburb, cons isting of large, 
conical, thatched huts, where, besides Kanfui, several Fulbe or Fellata 
families are living. The interior of the town consists of narrow lanes; 
and most of the houses are clay buildings. There was nothing interest-
ing to be seen; hut I was agreeably surprised when my companion, . 
who was a native of this place, took me to pay my compliments to his 
mother, who kept a smaIl shed, or rather, as we should sa'y, a shop, in 
the little market-place inside the town. It was certainly a trait of a 
good-natured and friendly disposition. 
We remained here the following day; but· our stay was not at ,all 
pleasant, there being very little shade near the encampment, while our 
tents were so worn that they scarcely afforded any protection against 
the sun. Owing to the smallness of my means, I had been obliged to 
leave my large tent in Kukawa. . 
Sunday, Nov. 30,-The following morning I was obliged to remain 
behind the army a considerable time, in order to allow the air to. acquire 
a more g!"nial temperature, 1 enjoyed the more the beautiful morning, 
although the country did not possess many attractions. Here, also, it 
exhibited that black boggy soil, called "firki," which is peculiar to the 
southern parts of B6rnu, though near the village of Little Marte, or 
"Marte ghana," some slight . variation was seen, in a crop of Indian 
corn or "holeus" stiIl standing in the fields; the ears, however, were 
quickly plucked off by the undisciplined army. Further on I reached a 
TRA VELS 7N APR7CA. 
group of \·i1l2.ges ornamented by a cluster of beautiful tamarind-trees, 
and here lay down awhile to enjoy the delicious shade. Numbers of 
people were resting here and there, in order to partake of the hos-
pitality of the villagers; for, to the ruin of the country there is no 
commissariat in these armies to provide for the wants of the private 
individual, and every one must supply himself with food in the best 
manner he can. 
Our march, however, was very short, the encampment having been 
chosen on the west side of the town of Ala. This town also is of some 
importance, and surrounded by a wall in good repair, with two gates 
on the north and west sides and only one on the south and east. The 
interior is enlivened by large trees, consisting of chedia (elastic gum), 
and kuma-trees, while the huts are remarkable for their high conical 
roof, the thatch of which, in a great many instances, is interlaced by 
the clasps of the Cttcurbila lagenaria, the whole looking very cheerful. 
The sheikh having requested me repeatedly to give my compass up to 
him, as he imagined it would be sufficient for one of us to possess such 
an instrument, I thought it prudent to offer him my musical box as a 
present, remarking that I would willingly give away such articles, but 
not scientific instruments. Several hares had been caught in the course 
of the day; and in the evening we had some of them very palatably 
dressed by the experienced female sla\'e of Lamina. 
jJ1onday, Dec. I.-Soon after starting, early in the morning we had 
to traverse some underwood, which caused a great rush and much con-
fusion among the undisciplined army, so that two or three horsemen 
were seriously injured. On such occasions, as well as in the thick 
covert of the forest, I had a full opportunity of testing the valuable 
properties of the Arab stirrups, which protect the whole leg, and, if 
skilfully managed, keep every obtruder a t a respectful distance; indeed 
I am almost sure that if, on these my African wanderings, I had made 
use of English stirrups I should have lost both my -legs. Our way 
afterwards led over monotonous firki ground, where we were cheered 
by the sight of some fine crops of sorghum. Detached hamlets were 
seen in every direction, even where the country did not present any 
traces of cultivation; but with the exception of the Shllwa villages, 
this province does not contain many small hamlets, the population 
being concentrated in larger places. Underwood succeeded to the firki 
ground, and extended to the very walls of the large town of Dikowa. 
The sight of this town, with its walls over-towered by the regu-
larly shaped crowns of magl,ificent fig-trees, was very imposing. The 
v.restern wall, along 'which our road lay, was covered with women and 
ch ildren, and we met a numerous procession of females in their best 
attire, who were going to salute their sovereign upon his arrival at the 
encampment; and coming from the cap ital, which is distinguished by 
the ugliness of its female inhabitants, I was agreeably surprised at their 
superior countenance and figure. But though the observer might be 
gratified with the personal appearance of the natives, their industry was 
questionable; for only a small tract of cultivated ground was to be 
s een on this side of the town, girt by a forest of m ighty trees. 
DECEMBER l.] DIKO WA . 549 
The encampment, or " nga~ fate," began to form close to the southern 
wall of the town, amidst sandy ground free from trees, and completely 
s urrounded by a thick covert. Although it was Decem ber, the sun was 
very powerful; and , until the camels arrived, I sat down in the shade 
of a "bito," or Balanites, while the encampment was spreading out in 
all directions, and approached the edge of the covert. I then gave up 
my shady place to Kashella Jato, an officer of the musketeers, who, in 
acknowledgment, offered me a c.lear piece of del icious gum, just taken 
from the tree and full of sweet fluid; in which state it is certainly a 
delicacy, and is so esteemed here as well as in Western Negroland. 
Tbe encampment s pringing up gradually from the ground, with its 
variety of light dwellings built on ly for the momen t- the multifarious 
appearance of armed people-the number of borses of all colours, some 
of the most exquisite beauty-the uninterrupted traif! of beasts of 
burden, camels, and pack-oxen, laden with the tents, furn iture, and 
provisions, and mounted by the wives and concubines of th e differen t 
chiefs, well dressed and veiled,-altogether presented a most interesting 
picture; for now almost the whole host or "kebti," had collected, and 
twenty thousand men, with ten thousand horses, an d at least as many 
b.easts of burden, were no doubt assembled on this spot. At length 
our two tents also were pitched, and we could make ourselves as com-
fortable as the scanty shade which they afforded allowed us. 
In the evening, our conversation with the vizier turning upon the 
means which remained for B6rnu to attain once more to her former 
greatness, these devastating expeditions and slave-hunts fell under dis -
cussion; and I took the liberty to indicate, in opposition to such a 
system, the necessity of a well-established governmen t, with a strong 
military force capable of extending their dominion. I also called the 
attention of the vizier to the poiot, that, as they could never rely upon 
the Turks, who might easily cut off all supplies of foreign merchandize, 
it was greatly to their interest to keep open to themselves that large 
river which passed a short distance to the south of their dominions, and 
which would enable them to supply themselves with every ki"nd of 
European manufacture at a much cheaper rate th an they were able to 
obtain them by the northern route. He did not hesitate to throw the 
whole blame upon the former sultans; but those pam men, when they 
possessed the dominion of the Kwana tribe, probably had no idea that 
the river which ran through their territory joined the sea; and even if 
they had, the rela tion between Islam and Christianity at that period 
was of so hos tile a character, that, for the very reason that this stream 
might open to the Christians a more easy access to t heir country, they 
shunned any nearer connection with it as dangerous. However, under 
the present entirely altered' state of affairs, there is no question that 
an energetic native chief, basing his power on a supply of European 
merchandize, as facilitated by the river Benuwe, might eas ily dominate 
a great part of Central Africa; but energy is just the very thing these 
people are wanting in. 
From this point of our discourse there was an easy transi tion to that 
of the abolition of slavery; and here my late lamented friend Mr. 
550 TRA VELS IN AFRiCA. [185!. 
Overweg made a most eloquent speech on this important question. 
The vizier could not bring forward any other argument in his defence, 
than that the slave-trade furnished them with the means of buying 
muskets; and, lamentable as it is, this is certainly the correct view of 
the 'subject, for even on the west coast the slave-trade originated in the 
cupidity of the natives in purchasing the arms of Europeans, Such is 
the history of civilization I If the poor natives of Africa had never 
become acquainted with this destructive implement of European in-
genuity, the slave-trade would never have reached those gigantic pro-
portions which it has attained. For at first the natives of Africa wan ted 
firearms as the surest means of securing their independence of, and 
superiority over, their neighbours; but in the further course of affairs, 
these instruments of destruction became, necessary, because they en-
abled them to hunt down less favoured tribes, and, ,vith a supply of 
slaves so obtained, to procure for themselves those luxuries of European 
civilization with which they had likewise become acquainted. This is 
the great debt which the European owes to the poor African, that, after 
having caused, or at least increased, this nefarious system on his first 
bringing the natives of those regions into contact with his state of 
civilization, which has had scarcely any but a demoralizing effect, he 
ought now also to make them acquainted with the beneficial effects 
of that state of society, Entering, therefore, into the views of our 
hosts, I told them that their counlr¥ produced many other things which 
they might exchange for firearms, without being forced to lay waste the 
whole of the neighbouring countries, and to bring misery and distress 
upon so many thousands. ' 
I informed them of the last negotiations of Her Britannic Majesty's 
messengers with the King of Dahome, when our friend, listening with 
the greatest interest to the account of these n'oble endeavours of Her 
Majesty's Government, which he could not but admire, declared, in the 
most distinct manner, that, if the British Government were able to 
furnish them with a thousand muskets and four cannons, they would 
be willing to subscribe any obligatory article for abolishing the slave-
trade in their country-of course not including, all at once, domestic 
slavery; for such a measure would scarcely be feasible in a country 
where all the relations of domestic life are based upon this system. 
But the abolition of the foreign slave-trade would be the beginning of 
a better system. However, I told them that, supposing Government 
were to entertain such a proposal, the first thing for them to do was 
to open themselves a road to the river Benuw!!, as it would be difficult, 
not only with respect to the state of the country to be traversed, but 
also on account of the suspicions of the Turks, to provide them with 
such a military store by way of the desert. But at present this whole 
question has been superseded; the vizier himself has succumbed, and 
his master, the Sheikh 'O(I:"~r, although he has been fortunate enough 
once more to usurp the sovereign authority, seems scarcely sufficient 
to hold out any guarantee of the stability of his dynasty. Moreover, 
the slave-trade at present is, in fact, abolished on the north coast; 
and this circumstance must eventually exercise a great influence over 
DECEMBER I.] SLAVERY AND SLAVE-TRADE. 55! 
the destinies of B6rnu, on account of its central situation, especially if 
at length a regular iutercourse be established on the river Benuwe. 
It was our lot to remain here several days; for while the Kanilri 
people, who were expected to join the expedition, had already assembled 
in sufficient numbers, _only a very small portion of the indigenous Arab 
or Shliwa population had as yet come up; for almost aU of them live 
in the south-eastern parts of the country, where they have taken pos-
session of the deserted seats of former tribes, which were annihilated 
or weakened in the relentless wars between Islamism and Paganism. 
On the first day of our arrival, our encampment was very comfortable; 
but every day that we stayed here it became more confi ned, owing 
principally to the numerous cavalry of these Arab tribes, almost all of 
whom are mounted ; and many a newcomer was seen hurrying about 
without being able to find a spot to lie down, or to meet with friends 
to treat him. I myself had to entertain a respectable man among these 
Shliwa, of the name of Haj H amadan , belonging to the tribe of the 
Haslinna. 
This man, who generally had his settlement far to the eas t, in the 
Wady Guskab, had come some time previously to Log6n in order to 
pay a visit to some relations of his, and had now joined this expedition. 
But one must be very careful ,vith these Shuwa; for, to use a common 
expression, if you give them an inch, they are wont to t ake an ell. But 
for their Jewish character, I should have liked to enter into more in-
timate relations with them than I actually did. . 
Their emigration into these regions, at least several centuries ago, is 
certainly not .vithout interest; and, as I have already had occasion to 
observe in another place, they preserve the characteristic type of their 
race very distinctly-a middle-sized, slender figure (which, however, is 
apt to become fuller as they advance in years), sm",ll pleasing features, 
and a dark olive complexion. Their dialect is very peculiar; and while 
it lays claim to a far greater purity than belongs to the dialects of the 
coast, by the profusion of vowels which it has preserved, its character 
is deteriorated, and becomes nearly ridiculous, by the continued repeti-
tion and insertion of certain words. A Shuwa is not able to say three 
words without inserting his favourite term "kuch, kuch," which cor-
responds to the English word "thorough," but which is not Arabic at 
all. VVhen they omit the word" kuch," they make use of another term, 
"berketek," "your worship," which at once bears testimony to the 
servile and degraded position which they occupy in Negroland, although 
in B6rnu they are still treated with some indulgence and lenity, espe-
cially since the time when Mohammed Tirab, the father of the present 
vizier, who belonged to the tribe of the Salamat, attained the highest 
degree of power and influence in the country. In Waday again, even 
at the present time, they are treated very bad ly. 
Of Kanuri people, besides a few smaller bodies of troops, only two 
officers, or kashellas, 'Ali Marghi and J erma, were wanting. All the 
officers and bodIes of troops on this side of the komadugu of B6rnu, 
the so-called Yeou, were collected together, the only exception being 
Kashella Manzo, my hospitable host in Zurrikulo, whose presence at 
552 'l'RA VELS IN AFRICA. 
his post was required on account of the Tuarek; for, as regards the 
offi cers and chiefs of th e provinces on the other side of the komadugu, 
nobody is required to take part in these expeditions of the sheikh, every 
officer remaining at his post, except when his master enters upon a war 
in his o\Vn quarters. 
While the encampment itself presented considerable interest, as 
being the temporary abode of so many people, the town of Dikowa, 
near which we were encamped, seemed well deserving some attention, 
as having been repeatedly the residence of the rulers of the country, 
and being still one of the largest towns in the kingdom. I therefore 
paid a visit to it in ' the afternoon of the second day of our s tay, being 
accompanied by my friend Billama. We entered the town by the 
western gate; and I saw that the walls were about thirty feet high, 
and terraced on the inside like those of the capital, and of considerable 
breadth at the base: they were in a state of good repair. I was struck 
by the height and round shape of the huts, which entirely wanted the 
characteris tic top, or, as the Kanuri people call it, k6gi ngimbe, and 
were of the same kind as I had observed in the other to wns of this 
southern province. Every hut had its little courtyard, in some of which 
vegetation was seen, ,mostly karas , 
The further we proceeded, the more I was pleased with the general 
appearance of the town, the exterior of which had made a favourable 
impression upon me on our first arrival. Large, beautiful, wide-
spreading fig-trees, ngabore, chedia or elastic gum-trees, and k6rna-
trees, spread their shade all around, and two or three isolated papaw-
trees, or as the Kanuri call them, bambus-masarbe, with their remarkable 
featIJ.ery crowns and their smooth virgin-like stems, formed a lively 
contrast to the broad-leafed canopy of the other trees, while the hedges 
and fences of the courtyards were partly enlivened by a luxurious 
creeper called "dagdagel " by the natives. The real nucleus of the 
town seemed to consist entirely of clay houses. 
After a very pleasant ride, we reached the house of the "mainta," 
or governor, who still enjoys a certain degree of independence. The 
chief ornament of the place in front of his house was the most splendid 
caoutchouc-tree I have ever seen; indeed I can scarcely imagine that 
the diameter of its crown, which was so regularly and symmetrically 
shaped that it appeared as if effected by art, measured less than from 
seventy to eighty feet. It really formed a beautiful fage, or, as the 
Hausa people call it, !chenbatii, or open council-hall, such as are 
common in these places; but at present no political business of any 
importance, was transacted here, and it formed a favourite lounge for 
idle people, amongst whom there was a troop of musicians, playing 
lustily upon their instruments to console the petty chief for the 10!!S of 
his former power, which had dwindled away to a mere shadow. I 
would gladly have paid him a visit; but, poor as I was at the time, and 
without a single article worthy of acceptance, I was rather glad that 
r was under n6 obligation to him. The interruption ia the daily course 
of life of the inhabitants, by the presence of the army, was the more to 
pe lamented, as it prevented me from becoming an eyewitness to the 
DECEMBER 1.] THE INTERIOR OF D IKO WA. 553 
chief indus try of the natives, which consists in weaving, and manufac-
t uring into shirts, the cotton which they grow; for they are almost 
exclus ively cotton-growers, and have very li ttle corn. But, although 
they are able to produce a fine sort of texture, they are very badly off 
for dyeing, and in this respect are far outstripped by the inhabitants of 
Uje and Makari. Instead of the beating of shirts, which forms so 
pleasant a sound in many other industrial towns of Negroland, there 
was nothing to be heard but the sound wh ich proceeded from the 
powder-mill, if I may be allowed to give this grand name to a yard in 
which eight slaves were employed in pounding powder in large wooden 
mortars; for this is the way in which powder is prepared in Negroland, 
and during my stay in Bagfrmi every time I bad my coffee pounded 
(as I did not possess a coffee-mill), I excited the suspicion that I was 
preparin g powder. Of course the presence of the army was the reason 
why so little activity was to be seen at present, and the littl e market, or 
durrfya, which is held in the afternoon, was very badly attended; but 
the size and populousness of th e town made such an impression upon 
me, that I thought myself justified in rating the number of inhabitants 
at about twenty-five thousand. 
Altogether I was so much pleased with the character of the place, 
that on expressing my satisfaction to one of. the inhabitants who came 
to salute my companion, with the words, " Atema bill a ngilla" C" This 
is a fine town "), he replied, with conscious pride, "Ate bnla deka geni ; 
ate billa maiwa" (" This is no.t a country town; this is a royal resi-
dence "). We reached the gate on the north-west side of the town, just 
at the moment when 'Abd e' Rahman, the eldest brother of the Sheikh 
'Omitr, arrived with a party of horsemen. W hat his business was I 
do not know; but before the expedition left the town, there had been 
a great many unfavourable rumours concerning 11i& ambitious designs, 
and the malcontents expected that he would avail himself of thi s oppor-
tunity for striking a blow at the vizier, in order to prevent the expedition 
from proceeding against Mandara, as he himself was supposed to be on 
friendly terms with the chief of that country. But whatever may have 
been his intentions, he found his rival still too strong; and, after a 
friendly parting from his brother, he retraced his steps. 
The view over the encampment, which presented itself when from 
the north I turned to the south-west side of the town, was extremely 
interesting; and I kept along the higher ground formed by the rubbish 
which had accumulated at the foot of the wall. Tents of every descrip-
tion and size-light sheds constructed with the long stalks of Indian 
corn, supported by four poles, and connected lightly at the top and 
forming high-topped gables-horses and men, all in the greatest con-
fusion, presented a busy scene of animated life; but the place where 
our tents were pitched had become so confined, that I was glad to avail 
myself of any opportunity which presented itself of roving about in the 
neighbourhood. 
The most attractive place was the komadugu, or watercourse, which 
passes at some distance to the south of the town, and is distinguished 
Py the special name of Yalowe. It was a very charming spot, winding 
554 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
along through a rich and varied forest, bordered by an uninterrupted line 
of the finest fig-trees, principally of the kind called "ngabore." The 
channel itself was only about forty yards wide, eocompassed by banks of 
from twelve to fifteen feet in height, and at present it was not enlivened 
by a continuous stream, but contained several detached pools of stagnant 
water. Although the water was cool, and not disagreeable to the taste, 
still it was not very pure, and eQuId not but contain the germs of much 
disease. This is the same komadugu with which, in its upper course 
i!, the territory of Vje, I had become acq uainted on my journey to 
Adamawa. The banks all around were enlivened by horses and pack-
oxen, who were enjoying the rich verdure; and there was not a shady 
tree but had been taken possession of by a troop of Kanembu or Kanuri, 
in order to find that comfortable repose which the noisy encampment 
could not afford. 
Having heard that the wealth of the inhabitants of Dikowa consisted 
of cotton, I expected to find extensive well-kept cotton-plantations; but, 
although the article was cultivated to a great extent, I was astonished 
at the neglected appearance which it exhibited, the cotton-fields being 
almost buried beneath the thicket, and overgrown not only with rank 
grass, but even with trees and bushes, so that scarcely any space was 
left for the plants to spread out; nevertheless their luxuriant growth 
bore ample testimony to the rich nature of the soil, and gave an idea 
of the wealth that lies buried in these regions. I have already observed, 
on another occasion, that the natives of Negroland take very little care 
of their cotton-plantati ons ; and there is no doubt that, if sufficient care 
was bestowed, quite a different quality might be produced. 
I roved about in this wild and fert ile region till I was entirely hemmed 
in by an impenetrable thicket. While returning hence to our el'lcamp-
ment by -a more westerly path, I was ruminating in my mind how the 
former rulers of this country had evinced so much more feeling for the 
bounty and beauty of nature than its present possessors; for, while 
these have chosen for their residence the most monotonous district of 
the empire, the former selected those parts which nature itself had 
embellished-the shores of the so-called Yeou, or the komadugu Waube, 
and this fine waterwurse of Dikowa; and they not only chose the most 
interesting spots, put they even embellished them by art, as the large 
artificial basins in the neighbourhood of Ghasreggomo, Ghambaru, and 
Damasak amply testify. , In this respect it is not uninteresting that we are 
informed by the Imam Ahmed, the historian of the Kin g Edris Alaw6ma, 
that his master, when he visited the town of Fika, could not forego the 
pleasure of paying a visit 'to the famous little alpine lake which lies at 
some distance from that town. Although the country of B6rnu is far 
from being the most favoured part of N egroland, yet the shores of 
these watercourses are very rich indeed, and capable of maintaining 
a numerous population. _ 
In returning to our encampment, I passed the market, or durriya, 
which was held every afternoon on th" west side of the encampmen t. 
It was rea.]]y a busy scene, not yielding in importance to the little daily 
m~ket _of t~e capital; and this was not at all marvellous, as a greater 
DECEMBER I.] FRIENDLY SERVICES. 555 
crowd of people, and a far greater numbe~ of horses, were gathered 
here than the average populatIOn of Kiikawa. Not only were provisions, 
such as meat, grain, beans, ground-nuts, and other articles of a like 
description, offered for sale, but even small luxuries ; and there was 
a good deal of bartering, as the buyers were destitute of currency-
kiingona, or cowries, as well as gabaga, or'cotton strips. I also observed 
that the encampment, especially on this side, where it was skirted by 
a thick covert of trees, was encircled by a living wall of light KanembCi 
speannen, who were keeping watch; for although the army was still 
in its own territory, yet, in the ,"veak state of the government, a certain 
degree of insecurity already commences here; and the very first 
evening of our being encamped on this spot, the ngaufate was roused 
by the gangema, or announcement by beat of drum, to the effect that 
everybody s ho uld be on his guard against horse-stealers. 
While the country around presented interesting features, and the 
encampment itself exhibited a scene of great variety, the time we spent 
here passed away comfortably and agreeably, with the sole exception 
that the space allotted to us was too confined to be comfortable. We 
were on the most friend ly terms with the sheikh as well as ,vith his 
vizier; and all court etiquette was dispensed ,vith. This went so far 
that I and my companion accommodated our noble and princely friends 
with our woollen jackets and drawers; for they began to feel the cold 
at night very severely, and on these occasions the very respectable H aj 
Edris had to play the part of a royal.!aundress. 
Already, during our hibernal stay in the country of Ai';! we had been 
obliged to accommodate our old and austere fri end Annur and his 
numerous relatives with our Turkish waistcoats : but we had not yet 
condescended to give away our under-clothing; and being ourselves 
extremely . poor and destitute in every respect, it was certainly not a 
little privation we imposed upon ourselves . The clothes of the sheikh 
and his vizier were all very wide, and not fit for keeping out the cold. 
I have repeatedly had occasion to mention how sensitive the Africans 
are to cold; and I am persuaded that, in the burning regions of Central 
Africa, a good cargo of warm under-clothing would find a ready sale, 
especially if it should arrive in the months of December and January. 
But neither did our noble hosts, on their part, fail to do everyth ing in 
their power to render our situation as comfortable as possible; and it 
was very satisfactory to see how anxious the vizier was to supply us 
with all desirable information. 
One evening, at a late houT, when I was reposing in my tent and 
about to go to bed, he sent for me in the greatest hurry, as if my life or 
death were at stake; and upon hastening thither, anxious to hear what 
was the matter, I was told that the vizier had been informed of a person 
being in the encampment who, like myoId friend the mallem KatCiri, 
had accompanied the memorable expedition of Amba Sambo, the war-
like chief of Chamba, towards the country of igbo on the sea-coast. 
But while the latter had gone to Mbafu with 'the main body of the army, 
the adventurous proceedlOgs of that person had not even been limited 
by the boundaries of tpe sea; and he infonned me, in the most positive 
556 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
and conclusive manner, that the body of troops which he accompanied , 
bad sailed along a rocky coast for fifteen days, when they unexpectedly 
met with an island, where they took possession of a number of muskets; 
their owners, who were all dressed in jackets, having taken refuge in 
tbeir large vessel. 
He d id not doubt that these people were Christians, and according to 
the description which he gave me of the vessel, there can scarcely be 
any doubt that it was a E uropean one; but I did not feel quite certain 
as to the point whether he had navigated a large river, or the open sea, 
though I think it probable they went down the Niger, and surprised one 
of the European traders at the mouth of the ri ver. At any rate, how-
ever, thi s is all extremely interesting circumstance. I apprehend that 
the chiefs of Adamawa will hesitate in future to exte,l1d their expeditions 
so far, after a n English steamer has gone up the river to the very heart 
of their own country. It was tbis same B6rnu horseman who informed 
me tbat, on that expedition, all the horses had died from a disease pro-
ceeding from worms. 
While chatting together upon these subjects till after midnight, I had 
an opportunity of g iving the vizier some little information regarding the 
peculiar character of the maritime power of the Imam of Maskat, of 
which he had never heard before, and which interested him exceedingly. 
With the Arabs of T imbuktu, also, this subject formed a topic of the 
highest interest, as they had no idea that there were people of the same 
faith living on the eastern shores of this continen t; and they delighted 
in the thought, .that even in those regions there were Moslems, who 
were not quite destitute of political power. For, although the famous 
traveller Ebn Batuta has given to his countrym en an acco unt of these 
regions, it was only in 56koto that I met with a man, the learned Kaderi 
dan Taffa , who knew 50fala by name. 
My friend Billama also frequently called on me, and furnished me 
with a variety of information, while I applied myself s trenuously to the 
study of the Kanuri language, which had discouraged me at first, owing 
to the difficulties of its grammatical structure: and I could scarcely have 
had a better teacher than our friend Haj Edris; for; being of Kanuri 
origin, he had lived a great many years in the east, especially in Medina, 
and had become almost an Arab. H I} was certainly an intelligent and 
honest man; and in the course of our stay we beca'me indebted to him 
in many respects. Of course we could not expect him to render his 
service gratuitously, as he himself was not in affluent circumstances, 
though as a courtier he had to. keep up a good appearance; but being 
myself very poor at the time, I could do nothiQg but place him upon a 
needle-pension, the needles being very useful in the encampment for 
buying provisions. 
# 
DECEMBER 6.] THE BORDER-REGION OF THE SHUWA. 557 
CHAPTER XLIII. 
T HE BORDER-REGION OF THE SHUWA. 
Saturday, Dec. 6.-At length, after a protracted stay, we left our en-
campment at Dikowa, though still in complete uncertainty whether the 
expedition was directed against Mandara or not; for as yet the chief of 
that little country (which, through the adventures of Major Denham, has 
obtained in Europe a greater share of attention than it really deserves), 
relying upon the natural strength of his mountains, had not yet made 
his submission. T he f.umours which we heard from thence were of the 
most contradictory nature; and it seemed as if Abu Bakr, which is the 
name of the present chief, had made up h is mind to a determinea 
resistance, having retired into his mountain fa£tnesses, to the .great dis-
appointment of the vizier, who repeated ly asked me and my companion, 
with great anxiety, what was to be done, and how it was possible for 
the cavalry to attack the enemy in his mountainous retreat: for, what-
ever military strength the Kanuri may still possess, it is a lmost solely 
to be looked for in their cavalry. T he former excellence of the Kanem bu 
spearmen, resulting from their enthusiastic devotion to their leader, has 
disappeared long ago, at least since the overthrow of the old dynasty; 
and the vizier had to expect very little sympatqy from this body, as 
most of them were decidedly favourable to the interest of his adversary, 
'Abd e' Rahman. As far as I had been able to learn the nature of those 
rocky mountains on my journey to Y 61a, I could not but think that not 
only the cavalry of B6rnu, but even the Kanembu spearmen, accustomed 
as they were to the level plains of their country, would be incapable of 
climbing those rocky cliffs. 
The whole country was enveloped in a thick fog when we started in 
the morning; so that the passage of the komadugu, with its steep banks, 
caused a considerable crowding and pushing, which was far from agree-
able. When we had got safely over, we had to pass a thick forest, 
consisting of "bito" and "kindin," or talha-trees; and on our left 
appeared the large walled place of Afage, a considerable town, but not 
so laJ"ge as Dikowa. After only a -short interval, we saw another town 
on our right, called "Kodege, the walls of which were in an advanced 
state of decay, but were at present adorned with living battlements of 
male and female spectators. 
P roceeding a short distance onward, we encamped at an early hour 
to the westward of another walled town, called Z6goma. The whole 
of this district, favoured as it is by nature, seems to have been once 
in a very flourishing condition. It was, however, rather odd that we 
should have encamped here, as the horses had to be led back to Afage 
for water. 
I had scarcely pitched my tent, when that cruel minister of police, 
Lamina, a man whose character my fri end Haj Edris used significantly 
to describe in the few words, "Kargo dlbbi, klndi dibbi " (" Bad in heart, 
and bad in deed "), br<;lugh t into my presence a famous cut-throat of the 
558 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
name- of Barka-ng610, whose neck was secured in a large machine called 
" bego," consisting of two pieces of wood from four to five feet in 
length, and very heavy, so that every movement was accompanied with 
the greatest pain. Nevertheless my mischievous friend persuaded him-
self that it would gratify me to see this miserable wretch fight with 
another culprit secured in the same manner, by giving to each of them 
a long whip of hippopotamus-hide, and forcing them by threats to flog 
each other. It was a horrible sight; and I had great difficulty in con-
vincing my cruel friend that such a scene was far from being agreeable 
to me. In order to get rid of him, I presented him with a quantity of 
cloves to give to his beloved 'Aaisha, of whose culinary powers we had 
already had several proofs. He was greatly pleased with my present; 
and with an amorous smile he described to me how deeply he was in 
love with his darling, saying that he loved her, and she loved him also: 
" and," added he, in a very sentimental way, "such a mutual love is the 
greatest bliss on earth." Europeans must not fancy that there is no 
such feeling among these Africans as love, although it is not quite so 
ethereal as it sometimes seems to' be with us. Notwithstanding these 
amorous declarations, which sounded very ridiculous coming from such 
a mass of flesh as he was, I was glad when he was gone. 
We were now approaching hostile territory, and in the evening a 
" gangema," or proclamation accompanied by beat of drum, was made 
throughout the whole encampment, to the effect that the train of camels 
and pack-oxen, which previously had greatly hemmed in the cavalry, 
should not start until after the former had moved on. Z6goma is the 
farthest town of the B6rnu territory in .this direction; and the following 
day we encamped in a district of the name of Masa, close to a swamp, 
thickly covered with water-plants, principally the Pistia . stratiotes. 
Several 'Shuwa villages were lying about at short distances from each 
other. 
On the road we passed some cotton-plantations and stubble-fields. 
The chief agricultural produce of Masa consisted of "sabade," the sweet 
sorghum or Sorgh"'" saccl,aratltnt. This sort of grain I had not yet 
seen in the course of my journey; but in Dikowa my friend Mala 
Ibram had sent me a large quantity of it, in order that I might indulge 
in this African lUXUry. At that period I was surprised at the great 
length of these stalks, some of which measured fourteen feet; but how 
astonished was I afterwards, when, in the course of my travels in the 
luxuriant valleys of Kebbi, I found specimens of twice that length! 
This evening the vizier treated us with the marrow of the "sabade," 
which, in snow-white pieces of about eight inches in length, were neatly 
placed upon a straw cover or "fete," such as are used in the country. 
While indulging in this simple African dainty, our conversation, very 
naturally, turned upon the cultivation as well as the preparation of 
sugar, which is one of those articles of European industry that most 
excites the admiration of the natives of tbis country. But when they 
learn In what a filthy manner it is refined, they become horrified, and 
hesitate whether they shall say farewell to this indulgence, or overcom~ 
the scruples and prejudices of their creed. . 
DECEMBER 8.] VARIATIONS OF TEMPERATURE. 559 
There is no doubt that the "sabade" would yield a rich produce of 
sugar; but it is not necessary to have recourse to this expedient, as the 
sugar-cane itself grows wild in several regions of Negroland, and we 
shall actually find a small plantation of it, and boiling-houses, on a 
small scale, carried on by a native ip the neighbourhood of SOkoto. 
Our conversation at these African soinfes with the vizier became some-
times so learned, that even Ptolemy wit11 bis "Mandros o1'os" was 
quoted. But, sad as it must seem to all who, like myself, delight in 
going back into remote .antiquity, this famous mountain, which at the 
first sight seems to be an ancient memorial of the Mandara mountains 
of some seventeen hundred years standing, appears to belong entirely 
to Western Africa. Our kind host always found great delight in every 
kind of information; it was only a pity he was wanting in manly energy 
to carry out his good projects. 
Monday, Dec. 8.-Woe to those regions through which an army takes 
its march in these parts of the world, were it even their own country. -
We passed this morning some very extensive cornfields, the crops of 
which were of the most luxuriant growth; but notwithstanding the 
piteous clamours, and even the threats of the slaves who were watching 
on the highly raised platforms in order to keep away the birds from the 
corn, tbe rich ears fell a prey to the hungry horsemen, for their own 
sustenance and that of their animals. These raised platforms are here 
called" gOrgo " ; and the ropes which were fastened between them and 
the trees were provided with small bollow gourds, "kare," filled with 
stones, which, when set in motion, were intended to frighten away the 
birds. After a tolerable march, we took up our encampment near the 
straggling hamlet Delhe, a locality touched at by Major Denham, on 
his unfortunate expedition to Mandara, but placed by him much too far 
southwar.d. . 
All the' cottages in these _Shuwa villages have a conical roof rising 
to a great elevation, and tapering like a sugar-loaf,-the thatch being 
put on in a very irregular way, and fastened with ropes, though it is 
pleasantly and cheerfully adorned by the . limbers of the" sagade" or 
"kubewa," a species of the C1tcu1'bita nzelopepo (squash gourd), if noC 
identical with it, the fruit of which, when boiled, has a very pleasant 
taste, and in some regIons of N egroland, as far as Timbuktu, forms the 
principal vegetable for seasoning food. 
The long duration of the rainy season here, as well as in Adamawa, 
renders sheds for the cattle necessary; and these consist of huts con-
structed similarly to the dwellings of man, but more spacious, with the 
exception that the walls consist merely of trunks of trees. The Shuwa 
of this village, as well as those of a neighbouring one, which after the 
name of a chief is called Haj Amaka, belong to the tribe of the BulgOwa, 
or 'Awisiya. The place where we encamped was full of brushwood; 
and it took us a long time to pitch our tents. The variation of the 
temperature was so great, that I caught a severe cold; it was therefore 
agreeable to me that we remained here the following day: for while, 
during the greatest heat, at two o'clock p.m., the thermometer in the 
yentilated tent showed often from 93° to 96° Fahr., during the night it 
S60 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. [ 1851• 
generally fell to between 50° and 53°. The vizier lVas kind enough, 
when I did not come to his soin!e, to send one of his young slaves with 
a censer; but I was so unfortunate as to excite the anger of the little 
tyrannical messenger, who wanted me to imitate their own custom, 
which is, to place the censer under their wide shirt, and, by drawing 
the opening close over the head, to concentrate the fumes arising from 
the incense under their shirt, and receive it into the face, while I, 
thin king this rather too m uch, was satisfied with h olding my face over it. 
Wednesday, Dec. IO.-We made a short march in advance, and 
transferred our encampment to Diggera, through a country where 
wilderness and cuItivated ground alternated. H ere we remained the 
fi,'e following days ; and I had sufficient leisure to regret that I was 
not better provided with books. Anxious to employ my time usefully, 
I began, with the assistance of two Mandara, or rather W andala slaves, 
to write down a vocabulary of the language of that country, which by 
the natives themselves is called" Ara-Wandala," as they call their 
country" Khakh-Wandala," or "Khakh-Undala." 
T he cold which we experienced during our stay here we considered 
very severe-at least from an African point of view and feeling; for in 
Europe it wo uld have been thought very moderate. Fortunately our 
encampmen t was more comfortable than it had been at Delhe, and 
presented features of considerable interest; for here we saw the first 
complete example of those shallow stagnant watercourses which are so 
highly characteristic of the equatorial regions of this continen t, and 
explain at the same time the conflicting statements with regard to th e 
d irection of so many watercourses in these regions. However, there 
are two different kinds of these shallow ,.vaters: first, such as are in 
immediate connection with larger rivers, and often run parallel to them, 
and which most appropriately deserve to be called backwaters ; and, 
secondly, those which are quite independent, and form a small water-
system by themselves. To the latter kind seems to belong this swampy 
sheet of water, or " ngaljam," of Diggera, although I heard some Shuwa 
affirm that it extended to thEloTsad. 
I firs t turned my steps eastward, where the encampment extended 
to the very foot of the beautiful trees, which, forming a rich border of 
the finest embroidery from the hand of nature, girt the water. Most 
of them were either fig (sycamore) or tamarind-trees. The aspect of 
the scenery was most interesting, and under almost every tamarind-tree 
a group of people was encamped. The cavity where this sheet of water 
had collected formed a very slight depression in the meadow-ground, 
it heing almost fl at ; the water, to all appearance, had already decreased 
considerably, and only in a few places presented an open sheet, being 
in general closely overgrown with rank grass and tall reeds . I followed 
it to a considerable distance towards the north-north-west, till I was 
obliged by the th ick covert to retrace my steps, and then turned west-
ward. The far larger extension of the water during the rainy season 
was sufficiently indicated by the IUlouriant growth of trees. I crossed 
it at a spot where it was not so extensive, and found the bottom of it 
extremely muddy, which made the passage rather difficult, though the 
DECEMBER 10.] SUBJECTION OF lYlANDARA. 561 
water was only two and a half feet deep. The intended dutlines of its 
shores greatly distinguished it from those more complete and regular-
shaped 'ngaljams, which, in the COl)rse of time, 1 had an opportunity of 
\'isiting, not only in those extensive plains between the river Benuwe 
and Shari, but also in the regions of the middle course of the so-call ed 
Niger; for, in the quarters just mentioned, these shallow waters, or 
meadow-waters, often stretch out, in a straight or regularly sweeping 
line, like artificial canals, to an immense distance,-especially tha! most 
interesting sheet of water three days west of Timbuktu, the "Araf-n-
aman/' or Ras el rna. 
Of quite a different nature is the character of the famous Bahar el 
Ghazal, which joins th e T sad on the north -eastern side, being a ,broad 
sandy valley girt by a rich border of vegetation. This peculiar valley, 
which it was not our destiny to become acquainted with by ocular 
inspection, formed the subject of conversation with the vizier on Sunday 
evening; and a disputation arose, of so scientific a character that it 
might have si lenced all those who scoff at the uncivilized state of the 
population of these regions, To be sure, the two principal persons in 
this conversation were Arabs; but their forefathers had been settled in 
these regions for at least ten generations. 
Here in Diggera, where we were only one good day's march distan t 
from the capital of Mandara, our friends were obliged to come to a 
decision upon the future destination of the exped ition. After the news 
which had arrived some days previously, that the petty chief of 
Mandara, whose ancestor once completely defeated a countless host 
of the B6rnu people, had decided upon making resistance, they had 
been very silent and dejected, and were therefore extremely delighted 
when at length" to-day, a servant of the obstinate vassal made his 
appearance with a present of ten beautiful female slaves,. and the offer 
of complete submission. So at least we were told; but the affair 
seemed very do ubtful, and a native of Mandara, or, as they say, Ar-
Wandala, a fterwards assured me that his master, the powerful " Tukse" 
of Khakh-Undala, had been so far from making his submission to the 
insolent" M6thake" (by this name they call the B6rnu people), that, 
on the contrary, he had treated them with contempt. Vihich of the 
two assertions was correct I do not know ; but it is probable that the 
chief of Mandara thought it prudent to consent to some sort of com-
promise-perhaps through the intermediation of 'Abd e' Rahman, the 
sheikh's brother. 
VVhatever may have been the case, the vizier informed us in the 
evening, in a very cheerful manner, that the affair with Mandara had 
taken the most favourable turn, and that in consequence the sheikh, 
with a small part of the army, was to retrace his steps, while he himsel f, 
WIth the far larger portion, was to undertake an expedition into the 
Musgu country, and that we, of course, were to accompany him. Now 
we were well aware that the object of this expedition was partly to 
make slaves, and that, in our character as messengers of the British 
Government, we ought to endeavour to keep aloof from anything con-
nected with the infamous subject of slavery; but as we could not hinder 
, ~ 
'FRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
it if we kept back, and as by accompanying the expedition we might 
prevent a deal of mischief, and might likewise have a fair opportunity 
of convincing ourselves whether what was related of the cruelty of the 
Mohammedans in these expeditions was true or exaggerated, we decided 
upon accompanying the vizier. At the same time it was of the utmost 
importance to visi t that very region which was the object of the expedi-
tion, as it was the only way to decide upon the relation between the 
central basin of the Tsad and the great western river, with its eastern 
branch, while there was no possibility of visiting it by ourselves. We 
had already convinced ourselves that the country of the Mtisgu is not, 
as Major Denham has represented it, a mountainous, inaccessible tract; 
but we were puzzled at the number of watercourses of which our 
informants had spoken, and we could not have the least idea how fertile 
a country it was, and how far remote its inhabitants were from that 
state of barbarism which had been imputed to them. We therefore, 
although reluctantly, and not without scruple, at length determined 
upon accompanying the expedition; and I hope that every considerate 
person who takes . into account all the circumstances in which we were 
placed, will approve of our resolution. 
Wednesday, Dec. 17.-At length we proceeded onwards, entering new 
regions never trodden by European foot. Our departure having been 
delayed in the morning, owing to the separating of the army, we started 
rather late, leaving the sheikh, with the rest of the "kebti," behind. 
The country at once presented a new and interesting feature. Already 
in B6rnu a considerable proportion of om diet had consisted of native 
ri ce, and we had been rather astonished at its black colour and bad 
quality. We had heard that it grew wild in th e southern provinces of 
the country; but we had ne\'er yet seen it, and it was only this morning, 
after we had left Diggera and had traversed extensive stubble-fields of 
millet intermixed with beans, that we obtained a first view of a "shin-
kafaram," or "ild rice-field, in the midst of the forest. We were then 
no longer surprised at the quality of the rice brought to the market in 
Ktikawa being so bad, as we felt justified in presuming that the 
elephant would have sense enough to take the best for himself, and 
leave the rest for the people. As we proceeded we found the whole 
wilderness, although not thickly wooded, full of pools of water and 
dense rice-fields. -
The country to-day presented a truly tropical aspect; and our encamp-
ment, lying near an extensive pond, or small lagoon, surrounded with a 
luxuriant growth of rice and a dense border of spreading trees, was so 
full of the footprints of the elephant, that scarcely a level spot of two or 
three feet in diameter could be found. This was by no means pleasant, 
in our present mode of living, as we were without a camp-stool, or any-
thing to sit or lie upon; for the argillaceous soil is so excessively hard, 
that the borders of these holes produced by the unwieldy foot of the 
elephant cause a great deal of pain to a person lying on the ground with 
nothing but a mat or carpet. The most essential instrument on this 
whole journey was the "Iateram," the digging-instrument (from " Iangin," 
" I dig "), c_o.nsisting of a large piece of wood about three feet long, with 
DECEMBER 18. ] HARD CROUND.-ELEPHANTS. 
a heavy iron point; for without the lateram it wou ld have heen im-
possible to fix the dateram (from "dangin," " I fasten, s top " ), or the 
pole to which the horses are fastened during the night. In general, 
every horseman digs the hole in wh ich the pole is fastened with his own 
spear; but this soil was so hard that it was scarcely possible to make 
the smallest hole in it. Of course, during the rainy season, it is just as 
soft alld muddy as it is hard in the dry season, and scarcely passable in 
consequence. 
A giraffe was caught to-day. I had been of opinion that this timorous 
animal was not found in the thickly inhabited r egions near the equator; 
but I soon learued from experience that it is not at all rare in the 
wildernesses which alternate with the densely populated regions of 
these districts. The elephant, however, is the predominant animal of 
these quarters; and the large, market-place, Fatawel, which I have 
mentioned on my journey to Adamawa, and the Log6n town J ena, or 
rather Jinna, seem to be of considerable importance for their ivory-
trade. . 
In the evening I had the misfortune to be stung by a scorpion, which 
had got into my bemus. As I had not noticed the animal in the dark, 
and thinking that it was nothing but one of the formidable black ants, 
the bite of which is very painful, I neglected the wound at first, so that 
the poison penetrated to the shoulder, and rendered my right arm 
useless for two days. 
Thursday, Dec. 18.-Seeing that we were now entirely in the hands 
of the vizier, my companion and I used to present ourselves at his tent 
every mon;ling, and to ride for some time near him. I, however, soon 
found it pleasanter to keep more in the rear of the army, a little in 
advance of his female slaves ; and in the narrow pat~s in the midst of 
the forest, where the crowding became very disagreeable, I used to keep 
behind his led-horses. Of female slaves on horseback and led-horses 
the vizier had with him the moderate number of eight of each kind, 
while the sheikh had twelve ; but this appeared to me a small number 
when I afterwards saw the king of Bagirmi returning from the expedi-
tion with a string of forty-five mounted female partners. These black 
damsels were all clothed in white woollen bemuses, with their faces 
completely veiled, and were closely watched. To-day we had a more 
complete specimen of that peculiar kind of shallow water which I have 
mentioned above; and the army, while they were winding around it on 
the fresh green meadow-lands, closely hemmed in on their ' left by a 
grove of fine trees, presented a highly interesting scene. From thence, 
passing through a thick covert, we entered the beautiful open district of 
Wol6je, which comprises several hamlets . Here I was amused at 
seeing the head man of a village successfully putting to flight, with a 
large branch of a tree, a troop of pilfering horsemen. A little beyond 
these hamlets the encampment was chosen, at some little distance from 
a very extensive" ngaljam." 
Our conversation with the vizier in the evening again took a geogra-
phical turn, owing to the presence of his spy or scout, who had just 
returned from delivering his message to the M usgu prince Adishen. 
TRAVELS IN AFRrCA. 
The vizier was as yet undecided in which direction to tum his steps ; 
and we heard a native chief, of the name of Puss, or Fuss, mentioned 
in a manner that assured us our friends were afraid to attack him. 
Adishen, the chie f just mentioned, was in a certain degree subject to the 
rulers of B6rnn; but it seemed rather an ironical assertion that this 
prince would be pleased with the arrival of the expedition. While 
describing his reception at the court of the chief, the scout indulged in 
a lively description of the customs prevalent among these people, whose 
chief had only outwardly adopted Islam. His Majesty, he said, used to 
indulge in amorous intercourse with his female slaves, of whom he had 
two hundred, before the eyes of his . people; an account which was 
r ather confirmed by Kashella Belal, who had been his host several 
times. Belal, who was a very jovial old fellow, also stated that this 
little prince was not jealous of the favours bestowed by his female 
p'artners upon his guests; but, on the contrary, that he himself volun-
tarily gave them up to them. Such a degrading custom may indeed be 
followed by this petty chief, who has betrayed his country in order that, 
by the influence of his more powerful neighbours, he might rule over 
his countrymen; but we need not draw a conclusion from him as to the 
customs of the whole tribe, although, of course, they regard the relation 
of the sexes in a simpler point of view than we do. 
Fn'day, Dec. 19.-The country through which we passed, on leaving 
our encampment in the morning, was most charming, and of a most 
expansive bound, and exactly suited for .pastoral tribes like the Shuwa 
and Fulbe; but traces of cultivation also, and even of cotton-fields, 
were not wanting: while further on, the dum-bush appeared, and was 
after a while succeeded by the tall fan-shaped dum-palm itself. The 
country beigg open, and without any obstruction whatever, the" kibu," 
or army, marched in an extended line of battle, "bata," separa ted into 
groups of the most varied description in attire and appearance: the 
heavy cavalry, clad in thick wadded clothing, others in their coats of 
mail, with their tin helmets glittering in the sun, and mounted on large 
heavy chargers, which appeared almost oppressed by the weight of 
their riders and their own warlike accoutrements; the light Shuwa 
horsemen, clad only in a loose shirt, and mounted upon their weak 
unseemly nags; the self-conceited slaves, decked out gaudily in red 
bemuses or silken dresses of var ious colours; the Kanembu spearmen, 
almost naked, with their large wooden shields, their half-torn aprons 
round their loins, their barbarous head-dresses, and their bundles of 
spears; then, in the distance behind, the continuous train of camels 
and pack-oxen: all the people fnll of spirits, and in the expectation of 
rich booty, pressing onward to the unknown regions towards the 
south-east. 
It was an exalted feeling of unrestrained liberty which animated me 
while, mounted on my noble charger, I rode silently along at the side 
of this motley host, contemplating now the fine, beautiful country, now 
the rich scenes of human life, which were illumined by a bright morning 
sun. As yet no blood had been shed by this army, and neither misery, 
devas~tion, nor the horrors of people torn from their homes, cried out 
THE ARMY ON THE MARCH. 
again'st it. Everyone seemed to think only of sport ,and amusement. . 
Now and then a shr would be raIsed 111 th e whole army whe n a gazelle 
started forth from the thicket, endeavouring to escape from her pursuers, 
but soon found herself hemmed in on every side, while Shuwa horsemen 
and Kanembu spearmen, each endeavouring to possess himself of the 
prize, cried out to his rivals in th e pursuit, " K611e, k61le 1"  C" Leave off, 
leave off! ") as if the prey was already his own, while others animated 
their companions by shouting out, " G6ne, g6ne ! " C" Chase, chase !") the 
sounds re-echoingfrom one troop to another; or when a fat Guinea-fowl, 
II kaji," or a partridge, 1/ kWlye," roused from its secure covert, took to 
its wings, but, trying to fly over those widely scattered troops of hostile 
men, and frightened by their cries, was soon obliged to look for a 
moment's respite, and, after a vain struggle, fell a prey to its pursuers, 
who often, while they laid hold of it, tore it actually into pieces. 
The wide open country seemed to invite the traveller into the far 
distance; but to-day our march was only of sbort duration, and before 
eight o'clock in the morning a new encampment, upon a fresh s pot, was 
again springing up. T his whole cot1l1try is still included in the exten-
sive district of Wol6je; but the water, wh ich was close to the side of 
the encampment, has the peculiar name of Kodasale. The whole of 
the inhabitants of the district belong to the Shuwa tribe of the Benese. 
To the east of Kodasale li es tbe place L awari, towards the west 
Sliggeme, beyond Vlba, and south-west of the latter Meme, and north-
west Mom6. All these \~llages are inhabited by Shuwa and Kanliri in 
common; beyond is the wilderness or karaga. 
I, too, had my little dai ly" n6gona," or divan, in which Kashella 
I3illama, my friend from Adamawa, and Haj EdriS, formed my principal 
courtiers, or "kokanawa," though occasionally other people attended. 
All these people I kept attached to me by presents of a few needl es, 
with whfch they supplied their wants in the neighbouring ~llages. 
Billama informed me to-day that for three needles he had bought suffi-
cient provision for his horse for one day; for two he had bought 
a \vooden bowl, or "bukuru " ; and for six more a good supply of 
meat. Thus this insignificant production of European industry became 
of the highest value to me; and it obtained still more value and 
importance, in the course of my journey to Bagirmi, when it con-
stituted my only wealth, and in consequence procured me the noble 
title of "needle-prince," l" malaribra ") . We remained here the following 
day, as the army had to provide itself with corn, or rather Negro grain, 
as we were told that we should enrer upon a wild uncultivated tract, 
the border-region between the seats of the Mohammedans and those 
of the pagan tribes, which, as is generally the case in these parts of the 
world, has been reduced to deso l~ion. 
Each of the surrounding villages had to send two ox-loads of grain, 
which, however, did not benefit the army in general, but fell entirely to 
the share of the fri ends and followers of Lamina, the remainder of this 
immense host being thrown upon their own resources. All the 'grain 
was carried on asses. It was in this encampment that the vizier made 
~ pr~sent to Mr. Overweg of ~ slllall jion. fie had giv~1! him, on a 
566 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
former occasion, a " summoli." This is a very ferocious cat, of rather 
rare occurrence, which is said not only to attack gazelles, but young 
cattle or calves. It was of a light brown colour, the hind part, however, 
b eing black, and had very pointed, upright ears, "summo," a circum-
stance from which the name has been derived. The ears, moreover, 
are ornamented with a black stripe. A great many curious stories are 
related by the people with regard to the ferocity of this animal, and 
from what we ourselves had an opportunity of observing, it seems to be 
a marvellous little creature: for, though still very young and small, it 
was nevertheless extremely fierce, and was quite master of the young 
lion. Both animals were fed with boiled milk, of which they were very 
fond ; but the continual swinging motion which they had to endure on 
the back of t he camels in the heat of the day, caused their death very 
soon. 
Sunday, Dec. 2I.-The crowding and thronging was excessive when 
we started in order to pursue our march. The wilderness at first was 
tolerably clear, being at times evidently a place of resort for numerous 
herds of elephants, as the quantity of dung, and the uuinterrupted 
tracks of deep footprints, which gave to the soil the appearance of a 
colossal chessboard, amply testified. After a march of about six miles 
the wilderness became more thickly overgrown, and presented a fine 
forest scenery; but, as is generally the case 011 such warlike expeditions, 
there is no leisure to pay attention to special phenomel1a, especially as 
the B6rnu horses are in general very wild and vicious, and in the throng 
everybody was continually liable to come into collision with his neigh-
bour's horse, which, perchance, might be a furious kicker. 
The general character of this jungle was this. The ground was 
. covered with dum-bush, which formed a thick brushwood, and here and 
there with rank grass, while the forest in general consisted of middle-
sized trees, chiefly mimosas and kalgos, though there were other speci-
mens, especially the .k6kia-tree, which I had first seen on my journey 
from Gezawa to Katsena, the trees of smaller size beil1g separated into 
groups by large spreading specimens of the vegetable kingdom, mostly 
of the ficus kind; for monkey-bread-trees seemed to be wanting entirely, 
and altogether I saw few specimens of this tree in the Musgu country. 
Very remarkable nests of birds, suspended from the branches, were 
observed, not unlike a purse, with a long narrow l1eck hanging down 
and forming the entrance; or rather like a chemist's retort suspended 
from the head, the shank being several inches long, and the whole 
beautifully fabricated with the most surprising skill. Of the skilful 
manufacturers of these fine dwellings we did not obtain a sight ; but 
probably it is a species of loxia. In this thick covert, several youl1g 
elephants were hunted down, and even the giraffe seemed frequen t. 
The place which we chose for our encampment was adorned by 
numerous fan"palms, which, although in general identical with the 
species called Chamcerops lt1l",ilis, nevertheless by their height appeared 
to be a distinct variety, and gave to the encampment a very picturesql1e 
appearance. This forest was here so dense, that only the spot where 
the vizier himself encamped together with his own followers was free 
DECEMBER 23 . ] THE ARMY BADLY OFF. 
from brushwood, while all the other people were first obliged to clear 
the ground with much trouble. This was the first day, since our setting 
out, that we made a tolerable march. The whole manner in which the 
expedition was conducted was an unmistakable proof of an effeminate 
court, especially if we take into account th e principle of carrying on war 
in these countries, where only sudden inroads can insiire any great 
success. In th e evening there arrived a small complimentary present 
from A.dishen, the tributary Mllsgu chief, consisting of five horses and 
twenty oxen. But wh ile in this manner the more influenti al men in the 
army were well supplied with food , the greater part were very badly 
off, and most of them were reduced to the core of the dum-bush or 
ngille, which by the B6rnu people is facetiously called" kllmbu billabe" 
(" the food of the country town "). But a good sportsman might have 
obtained better food for himself, and we even got a small ostrich egg 
from the vizier. 
It was a great pity that we had purposely avoided the more fre-
quented and general road, which passes by severa) settlements of the 
Fulbe or Fellata, in order not to give any trouble to the latter; for no 
doubt that tract would have been far more interesting, as well from a 
natural point of view, as with regard to the political state of the country, 
as it would have given ·us the clearest insight into the way in which 
that enterprising and restless people is pushing on every day more and 
more, and strangling, as it were, the little kingdom of Mandara. 
Monday, Dec. 22.-Dense forest continued to prevail during the firs t 
five miles of our march. It then cleared, and was succeeded by con-
siderable fields of wild rice, most of which was burnt down; for, as 
I have repeatedly had occasion to mention, all these wildernesses of 
Central Africa are set on fire after the rainy season. The whole ground 
in this district was one uninterrupted succession (If holes made by the 
foot of the elephant, which obstructed the march of the army very con-
siderably, and was the reason of several horses being lamed. Salah, a 
younger brother of the vizier, a very intelligent man, broke his arm. A 
herd of six elephants was in the neighbourhood, and after a great deal 
of confusion, one animal, which got between the horsemen, was killed. 
It is no wonder that these regions are so frequented by them, as they 
find here plenty of the choicest food . The jungles of wild rice were 
only interrupted for a short time by a tract covered with dum-bush. 
Water was plentiful, every now and then a considerable pond appear-
ing, girt by beautiful trees, and at present enlivened by groups of 
horsemen, who were watering their animals. 
After a march of about fifteen miles we encamped close to a larger 
sheet of water, which was full of fish of the species called" begeli," 
and enabled us to give to our food that day more variety, the forest, as 
well as the water, contributing its share; for, besides the fish, we had 
roast hare and ~lephant's flesh, which was very palatable, and m ueh 
ltke pork. 
Tuesday, Dec. 23.-Three heavy strokes upon the drum, at the dawn 
of day, set our motley host once more in motion. It was an important 
day, ~nd many of the principaJ people had exchanged their comlnOl1 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
dress for a more splendid attire. We entered the Musgu country, and 
at the same time came into contact with fragments of that nation, who, 
having spread from th e far west over the one-half of Africa, are rest-
lessly pushing forward and overw"helrning the pagan tribes in the interior. 
These are th e Fulbe or Fe]];ita, the most interesting of all African tribes, 
who, having been driven from B6rnu, have here laid the foundation of a 
new empIre. 
Twice on our march yve were obliged to make a halt: the ,first time 
owing to the arrival of Adishen, the Musgu chief, with a troop of naked 
horsemen mounted on a breed of small, unseemly, but strong ponies, 
without saddles and bridles, and presenting altogether a most barbarous 
and savage spectacle. The second halt was caused by the appearance 
of a P(Jllo or Fellata chief, with two hundred horsemen of his nation, 
who, by their shirts and shawls, their saddles and brid les, certainly 
claimed a higher degree of civilization, but who, nevertheless, were far 
from exhibiting a grand appearance. This chief was an officer of 
Khursu, the ruler of the town or principality of Fette or P ette, which 
we had left at a short distance to the west. He came to join this ex-
pedition, the object of which was to weaken the Musgu tribes, who, 
behind their natural defences of rivers and swamps, had hitherto been 
able to maintain their independence. Of course, on this occasion the 
policy of these Fulbe chiefs went hand in hand with that of the B6rnu 
people, although it is not a little remarkable, and serves to show the 
slight pOlitical unity existing, between the integral parts of these empires, 
that while the governor of Adamawa was at present on a hostile footing 
with the ruler of B6rnu, one of his vassals was allowed to enter into ,an 
alliance with the latter. 
After these interruptions we pursued our march, and reached, about 
half an lwur before noon, the northernmost of the M usgu villages, which 
is calle.d Gabari, surrounded by rich fields of native grain; but every-
thing presented a sad appearance of pillage and desolation. None of 
the inhabitants were to be seen; for, although subjects of Adishen, who 
enjoyed the friendship and protection of the rulers of B6rnu, they had 
thought it more prudent to take care of their own safety by flight than 
to trust themselves to the discretion of the undisciplined army of their 
friends and protectors. The preceding evening the order had been 
i~sued through the encampment that all the property in the villages of 
Adishen should be respected, and nothing touched, from a cow to a 
fowl, grain only excepted, which was declared to be at the disposal of 
everybody. 
It was rather remarkable that the greatest part of the crops were still 
standing, although we had been lingering so long on our road, and had 
given sufficient time for the people to secure them for themselves. All 
the grain consisted of the red species of holcus, called by the B6rnu 
people" ngaberi keme," which grows here to the exclusion of the white 
species and that of millet. All the people of the army were busy 
in threshing the grain which they had just gathered at the expense of 
their friends, and loading their horses with it. Even the fine nutritive 
grass from the borders of the swamp, which, woven into long festoons, 
DECEMBER 23.] NATIVE ARCHITECTURE. 
the natives had stored up in the trees as a provision against the dry 
season was carried off, and, notwithstandi ng the express order to the 
cont<a;y, many a goat, fowl, and even articles of furniture which had 
been left behind by the natives, fell a prey to the greedy host. 
The spectacle of this pillage was the more sadden in g, as the village 
not only presented an appearance of comfort, but exhibited in a certain 
degree the industry of its inhabitants. In general each courtyard con-
tained a group of from three to six huts, according to t he number of 
wives of the owner. The walls of the dwellings, without a single 
exceptiou, were built of clay, which in the court-
yards of the richer people even formed the building 
material of the fences. The roofs of the cottages 
were thatched with great care, and at least as well 
as in any house or village in B6rnu, and far superior 
to the thatching of the Shih",a. The roofs even ex-
hibited traces of various styles, and perhaps a certain 
gradation in the scale of society. Almost every 
courtyard enclosed a shed, besides th e huts, and 
one granary built of clay, and from twelve to fifteen 
feet high, with an arched roof, likewise of clay, 
there being an opening at the top which was pro-
tected by a small cover of thatching, as the accom-
panying woodcut shows. The way in whi. h the 
natives had stored up their supply of hay for the dry season was 
very remarkable, the rank grass being woven into festoons of a bout 
fifteen feet in length, and hung up in the k6rna-trees which adorned 
the fields. 
H aving roved about at my leisure, I pursued my march, and, emerging 
from the cornfields, entered upon open meadow-grounds, partly under 
water, which spread out to a considerable extent, and which, with th ei r 
fresh green turf, formed a beautiful contrast to the tall yellow crops 
which I had just left behind. Ascending a little, we kep t s traigh t to-
wards a group of splendid trees which adorned the fields in front of 
another village. The village was called K6rom, and belonged to a 
chief under the authority of Adishen, while Kade, the residence of the 
latter, was only at a short distance. In these fields the vizier had dis-
mounted and chosen the place for the encampment; and it was with a 
sad, sympathetic feeling that I witnessed the lopping of the rich branches 
of the fine trees, which were without doubt the most splendid specimens 
of the kanlge-tree which I had seen in Negroland, not excepting those 
in the Marghi country. The largest among them measured not less 
than eighty feet in height, and the diameter of their crown could scarcely 
be less; but the foliage of this tree is by no means so dense and so 
regularly shaped as that of the fig or tamarind-tree. None of these fine 
trees, which had adorned the landscape, escaped destruction, in order 
to provide fences for the larger tents; but the few monkey-bread-trees 
which here appeared, owing to the scanty foliage with which their 
gigantic b(anches were decked out, escaped unhurt. Here we remained 
the two rollowing days, and the encampment became very confined, 
570 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
the more so as the ground was rather uneven. The delay could scarcely 
be defended in a strategical point of view, as it could not but serve. 
to 'put all the ne ighbouring chiefs, who were hostile to Adishen, on 
their guard against any sudden inroad. But it was well that they did 
so, as by a sudden inroad the poor persecuted natives might have been 
totally annihilated. 
In order to employ my leisure hours, I looked about for information 
respecting the country we had just entered, and was fortunate enough 
to collect some valuable data. 
The Miisgu, or MClsekii, are a division of the great nation of the 
Masa, wh ich comprises the !{6toko, or Makari, the people of Log6n, or 
L6gone, the Jl1andara, or Ur "Van.dala, with the GamerghCi, and the 
large tribe of the Batta, and probably even that of the Mbana. Of 
these tribes the most intimately related to the MC1SgU are the people of 
Log6n, who, as we shall soon have' occasion to show, are nothing but 
a section which has quite recently separated from the parent stock, aud 
constituted itself as a distinct community, owing to its higher state of 
civilization. Amongst the various divisions of the K6toko, Ngala and 
Klesem seem to be most nearly related to the Miisgu. 
However insignificant the tribe of the Miisgu may appear in the eyes 
of the European, the dialects of the various communities into which it 
is split, owing to the hostile manner in which they are opposed to one 
another, and their entire want of friendly intercourse, differ so much 
that, as I was assured the people of Liiggoy have great difficulty in 
understanding those of WCiliya and Demmo. Unfortunately I had no 
opportunity of collecting specimens of the other dialects besides th at 
spoken by the people of LCiggoy. Their principal " safi," or fe!ish, 
consists in a long spear-like pole, similar to that of the Marghr; but 
nevertheless there seems to be a considerable difference in their super-
stitious worship, for, wh ile with the Marghi the pole appears to be 
rather a symbol than an image of the deity, and the real worship is 
attached to the sacred locali ty, with the Miisgu tribes I did not see a 
single specimen of a sacred grove. The MCisgu call their fetish" kefe." 
In the afternoon I attended some time at the vizier's, and here made 
the acquaintance of an interesting and adventurous old man of the name 
of Mallem j emme, or JYmma, who took the principal part in the 
conversation, The history of this man is highly characteristic, as 
showing what a large field is open to the ambition of enterprising 
Mohammedans in the pagan states to the south. T hreatened with 
capital punishment by the old sheikh, that is to say, Mohammed elAmin 
el Kanemi, on account of his disobedience, this ShCiwa chieftain had fled 
to the pagans, and had there succeeded in establishing gradually, by his 
own energy and mental superiority, a small principality ; but at present, 
for some reason or other, he had been expelled and had recourse to 
the vizier of B6rnu for assistance to recover his former power. His 
great knowledge of the country and the different tribes which inhabited 
it, made him a welcome guest ; but as for himself, he d id not succeed 
in his ambitious projects. In reference to my expedition to Adamawa, 
I have already made u~e of the authority of this man, in ~ivin~ all 
DECEMBER 23-] THE AD VENTUROUS CHIEFTAIN. 57! 
account of the route wruch connects the southernmost point on our 
expedition to Miisgu with the places fL'{ed by me along the river 
13enuwe. 
The maJlem was not very communicative; and unfortunately I had 
no handsome present to make him, or else I might have learned from 
him an immense deal with regard to the geography and character of 
these countries, wh ich I have no doubt, not long hence, will become 
of considerable importance to Europeans. For while these regions, 
situated between the rivers Benuwe and Shari, 'seem to be extremely 
rich and fertile, and capable-on account 'of the uniform level of their 
unbroken plains- of the highest state of cultivation, they are the most 
accessible on account of the extensive water-communication, which, 
rendered available by the application of a very small degree of art and 
industry, will open an easy access into the heart of Central Africa. Of 
course, after the rainy season, when all these countless watercourses, 
which intersect the country in every direction, and, without any apparent 
inclination, inundate the country, the climate in the plains cannot be 
very healthy; but isolated mountains and hills are scattered by the 
hand of "atuIe through these luxuriant plains, capable of affording more 
healthy localities for settlements. . 
Owing to the presence of the adventurer just mentioned, the con-
versation that evening was very animated, till at length the courtiers, or 
"kokanawa," withdrew behind the curtains of the vizier's tent, in order 
to take a little refreshment. I then took my leave; but I had ouly 
gone .. short distance when I was called back, being informe<;l that it 
would no doubt be interesting to me to witness an audience of Adishen, 
the Miisgu chief, who was just about to pay his respe~ts to the com-
mander-in-chief. I therefore returned to the vizier's tent, where the 
courtiers had again taken their post, according to their rank and station, 
on each side of their leader. 
After a short time the Musgu chief arrived, accompanied by his three 
brothers, mounted, as is their custom, upon horses without saddle or 
bridle. Great numbers of people had collected in front of the tent, and 
saluted him with scoffs and importunities; but the pagan chief did not 
allow himself to be put out of countenance by the insolence of the 
slaves, but preserved his princely dignity. At length the curtains of 
the spacious tent were drawn back, and in came the native prince. He 
was of a short stout figure, and rather mild, but not very prepossessing 
features, and apparently between fifty and sixty years of age. He 
wore a black tobe, but no trousers, and was bare-headed. Kneeling 
on the ground, and clapping his hands, while he repeated the compli-
mentary words, "Alla ngiibberu dega! " (" God give you long life "), 
accordmg to the custom of the "kat[ g6tsin," he took up sand and 
sprinkled it upon his head; but as soon as he had gone through this 
form of abject submiSSIOn, he assumed his character as a native chief. 
Thus, at once he complained of his western neighbours, the Fulbe or 
Fellata, or, as the Miisgu people call them, Ch6gchogo; for they, he 
said, had anticipated the vizier of B6rnu, carrying off cattle and other 
things from his territory. The B6rnu chief assured him that for the 
572 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
future he should not be exposed to such injustice, but that he was 
entirely under the protection of B6rnu. He then made a sign, and 
some parcels were opened, and Adishen was officially installed as a 
vassal and officer of B6rnu. First, he was dressed in an elephant-shirt 
-the large black shirt from NUfe, -over which a rich silk tobe was 
thrown, and over all an Egyptian shawl, while the self-conceited courtiers, 
in their proud consciousness of a higher state of civilization, treated 
him with contempt and scorn. My cheerful old friend Kashella Behil, 
who had decked him out in this fin ery, paid him the usual complimen ts, 
exclaiming "Ngubberu dega maina, ngubberu dega maina," maina 
b eing the title of the governor of a province. 
Thus this petty pagan chief had become, in an official style, a ki nd of 
officer of B6rnu, and in this manner was alone capable of preserving 
his unenviable existence, at what sacrifices we shall soon see. The 
Musgu nation is situated so unfavourably, surrounded by enemies on 
all sides, that, even if they were linked together by the strictest unity, 
they wonld scarcely be able to preserve their independence. How, 
then, should they be able to withstand their enemies, separated as they 
are into numerous petty dominions, and having no furth er object than 
to enslave and pillage their neighbours and kinsmen? Nothing but the 
number of swampy watercourses which intersect the country in all 
directions, and during the greater part of the year render it impassable 
for hostile armies, while even during the remaining part the principal 
rivers afford natural lines of defence, behind which the inhabitants may 
seek refuge, can explain how the country is so well peopled as it is, 
although the intervening tracts have been already laid waste. 
T owards the.nor\h there are the Kanuri, powerful by their numerous 
cavalry and the advantage of firearms; towards the west and south-
west the restless Fulbe continually advancing; towards the north-east 
the people of Log6n, originally their near kinsmen, but at present 
opposed to them by difference of religion; towards the east, the wild 
Bagrimma people, proud of their supposed pre-eminence in religion, and 
eager for the profits of the slave-trade. All these people hunting them 
down from every quarter, and carrying away yearly hundreds, nay even 
thousands of slaves, must in the course of time exterminate this 
unfortunate tribe. 
To-day was Christmas-day; and my companion and I, in conformity 
with a custom of our native town, tried in vain to procure some fish for 
a more luxurious entertainment in the even ing. The meat of giraffes, 
which formed the greatest of our African luxuries, was not to be 
obtained; and as for elephant's flesh, which we were able to get, 
although we both liked it, we had too sadly experienced its bad effect 
upon the weak state of our bowels to try it again. Hence, in order to 
celebrate the evening, we were reduced to coffee and milk, with which 
we regaled ourselves. We remained here the following day, under the 
pretext that the Fulbe, who had joined us, had not yet had an audience ; 
but although the effeminate comtiers were averse to any great exertion, 
the bulk of the army, who had neither pay, nor were allowed to plunder 
in order to obtaip their necessary supplie~, were not very well rle~sed 
DEcnlBER 27.1 PURSUE MARCH. 573 
with this delay, and caused a great uproar \·vhile marching in battle-
order before the tents of their chiefs, and giving vent to their feelings by 
shaking and beating their shields. On former expeditions the light 
troops of the Shiiwa and Kanembii had always been allowed to march 
some distance in. advance of the army in order to supply their wants ; 
but on this occasion a strict order had been issued that no one should 
go in advanGe. , 
In the afternoon Mr. Overweg went to pay a visit to Adishen at his 
residence in Kade, which was about half-an-hour's march distant 
towards the south. He returned in the evening with a present of a 
goat, but did not seem to be greatly pleased ,with his excursion; and it 
could scarcely be otherwise, for while these pagans, who were obliged 
to disown all national feeling, could scarcely show themselves in their 
true character, and unreserved in their national manners, in the presence 
of such an army, it could not but lower us in the eyes of our com-
panions to have too many dealings with these pagans, as they were apt 
to confound us with them. To be regarded as a" kerdi" my companion 
cared little about: but I was not much inclined to he identified as such, 
and it could certainly rellect no honour on the character of our mission. 
CHAPTER XLIV. 
THE COUNTRY OF THE SHALLOW RIVERS.-WATER-PARTING BETWEEN 
THE RIvlms BENUWE AND SHARI. 
Friday, Dec. 26,- At length we wen t onward to pursue our march, 
turning consideraply out of our road towards the east, in order to avoid 
the residence of Adishen, and to prevent its being pillaged. The army, 
proceeding in several large detachments,. presented an interesting 
aspect. Here also green cl-ops of the winter corn, or "masakwa," were 
still standing in the fields. Further on we came to open pasture-
grounds, and after a march of about ten miles we reached a village 
called B6go, where we encamped. All the inhabitants had made their 
escape, alt,.hough their chief, whose name ·is Bakshami, was an ally and 
friend of Adishen, The cottages were well built, but there was a great 
scarcity of trees. Amongst the furniture was a fishing-basket, or, as 
the Kaniiri call it, "kayan"; and some of them were filled with dry 
paste of the red species of holeus, which however the people were afraid 
to touch, lest it might be poisoned. On a former expedition several 
people had been poisoned by a pot of .honey which had been left 
behll1d, on purpose, by the nati,'es in their llight. Already on this day's 
march we had observed, in the distance towards the west, an isolated 
rocky mount; and here we saw it in · more distinct outlines, while 
beyond, at a greater distance, the continuous mountain chain of Mandara 
became sligh tly visible. . 
Saturday Dec, 27.-0ur march at first led through a dense forest, 
574 'rRA VELs IN AFRICA. 
after which we emerged upon more open swampy meadow-lands 
covered with rank grass, and full of holes caused by the footprints of 
the elephant. Great quantities of Guinea-fowl were caught. Only here 
and there an isolated mimosa interrupted the unbroken line of the 
savanna. It was after a march of six miles that we obtained a sight 
of the first deleb-palm in the M usgu country. Already repeatedly in 
the narrative of my travels I have called the attention of the reader to 
this beautiful fan-palm; but in all the localities where I had before 
observed it, it was rather isolated. Even in Adamawa it is limited to 
peculiarly favoured localities, while in some extensive provinces of that 
country, such as Buban-jidda, it is wan ting entirely. But here we had 
reached the country where this beautiful and useful tree, probably only 
a variety of the famous Bo,-assus flabelliformis, is the most common . 
and predominant representative of the vegetable kingdom. The Musgu 
call it in their language" uray." From the Musgu country it seems to 
spread in an almost uninterrupted and unbroken line through the 
southern provinces of Bagirmi and Waday, as far as Kordofan, sending a 
few scouts and forerunners to adorn the capital of Bagirmi and the 
watercourse of the Bat-ha. 
We chose our encampment in a village called Barea, consisting of 
scattered huts, and surrounded by rich stubble-fields, which were 
shaded by large wide-spreading karage trees, presenting a most cheerful 
and comfortable scene. But we soon became aware that the fertility 
and beauty of this district were due to the neighbourhood of a large 
sheet of water full of crocodiles and river horses or "ngurutu," and 
enlivened even by a few small canoes. It had been indicated already 
on our march by the flight of numerous waterfowl passing over our 
heads. Beautiful as the country was, however, the place was deserted, 
the inhabitants having given up their cheerful homes, and left the tombs 
of their worshipped ancestors to the discretion of the hostile army, in 
order to seek safety in flight. The village is the residence of a chieftain 
of the name of Musikko, who acknowledges Kabishme, the chief 
mentioned above, as his sovereign lord. 
In the afternoon I received a short visit from a rather shabby sort 
of man, the chief of a place called Medebe, but who was an object 
of interest to me, as he had been sent as a messenger to the prince of 
Mandara, and had just arrived in the encampment from the capital of 
that little country. Travelling at a comfortable rate, he had arrived 
in three days fro m Mora, sleeping the first night in the place called 
M6koshi, the second in Fette, the place above-mentioned, and from 
thence to-day had reached this place ; but the whole journey, in an 
expeditious march, may easily be accomplished in two days: Difficult 
as it would be to me to impart to the reader the delight wh ich I 
always felt in tracing my routes from one point to another, and joining 
two places with which I had become acquainted, by new itineraries 
he may forgive me for sometimes troubling him with these geographical 
details. ' • 
Sunday, Dec. 28.-We did not spend our Sunday in a quiet con-
templative manner; but nevertheless we spent it worthily, employing 

])ECEMBER 28.] WORSHIP OF ANCESTORS. 575 
it in a good day's inarch, wh~ch opened O).lt to . us ' new and importan t 
features of the character of the new region we had just entered. It 
was a pity we were not allowed by circumstances to proceed in our 
real character of peaceful travellers, am,ious to befriend all the people' 
with whom we came in contact, instead of being obliged to join this 
host of merciless and sanguinary slave-hunters, who, regardless of the 
beauty of the country and the cheerful happiness of the natives, were 
only intent upon enriching themselves with the spoil of th e inhabitants. 
After a march of a little less than five miles, we emerged from the 
thick forest, and entered upon stubble-fields with numerous groups 
of huts and wide-spreading trees, whose branches were all used for 
storing up the ranks of nutri tious grass of these swampy grounds, for 
a supply in the dry season. The country was pleasant in the extreme. 
Several artificial ponds enlivened the hamlet, and called to mind 
similar scenes in my native country, except that ducks and geese were 
wanting. The only scenes of active life which were at present to be 
seen were those of pi llage and destruction. 
The architecture of the huts, and the whole arrangement of the yards, 
was very similar to that of the vill age we had first seen on entering the 
country. But the tops of the granaries in general were here provided 
with a sort of "fennel," covered in by a roof of straw. Broad wel1-
trodden paths, lined by thick fences of a peculiar bush called" magara" 
in Kanliri, which I have mentioned in another locality, were winding 
along through the fields in every direction.· But there was one object 
which attracted my attention in particular, as it testified to a certain 
degree of civilization, which might have shamed the proud Mohammedan 
inhabitants of these countries. For while the latter are extremely 
negligent in burying their dead, leaving them without any suffic ien t 
protection against the wild beasts, so that most of. them are devoured 
in a few'days by the hyrenas, here we had regular sepulchres, covered 
in ,vith large well-rounded vaults, the tops of which were adorned by 
a couple of beams cross-laid, or by an earthen urn. The same sort of 
worsbip as paid by these pagans to their ancestors prevails in a great 
part of Africa, and however greatly th e peculiar customs attached to 
tbe mode of worship may vary, the principle is th e same; but I nowhere 
more regretted having no one at hand to explain to me the customs 
of these people, than I did on this occasion. The urn most probably 
contains the head of the deceased; but what is indicated by the cross-
laid beams I cannot say. 
I was so absorbed in contemplating this interesting scene, that I 
entirely forgot my own personal safety; for the vizier, without my 
becoming aware of it, had pursued the track on his powerful charger at 
an uncommonly quick rate, and was far in advance. L ooking around 
me, I found only a small number of Shuwa horsemen near me, and 
keeping close to them pursued the path; but when we emerged from 
the thick forest, and entered another well-cultivated and thickly-peopled 
district, every trace of a trodden footpath ceased, and I became aware 
that I was entirely cut off from the main body of the army. A scene of 
wild disorder here presented itself. Single horsemen were roving about 
576 7'RA VELS IN AFRICA. [iSS !. 
to and fro between the fences of the villages; here a poor native, 
pursued by sanguinary foes, running for his life in wild despair; there 
another dragged from his place of refuge; while a third was observed 
in the thick covert of a ficus, and soon became a' mark for numerous 
arrO\~s and balls. A small troop of Shuwa horse1llen were collected under 
the shade of a tree, trying to keep together a drove of cattle, which they 
had taken. In vain did I address Shuwa and Kanuri, anxiously inquir-
ing what direction tne commander-in-chief had taken; nobody was able 
to give me any information with regard to his whereabouts. I therefore 
scoured the village in all directions, to see if I could find by myself the 
track of the army;' but the traces ran in every direction. 
Here I fell in with several troops of horsemen, in the same state of 
uncertainty as myself, and joined one of them, where there were some 
heavy cavalry;. neither the attendants of the vizier, nor the man who 
carried his carpet, could tell which direction he had taken. While 
anxiously looking about, I suddenly heard behind us the beating of a 
drum or "ganga," and following the sound found a considerable number 
of horsemen, of every description, collected on an open area; and here 
I received the exciting news that the pagans had broken through the 
line of march at the weakest point, and that while the vizier had pursued 
his track, the rear had been dispersed. If these poor pagans, who 
certainly are not wanting in courage, were led on by experienced 
chieftains, and waited for the proper opportunity, they would be able, 
in these cense forests, where cavalry is scarcely of any use, to do an 
immense deal of damage to this cowardly host, and might easily dis-
perse them altogether. But the principal reason of the weakness of 
these Musgu tribes is, that they have only spears and the" g6Iiy6," and 
no arrows; else they would certainly be able to keep these troublesome 
neighbours at a respectful distance. Of what little use even the firelock 
is to the latter, Lhad ample opportunity of judging, several musketeers 
having come to me anxiously entreating me to provide them with flints, 
as their own had been lost or had proved useless. 
At length the motley host moved on without order or array; but their 
irresolution and fear, owing to a few pagans who were concealed in a 
thicket, were so great, that after a while we retraced our steps. Having 
then taken a more easterly direction, we reached, through a thick forest, 
a large swampy piece of water in low meadow-grounds, not less than 
a mile in breadth, covered with rank grass, the dry ground in some 
places intervening. Here I found a considerable part of the cavalry, 
drawn up' in a line and watering their horses, and I learned that the 
encampment was near. It would have been very unsatisfactory to be 
exposed to a serious attack in the company of the disorderly host in 
which I had lately found myself. 
Having watered my horse, I followed the deep sound of the big drum 
of the vizier, and found the body of the army a few hundred yards from 
the eastern border of this ngaljam, in rich stubble-fields shaded by 
beautiful trees; but as yet no tent was pitched, and a great deal of 
anxiety prevailed, the first camels having arrived without their loads, 
which .t~ey ~~ ~t:~~~ 0!f, their drivers having taken to flight j but this 

])EcElmER 29. ] SPOIL AND SLA OCHTER. 577 
circumstance ensured the -safety of the greater part of the train, as the 
commander immediately despatched t\Vo officers with their squadrons 
to bring up the rear. To this circumstance we were indebted for the 
safety of our own camels, which had been in imminent danger, the 
pagans having collected again in the rear of the principal body of th e 
army. The B6rnu camels are JJalf mehara, and, while they surpass in 
strength the camels of the desert, possess a great deal of their swiftness. 
Not orily does the camel which carries the war-drum always follow 
close behind the commander, at whatever rate he may pursue his 
march, but even his other camels generally keep at a very shor t 
distance, and the best camels of the courtiers follow close b ehind . 
• The village we had just reached was named Kakala, and is one of the 
most considerable places in the M usgu country. A large number of slaves 
had been caught this day ; and in the course of the evening, after some 
skirmishing, in which three B6rnu horsemen were killed, a great many 
more were brought in: altogether they were said to have taken one 
thousand, and there were certainly not 1.ess than five hundred . To our 
utmost horror, not less than one hundred and seventy full-grown men 
were mercilessly slaughtered in cold blood, the greater part of them 
being allowed to bleed to death, a leg having been severed from the 
body. Most of them were tall me)1, with not very pleasing features . 
Their forehead, instead of shelving backwards, was generally very high, 
and the line of the face straight ; but their thick eyelashes, wide, open 
nostrils, thick lips, high cheek-bones, and coarse bushy hair, gave them 
a very wild appearance. The proportions of the legs, wi th the mee-
bone bent inward, were particularly ugly; and on the whole they were 
more bony than the MarghL They were all of a dirty black colour, 
very far from that glossy lustre which is observed in 9ther tribes. Most 
of them wore a short beard. The ears of several were adorned with 
small copper rings, whilt;, almost all of them wore round their necks a 
thick rope made of the dum-bush or ngille, coarsely twisted, as a sort 
of ornament. 
Monday, Dec. 29.-500n after setting out from the place of encamp-
ment, we had to cross the ngaljam, which here also was "thickly over-
grown with rank grass, and the passage of which was very difficult, 
owing to the countless holes caused by the_f ootprints of the elephant. 
We then entered a dense forest, where I saw again, for the first time, 
myoId Hausa acquaintance, the k6kia, a middle-sized tree with large 
leaves and with a fruit of the size of an apple, which at present was 
green, but even when ripe is not edible. This tree, in the course of the 
exped ition, I found to be very common in the ,,~lds of this country. 
The unwarlike spirit of our large army became more apparent than 
ever by to-day's proceedings: for a vigorous commander would certainly 
have accelerated his march through this forest, in order to take the 
enemy unawares ; but long before noon a halt was ordered in the midst 
of the forest- ceriainly against the inclination of the majority. T here 
was a great deal of indecision; and in truth there seemed to 1;>e many 
who wished rather that the enemy should have time to escape, than to 
incite him to make a desperate struggle for his safety. The neighbouring 
37 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
pond (where, on our arrival, a herdsman who had come to water his 
cattle had been slain), we were told, did not contain a sufficient supply 
of water for the wants of the whole army; and when at length we had 
fairly dismounted, the rank grass being burnt down in order to clear the 
ground, and the fire being fed ' by a ,strong wind, a terrible conflagration 
ensued, which threw us into the greatest confusion, and obliged us to 
seek our safety in a hasty retreat. Nevertheless, after a great deal of 
hesitation, it was at length determined to encamp here. There was no 
scarcity of water-for the pond proved to be very spacious and of great 
depth; but the grass having been burned, the whole ground was covered 
with a layer of hot ashes, which blackened everything, 
By-and-by the camels arrived, the encampmen t was formed, and 
every one had given himself up to repose of mind and body, when sud-
denly the alarm-drums were beaten, and everybody hastened to arms, 
and mounted his horse. It seemed incredible that an enemy whose 
movements were uncombined, and not directed by any good leaders, 
should attack such an army, of more than ten thousand cavalry, and a 
still greater number of foot, although I am persuaded that a resolute 
attack of a few hundred brave men would have defeated the whole oj 
this vain and cowardly host. The alarm, as was to be expected, proved 
unfounded; but it showed the small degree of confidence which the 
people had in their own strength. Three pagan women had been seen 
endeavouring to reach the water by stealth; and this gave rise to the 
conclusion that the enemy was near, for the dense forest all around 
hemmed in the view entirely. 
When at length the egcampment had resumed its former state of 
tranquillity, the prince Adishen, with a numerous suite of naked 
followers, came to my tent, and I requested him to enter; there was, 
however, nothing attractive or interesting about him, and I was glad 
to get rid of him with a few presents. The difference between the 
Marghi and Musgu, notwithstanding the affinity indicated by their 
language and some of their manners, is indeed great, and is, as I have 
already intimated above, rather to the disadvantage of the latter, whose 
forms exhibit less of symmetry, and whose features have a very wild 
and savage appearance. Neither in these Mo.sgu courtiers, nor in the 
common people, had I observed any of those becoming ornaments, 
especially those iron arm-rings, which I have mentioned in describing 
the,Marghf. 
Adishen had shaved his head, in order to give to himself the appear-
ance of a Moslim, and wore a tobe ; but of his companions, only one had 
adopted this foreign garment, all the others having their loins girt with 
a leather apron. In order to keep themselves on horseback, they have 
recourse to a most barbarous expedient. They make a broad open 
wound on the back of their small sturdy ponies, in order to keep their 
seat; and, when they want to ride at full speed, they often scratch or 
cut their legs, in order to glue themselves to the horse's flanks by means 
of the blood which oozes from the wounds; for, as I have stated above, 
t\ley have neither saddle, stirrups, nor bridle, and they use nothing but 
a simple rope to guide their animals. They generally carry only one 
DECEMBER 30.] THE TUBURI NOT ATTACKED. 579 
spear, but several "g6Iiy6s" or handbil1s, the latter being evidently 
their best weapon, not only in close fight, but even at a distance, as they 
are very expert in thrm'Ving this sharp and double-pointed iron side-
ways, and frequently infli ct severe wounds on the legs of horses as well 
as of men. Some of their chiefs protect their persons with a strong 
doublet made of buffalo's hide, with the hair inside. 
Tuesday, Dec. 3o,-This was the last day's march which our expedi-
tion was to make towards the south, or rather so·uth-east. For the first 
ten or eleven miles we kept through dense forest, the thick covert of 
which rendered it difficult for us to make our way, while the restless 
and vicious Bornu horses, crowded together and hemmed in by the 
thicket, repeatedly came into most unpleasant collision; and here again 
I was much ind'ebted to my massive stirrups, which bravely kept their 
ground against bush and man. The whole forest consisted of middle-
sized trees, the k6kia being predominant, while scarcely a single tree oj 
larger size was _to be seen. It seemed very natural that all the wild 
animals should flee before such a host" of people; but I was astonished 
at the scarcity of ant-hil1s, notwithstanding the great degree of moisture 
which prevails in these extensive levels, and which is so favourable to 
the existence of this insect. Our march the whole morning had been 
straight for Dawa, the village of the TUfuri or T uburi, a section of the 
great tribe of the Fart or Fall, of which I have spoken in a former part 
of my narrative. 
There had been a great deal of discussion in the last day's council 
as to the expediency of attacking this place, the subjection, or rather 
destruction of which was of great importance, not on ly to Mitllem 
Jjmma, but even to the Fulbe settled in the eastern districts of 
Adamawa in general. This party at last had gained the upper hand 
O\'er the greater part of the cowardly Kan(lri courtiers; but at present, 
when we approached the seat of this tribe, who are well known to be 
warlike, and when the question arose whether we should engage in 
battle with thei\e people in three or four hours' time, it became rather 
a serious affair. When, therefore, after a march of four hours, we 
reached a beautiful fresh meadow-water or "ngaljam" overgrown with 
rank grass, surrounded by large spreading ngabbore trees, which 
pleasantly diversified the monotonous forest, we made a halt, and while 
the horse~en \~!atered their animals, an animated II n6gona/' or counci l, 
was held 111 the shade of a beautiful fig-tree. Here it was decided that 
at least to-day, we should not march against Dawa and the Tuburi, but 
were to change our course more to the eastward in the direction of 
Demmo. It is probable that the vizier on this occasion promised to his 
friends, that after . he had taken up his headquarters at Demma, and 
deposIted safely, 111 the fortified encampment, the spoil that he had 
already made in slaves and cattle, he would march against Dawa; but 
unfortunately, or rather luckily for the inhabitants, it was not our destiny 
to VlSlt that ll1terestll1g and important place, as 1 shall soon have occa-
SlQn to mentlOn. 
. During our halt here I contemplated, with the most lively and intense 
1l1terest, the nch and alllmated scene which presented itself before my 
J'RA VEts iN APRICA. 
eyes,-a mass of some thousand horsemen, dressed in the trioSt varied 
manner and in the most glowing colours, with their spirited chargers of 
every size, description, and colour, crowded together along the green 
margin of a narrow sheet of water, skirted by a dense border of large 
trees of the finest foliage. 
After a halt of about a quarter of an hour we were again in the 
saddle, and pursued our march, but now in an entirely different clirec- ' 
tion, keeping almost clue east, and crossing the shallow watercourse, 
which stretched from north to south a little below our halting-place, 
the place where we crossed it being quite dry, and full of holes caused 
by the footsteps of the elephant. The wilderness for a while was 
clearer; but after a march of about two miles we reached a very thick 
covert, where it was found necessary to send out scouts, in order to 
see if the enemy was lyillg in am bush. It is a great pity that these 
poor natives clo not know how to avail themselves, against their cruel 
and cowardly enemies, of the fastnesses with which nature has endowed 
these regions. Of course these immense forests, which separate one 
principality, and I might say one village, from another, are themselves 
a consequence of the want of intelligence and of the barbarous blindness 
of these pagan tri bes, who, destitute of any common bond of national 
unity, live entirely separated from, and even carryon war against each 
other. 
Scarcely had we made ourselves a path through the thicket, when we 
reached another meadow-,<1a ter, which at present, however, looked 
rather like a bog, and offered some difficulties to the passage of tbe 
horses. H aving then for some time kept upon dry ground, about noon 
we had to cross another swamp; but beyond this the country became 
open. Having now reached the place of our destination, the banners 
were unfolded, the drums beaten, and the greater part of the cavalry 
hurried on in advance ready for figh ting, or rather for pillage, for no 
enemy was to be seen. Immediately afterwards we reached the village 
of Demmo, and marched slowly along, looking out for' the best place for 
encamping. Numerous deleb-palms became visible behind the shady 
acacias, when suddenly we obtained sight of a broad shallow water-
course, larger than any we had yet seen in this country-more than two 
miles in width, with a considerable sheet of open water, where two 
pagan canoes were seen moving about. 
Greatly interested in the scene, we closely ap proached the edge of 
the water, which seemed to ·be of considerable depth, although a 
number of hungry Kanembu had passed the first open sheet, and were 
fishing in its more shallow part, which divided the open water into two 
branches. From beyond the opposite shore a whole forest of deleb-
palms were towering over the other vegetation of lower growth, as if 
enticing us to come and enjoy their picturesque shade. The direction 
of the watercourse at this spot was from south-west to north-east; and, 
according to the unanimolls statement of those who had any knowledge 
of these regions, it joins the Serbewuel, that is to say the upper course 
of the river or " ere" of Log6n. 
Here we stood awhile, and looked with longing eyes towards the 
DECEMBER 31. ] DElIIMO.- DESTRUCTION 581 
opposite shore; it was a most interesting and peculiar scenery, highly 
characteris tic of these level equatorial regions of Africa. What an 
erroneous idea had been entertained of these regions in former times! 
Instead of the massive Mountain range of the Moon, we had discovered 
only a few isolated mounts; instead of a dry desolate plateau, we had 
found wide and extremely fertile plains, less than one thousand feet 
above the level of the sea, arrd intersected by innumerable broad water-
courses with scarcely any inclination. Only towards the south-west, at 
the distance of about si.."teen miles, the low rocky mount of the Tuburi 
,"vas seen. 
But not less interesting than the scenery of the landscape was the 
aspect of the host of our companions, who were here crowded together 
at the border of the water. Only very few of them had penetrated as 
far before ; and they looked with curiosity and astonishment upon this 
landscape, while most of them were rather disappointed that the water 
prevented th em from pursuing the poor pagans, the full-grown amongs t 
whom, with few exceptions, had just had time to escape. But a con-
siderable number of female s laves and young children were captured; 
for the men did not take to fligh t till they became aware, from the thick 
clouds of dust which were raised by the army, that it was not one of 
the small expeditions which they were accustomed tp resist, ,that was 
coming to attack them. Besides the spoil in human beings, a consider-
able number of colts and cattle were J;>rought in. 
Having indulged in the aspect of this rich scene, which formed such 
a contrast to the monotonous neighbourhood of Kukawa, we retraced 
our steps, in order to encamp at some distance from the water, which 
of course gives life to millions of mosquitoes, and encamped amongst 
the smouldering ruins of the huts. The whole vi,llage, which only a 
few mOl1)ents before had been the abode of comfort and happiness, 
was destroyed by fire and made desolate. Slaughtered men, with their 
limbs severed from their bodies, were lying about in all directions, and 
made the passer-by shudder with horror. Such is the course of human 
affairs in these regions! Small troops of light cavalry tried to pursue 
the enemy; and there was some fighting in the course of the afternoon, 
when a few men of the B6rnu army were killed . 
. I-Vedmsdlll , Dec. 31.-We remained here this and the following day, 
It belllg the mtentlOn of the B6rnu people, accordlllg to their own state-
ment, to reduce this country to subjection; and I deeply regretted that 
the circumstances under which we visited this region did not allow me 
to collect all the information I wished. But roving about the encamp-
ment, I endeavoured to pick up what I could. All the huts had clay 
walls, which were from four to six inches thick, and had resisted the 
conflagration, the roofs, consisting of beams and reed, having fa llen in . 
T he diameter of the huts varied from eight to twelve feet. Each hut 
con tained a large jar for holding water, and some had a peculiar fire-
place, enclosed by separate walls, and not unlike an oven; but, although 
in general the arrangements of the huts was comfortable, I found the 
dwellings in other villages of this country far superior, nor did I observe 
here s uch large courtyards as 1 had seen elsewjJere. In the centre 9f 
582 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. [ 1852 • 
the village there were ~ome extensive tanks, or pools of water, which 
seemed to be made by the 'hand of man. The whole encanlJlment, or 
.. ngaufate," was surrounded with a strong fence of thorny bushes, rather 
for the purpose of preventing the slaves from escaping, than to defend 
the encampment against an enemy. . H aving wandered about amidst 
this scene of destruction, I went in the afternoon to the border of the 
"ngaljam," which was enlivened by horses and cattle grazing, and 
people quietly reclining here and there, or bathing in the water. I then 
wandered along the bank to some distance, where the sheet of open 
water on this side was entirely interrupted, while on the other shore a 
considerable strip of water stretched out before the view. 
Here, in Demmo, the year 1852 opened to me, in the course of which 
I at that time entertained a hope of returning homewards, not fancying 
tbat I was to remain three years more in these barbarous countries, 
amidst constantly varying impressions of discovery, of disappointment, 
of friendly and hostile treatment, and under ail sorts of affliction, dis-
tress, and sickness. Our stay here was varied by a few interesting 
incidents, one of which I will relate. The intriguing Shuwa chief 
l\1ilUem Jymma, whose ambitious designs did not allow him any rest, 
had not only persuaded the head man of Demmo, who had made his 
escape, but even the chief of the nearest village on the other side of the 
ngaljam, to make his subjection publicly, and to seek the protection of 
Bornu. They were therefore introduced this day into the n6gona or 
council, and tbrew dust upon thei r heads. But when they had to con-
firm their subj ection by an oath, the pagan prince of Demmo indeed took 
an oath, raising a handful of earth, and allowing it to glide through his 
fingers, but the chief from the other side of the ngaljam refused to take 
the oath, under the pretext that this earth was not fit for his vow, not 
being his own soil; he said he must fi'rst bring a handful of earth from 
his own country. An oath taken upon earth that belonged to their 
native soil was also common among the ancients, 
Both chiefs had made their appearance in their native a tti re, that is 
to say, quite naked "ith the exception of a narrow leather s trip round 
their loins; and it caused great merriment to the courtiers, that when, 
in consequence of their s ubj ection, they were officially dressed in black 
tobes as a sort of investiture, the chief of Demmo drew his shirt over 
his head, reckless whether the lower parts were covered or not. In 
order to amuse the assemblage, they also blew thei r little horn, an 
instrument which every Musgu grandee carries with him, and which 
bears a great resemblance to a bugle; but in this accomplishment a 
priest who accompanied them was !llore clever than themselves, pro-
ducing melodious and sonorous sounds from this simple and uncouth 
instrun1en t. 
This was the first and only time that I became aware that these pagan 
tribes had separate priests; and I felt greatly disappointed that I did 
not come into closer contact with them, nor was able to learn from 
other people what were their peculiar duties. But, in general, I think 
I am not mistaken in supposing that the sacerdotal functions with these 
tribes of the interior are less developed than those on the coast, for as 
J ANUARY 2.) PAGAN CHIEFS A ND PRIESTS.-WULIYA. 583 
yet I had seen very little of real fetishism. I n general, th e office ' of 
priest seems to be connected with that of ·chief.. This man also received 
a shirt as a present; but it was only a wh'ite one of inferior quality, and 
I do not think he kept it very long after he had left tbe assembJage of 
these civilized people. As the price of the benevolent reception which 
the prince of Demma had experienced, he, as is generally th e case in 
these distracted communities, betrayed the interests of his countrymen, 
promising that he would lead the army to a large walled town (so, at 
least, he was understood to say), where they were to find plenty of 
booty and spoil. Accordingly, an expedition on a large scale, which 
was to be led by the vizier in person, was axed for the next day. 
Frtday, Jan. 2.-Having remained quiet for some hours in the 
morning, probably to make the neighbouring chieftains believe that we 
had no intention of moving, we suddenly set out, vvith almost the whole 
of the cavalry and a portion of the Kanembu spearmen, led on by our 
new ally the chief of Demmo, who, moun ted on a little pony, clad in 
his new black garment, presented a very awkward and ridiculous 
appearance. 
The first village which we reached, after about an hour's march 
through a clear forest, '"as quite deserted ; and it was but natural that 
all the people around should be upon their guard. Tbe landscape was 
exceedingly beautiful, richly irrigated and finely wooded, wbile, to our 
great astonishment, the ground was so carefully cultivated that even 
manure had been put upon the fields in a regular manner, bei l1g spread 
over the ground to a great extent-the first example of such careful 
tillage that I had as yet observed in Central Africa, both among 
Mohammedans and pagans. The inhabitants had had so much leis ure 
to make their escape, that they had left very little behind to satisfy the 
greediness of the enemy ; and we therefore continu~d our march without 
delay, in a north-easterly direction. This whole fertile district bears 
the name of Wuliya; but I did not learn the peculiar name of this 
village. _ 
After a march of about four miles, we crossed another watercourse, 
at present o.nly from ten to fifteen inches deep, and surrounded by 
beautiful pasture-grounds, which during part of tl)e year are inundated, 
and must tben present the appearance of an extensive lake. T his fresh 
green basin was adorned all around by luxur;jant fig and" karage "-trees, 
and slender detached dum-palms towered picturesquely above the 
green foliage, but no deleb-palms were to be seen. Then followed 
another village, likewise deserted by its unfortunate inhabitants, and 
then again open meadow-lands, intersected by a narrow channel-like 
.watercourse, in a direction frOlu south-west to ~lorth-east. 
The watercourse was from sixty to seventy yards broad, and enclosed 
so regularly between its banks, which were about ten feet high, that it 
had quite the appearance of an artificial canal,-a peculiarity which in 
the course of time I frequently observed, not only here, but also ill the 
similar watercourses along the Niger. At the point where we crossed 
it, the sheet of wate~ was entirely broken by a small sandbank, so that 
we wen t over without wetting our feet. However, I conjectured that 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
this was an artificial dyke thrown up by' the persecuted natives, in' 
order to keep open an easy connection with the river, on which alone 
their safety depended. Without any delay the expedition pushed on, 
in the hope of overtaking the fugitives before they had crossed· the 
Fiver; for here we were quite close to the western shore of the river of 
Log6n, which is generally, but erroneo.usly, called Shari, while this 
name, which belongs to the language of the K6toko, and means" river" 
in general, applies more properly to the larger eastern branch below 
Klesem, which is inhabited by K6toko, and to the united stream lower 
down below the junction of the two branches. In this place the river, 
or "ere," is called Serbewuel, I think, in the Musgu language; higher 
up, where we shall make its acquaintance in the course of our further 
researches, it is called Ba-Gun and Ba-Bay, "ba" being the general 
name for river in the language of Bagirmi and the native tribes of the 
Spm-ray, as well as in the language of the Manding or Mandingoes. 
After a short time we ' stood on the banks of the stream. It was a 
considerable river even at the present moment, although it was greatly 
below it~ highest level, and probably represented the mean depth of 
the whole year. At present it was about four hundred yards wide, and 
so deep that six Shuwa horsemen, who, in their eager desire for spoil, 
had ventured to enter it, were carried away by the stream, and feH an 
easy prey to about a dozen courageous pagans, who, in a couple of 
canoes, were gliding up and down the river to see what they could lay 
their hands upon. They felt that we were unable to follow them 
without canoes, although for any active body of men it would have 
been an easy affair to construct a fe,,~ rafts for crossing over, there 
being a plentiful supply of timber. 
The banks of the river on this side were at present about twenty-five 
feet high. The opposite shore was not so steep, and from its rich 
vegetation had a very inviting appearance ; but I was glad, for the sake 
of the poor natives, that we were unable to reach it, and I think even 
our friend the Httj Beshir looked at this interesting landscape rather 
with a degree of scientific interest than with anger and disappointment. 
Unfortunately, on this occasion I had not taken my telescope with me, 
but I was so fortunate as still to get a sight of this river a little lower 
do\·vn. Having stood here for a few minutes on the steep bank, looking 
down int<'> the stream, which rolled unceasingly along, cutting off ollr 
further progress, we turned our horses' heads in the direction from 
which we had come, while our fri ends endeavoured to soothe their 
disappointment by saying, that if the pagans had escaped from their 
hands, they would certain ly not fail to fall into the power of their 
enemies, viz. the pagans who lived on the other side of the river under 
the protection of Bagirmi. 
We thus turned our backs upon the river, my European companion 
and I greatly satisfied witb our day's work, which had afforded us a 
sight of this fine stream, but our companions, in sullen silence and 
disappointed, on account of the expected spoil having escaped from 
their hands. - Indeed, where they had expected to find that "El 
J:.lorado," that walled town full of male a,nd female slaves, I never suc-

JANUARY 2. ] SINGULAR WATER-COMBAT. 
ceeded in ascertaining. The ),'hole day's spoil was limited to a ll andful 
of slaves-unfortunate creatures whom sickness or ill-advised courage 
prevented from leaving their native villages,-besides a couple of 
cattle, a few goats, fo wls, and a little corn, but principally ground,nuts, 
of which large quantities were carried off by the l1Ungry Kanembu 
spearmen. 
The whole army was in such a mood as to be glad to find any object 
on which to vent its anger; and such a one soon presented itself, for 
when we again reached that channel-like 'watercourse which I have 
mentioned above, and were "vatering OU f hors~s, "four natives \·vere seen, 
who, evidently confiding in their courage and . their skill .in swimming, 
had here taken refuge in the deepest vart of the wat er, in order to give 
information to their countrymen of the retreat of the enemy. As soon 
as our friends caught sight of this little troop of heroes, they determined 
to sacrifice them to their vengeance. vVith this view, the whole of the 
cavalry arranged themselves in close lines on each side of the water. 
But the task was not so easy as it appeared at fi rst ; and all the firing 
of the bad marksmen was in vain, the l\1usgu diving with remarkable 
agility. When the vizier saw that in this way these heroes could not 
be overpolvered, he ordered some Kanembu to enter t he water; and a 
very singular kind of combat arose, the like of which I had never seen 
before, and which required an immense deal of energy, for, while these 
people had to sustain themselves above the I·vater with the help of their 
feet, they had at the same time to jump up, throw the spear, and parry 
the thrusts of their adversaries. The poor Musgu people, on their side, 
were not only fighting for their lives, but even, as it were, for their 
national honour. They were of large and muscular frame, single-handed 
far superior to the Kanembu; but a t length, after a protracted struggle, 
the superior numbers of the Kanembu got the upper hand, and the 
corpses of three of the Musgu were seen swimming on the surface of 
the water. But the fourth and last appeared to be invincible, and the 
Kanembu, who had lost two of their companions, gave him up in 
despair. After this inglorious victory we pu~sued our march h'>l11e-
wards, keeping a little more to the north than when we came. This 
part of the country exhibited the same fertil e and pleasant character as 
that we had seen before. It was densely inhabited and well cultivated, 
even tobacco being grown to a great extent. As for the villages them-
selves, they afforded the same appearance of comfort and cheerfulness 
which we had observed in the others. But all these apodes of human 
happiness were destroyed by fire. 
After having accomplished these great deeds, we returned to our 
encampment. Here we remained during the t lVO following days, wh ile 
the most important business was transacted. This was the partition 
of the slaves who had been taken during the expedition ; and the pro-
ceed ing was accompanied by the most heartrending scenes, caused by 
the number of young children, and even infan ts, who were to be dis-
tributed, many of these poor creatures being mercilessly torn away 
from th eir mothers, nel'er to see them again. There were scarcely <\ny 
fljll-grow1l lJ1en, 
586 TRA VELS TN AFRICA. 
More interesting to me than this horrible affair was the sending of a 
messenger to Kl,kawa; and it was doubly so on account of the round-
about way wh ich this man had to pursue, the track by which we had 
come being at present greatly infested by the desperate pagans, who 
very recently had massacred a whole troop of horse and foot who had 
come from l{ukawa, with the exception of one, who had succeeded in 
making his escape. The messengers, therefore, who were now sent, 
were obliged to take the road leading past the villages of the Fulbe, 
going from Demma to Karta, which I have previously mention'ed, 
and from thence to B6go, whence tbey were to follow the gener,,1 
track, which I have described on a former occasion. An escort of 
fi fteen Kanuri and two Fulbe accompanied the two messengers, as 
their first day's march was very dangerous. 
For the last few days there had been a great talk of an expedition, 
on a large scale, against the Tuburi, whither it was said we were to 
transfer the whole encampment; and I and my companion already 
anticipated a great deal of delight, as the isolated rocky mount which 
we had seen on the day of our arrival seemed to be well worthy of 
notice. But, as I have already stated, the B6rnu people were greatly 
afraid of this place, the real reason probably being, that they appre-
hended the pagans might retire upon the top of the mountain, and, 
having abundance of water in the neighbourhood, offer a successful 
resistance, although we were told that, on a former occasion, a single 
kashella, 'Ali F ugomami, had extended his expedition as far as that 
place. 
The Fulbe, by whom this free pagan community was regarded with 
great hatred, urged the expedition with the greatest energy ; but the 
cunning vizier pretended afterwards, in a conversation which he had 
with Overweg and me, that it was purposely, from motives of policy, 
that he did not accede to this scheme, as he did not want to exterminate 
this tribe, being unwilling to pull down with his own hands this last 
barrier to the restless spirit of conquest which the Fulbe or Fellata 
displayed. The usurper 'Abd e' Rahman, evidently from a motive of 
ambition, in order to be enabled to say that he had penetrated further 
than his late rival the vizier, whom he had successfully crushed, in the 
beginning of the rainy season of 1854 pushed on into the very country 
of the Tuburi, and thus enabled Dr. Vogel to lay down that most 
interesting poin t by astronomical observation, although the gre'llt lake 
which my friend thought to find there was apparently nothing but a 
widening of that stagnant watercourse which forms the north-eastern 
branch of the Benuwe, namely the Mayo Kebbi, and was laid down by 
me in the map of Central Africa, which I sent home from Kukawa. 
Monday, Jan. 5.- It was at a very early hour on Monday morning, 
a little after midnight, when the guide of the expedition came to my 
tent, and, while I was just dreaming of the rocky mountain of the 
Tuburi, whispered in my ear that a distant expedition was to be under-
taken that very day, but not into the country of the Tub'uri, and that 
the baggage was to remain here. Although I should rather have pre-
ferred visiting the latter tract, situated at the north-eastern branch of 
JANUARY S·] SWAM PY REGION. 
the basin of th e Niger, r nevertheless was determined not to let any 
opportunity pass by of extending my geographical knowledge as m uch 
as possible, and therefore ordered my horse to be saddled. Mr. Overweg 
meanwhile, when he heard that the vizier was not to lead the expedi-
tion in person, but that t)le young Bli-Bah, son of the sheikh, was to 
take the command, remained behind; and as I had no mounted servant, 
and could not expect th at a man on foot would accompany m e to a 
great distance, r was obliged to go qu ite a lone. Meanwhile the bugles 
of Bli-Bakr called the warriors together with a soft subdued sound, in 
order not to allow treachery to spread the news of their plan before-
hand. H aving passed with some difficulty the narrow gate of the 
stockade, the expeditionary army formed outside, wh~n we pushed on 
in a north-easterly direction. But Nature has provided so well for the 
defence of these poor pagans, that they are not easily taken by surprise. 
We succeeded, with th e dawn of day, in passing the first broad sheet 
of water of the wide "ngaljam" of ' iVli li ya, but found great difficulty 
in passing another water with a deep, argillaceous soil of so boggy a 
nature that several of the horses fell, even those whose riders had 
dismounted; and I felt not a little anxiety on account of my own 
restless and fiery horse, which was snorting li ke a hippopotamus. At 
length we left also this.. morass behind us, and indulged in the hope of 
having overcome every diffi culty, when suddenly we had before ns 
another and far deeper water, which delayed us for a long time. But 
bad as was our situation whilst we were thus sticking fast in the mud, 
I could scarcely help laughing heartily, as this very delay enabled the 
poor pagans to escape with their wives and property to a place of safety. 
As fo r most of the horses, the water went over their backs, while I on 
my stately charger had the water three inches above my knee. A 
courageous enemy, led on by a clever commander; might at this moment 
have easily captured most of the horses, and put a ll the host to fl ight. 
At length, after two hours' exertion, we emerged from this broad sheet 
of water, which, when full, must present the appearance of an extensive 
central lake three or four miles in br~adth, and many more in length, 
and now entered upon 1;reen pasture-ground, which, however, during 
the highest state of the inundation is itself under water. H ere the 
army divided into three bodies , and pushed on vigorously, although a 
great many had retraced their steJDs upon seeing the deep water. 
Proceeding in this way, we reached the first ham lets, and here 
formed a regular line of battle, while the greater part of the army 
rushed on in advance, at the sound of the drum and th e horns of the 
kasheHas, to see if there was anything left for them; but an the in-
habitants had made their esc>!pe. Another delay occurred owing to 
one of the followers of Bli-Bakr falling into a ditch or hollow twelve 
feet in depth and the same in breadth, from which he was extricated 
with some difficulty, while the horse died on the spot. But there was 
plenty of leisure, the pagans having long ago had sufficient ti me to 
make their escape beyond the river. If those simple people had 
followed the same stratagem which the B6rnu people employ against 
the Tuarek, digging a quantity of holes and covering them o\'e~ 
588 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
with bushes, they might have done a great deal of mischief to the 
cavalry. • 
This whole tract of country still belongs to the extensive district of 
Wuliya; but the villages have separate names, which, o"~ng to the 
unfortunate circumstances under which I visited the country, I was not 
able to learn. Having passed a considerable village, we reached, a 
little before eleven o'clock, the furthermost line which the waters of the 
.river Serbewuel attain during its highest state of inundation, while 
when they recede they leave extensive ponds of stagnant water behind, 
which nourish a rich supply of the Imost succulent herbage. The shore 
was here about eight feet high, while at the other point, where we had 
visited the river a few days previously, it was not so well marked. Of 
course, where the inner shore consists of steeper banks, so that the 
river does not rise over the higher level to a considerable height, the 
outward shore cannot be marked so distinctly. 
About thirteen hundred yards beyond this grassy outward shore we 
reached the inner banl, of the river, which consisted of sand, and was 
here only ten feet high. The river at present was confined to this 
bank, running at tllis spot from S. 25° E.; but a little lower down it 
changed its direction, running west by north . Higher up, the opposite 
shore was richly overgrown with trees, among which deleb- and dum-
palms were conspicuous; but no villages were to be seen, although a 
place named Kar is said to lie on the eastern shore. The reason we 
had directed our march to this point seemed to be, that the river is here 
rather broad, being about eight hundred yards across, and forming a 
large sandbank, so that my friends had entertained the hope that they 
would be enabled to ford it, \.\ihich in some years, when the rains have 
not been very considerable, may be possible at this season, and even 
this year might probably be effected in two months' time. But at 
present this was not the case, and the rapacious Shuwa Arabs were 
hurrying about in despair, to and fro, between the island and the 
western shore. 
I too took the direction 0f the island, as the most interesting point, 
although I became aware that it was not possible to penetrate further 
on. The first branch of the river on this side of the island, which was 
the broader of the two, was not more tlurn from eighteen to nineteen 
inches deep, and could not but become dry in a short time, when the 
island, or rather sandbank, should form the knee of the bend of the 
river; but the eastern branch, though apparently only about one hundred 
and twenty or one hundred and thirty yards broad, seemed to be of 
considerable depth, running along with a strong current, and myoId 
friend Abu Daud, one of the principal Shuwa chiefs, whom I encountered 
at the southern point of the sandbank, with a sad countenance, indicated 
the whole nature of this stream with the laconic and significant expres-
sion, "Yakul" C" It eats "),-that is to say, it is not fordable. 
It would have been the more dangerous to attempt to force the 
passage, as the opposite shore, which was so near, and only four feet 
high, was occupied by a number of stalwart pagans, who mocked at our 
jpability to cros~ the river, and ~ee!11ed to be quite ready to r~cejve in 
WATER-COilfMUNICA tRw. 
a satis factory manner anybody who should make the a tteml; t. It 
would have been easy to have blown away th ese people, and thus to 
clear the place of descent; but for such an underta king my fri ends had 
not sufficient courage or energy. I did not see a single Kanuri on the 
island, but only Shuwa, who always expose themselves to the greatest 
risk, and push on the furthest. T he pagans had not only occupied the 
opposite bank, but even kept afloat four canoes a t some distance above 
the island, in order to run down, with the assistance of the curren t, 
anyone who should dare to cross the river. Three of these canoes were 
small; but the fourth was of a larger size, and manned by ten Musgu. 
These canoes were the only craft vis ible on th e r iver, and probably 
constituted the whole naval force of these pagans. Of course in a 
country poli tically rent into so many petty principalities, where every 
little community, as in ancient times in Latium and Greece, forms .a 
separate li ttle s tate in oppos ition to its neighbours, no considerable 
intercourse is possible, and those natural highroads with which Nature 
has provided these countries, and t he immense field therefore which is 
open in these regions to human industry and activity, must remain 
unproductive under such circumstances; but it will be turned to acco unt 
as soon as the restless spirit of the European shall bring these countries 
within the sphere of his activity. This period must come. Indeed I 
am persuaded that in less than fifty years European Boats will keep up 
a regular annual intercourse between the great basin of the Tsad and 
the Bay of Biyafra. 
An almost uninterru pted communication has been opened by Nature 
herself; for, from the mouth of the K""ara to the confluence of the 
river Benuwe with the Mayo Kebbi, there is a natu ral passage navigable 
without further obstruction for boats of about four feet in depth, and 
the Mayo Kebbi itself, in its present shallow s tate, seems to be navigable 
for canoes, or fl at-bottomed boats like those of the natives, which I 
have no doubt may, during the highest s tate of the inundation, go as 
far as Dawa in the Tuburi country, where Dr. Vogel was struck by that 
large sheet of water which to him seemed to be an independenf central 
lake, but which is in reality nothing but a widen ing of. the upper part 
of the Mayo Kebbi. • 
It is very probable that from this place there may be some other 
shallow watercourse, proceeding t@ join the large ngaljam of De mmo, 
so that there would exist a real bifurcation between the basin of the 
Niger and that of the Tsad. But even if this should not be the cas\O 
the breadth of the water-parting between these two basins at the 
utmost cannot exceed twenty miles, consisting of an entirely level fl at, 
and probably of all.uvial soil, while the granitic region attached to that 
isolated rocky mountain which I have mefitioned above may, most 
probably, be turned without diffic)llty. The level of the Tsad and that 
of the river Benuwe near Gewe, where it is joined by the Mayo Kebbi, 
seem to be almost identical; at least, according to all appearance, the 
Bent:we at the place mentioned is not more than eight hundred and fifty 
or nllle hundred feet above the level of the sea. All this bounty of 
Nature will, I trust, one day be (urned to account, though many changes 
590 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
must take place in this country before a regular and peaceful intercourse 
can be established. The very scenes which I witnessed are an un-
mistakable proof of the misery into which these regions are plunged. 
But, as I have carried away the reader's attention from the thread 
of the narrative, so I myself had almost forgotten where I was, and it 
required an admonition from my friend Abu Daud to induce me to look 
after my own safety; for already the greater part of the Shuwa had 
returned to the western shore, and threatened to leave us alone, and it 
did not seem very agreeable to be taken in the rear by the pagans, and 
. perhaps even to be cut off by the boats. I therefore returned to the 
western shore, where the army was scat tered about, not knowing wha t 
to do, being rather disinclined to retrace their steps without having 
enriched themselves with booty of some kind. 
Following then the course of the river, I witnessed an interesting ann 
animated scene,-a dozen courageous natives occupying a small elevated 
island, with ste ep banks, separated from the shore by a narrow but 
deep channel, setting at defiance a countless host of enemies, many of 
whom were armed with firearms. But African muskets are not exactly 
li ke Minie rifles, and a musketeer very often misses his aim at a distance 
of thirty or forty yards. It was astonishing to see that nOlle of this 
small band of heroes was wounded, notwithstanding the repeated firing 
of a number of Kanuri people. Either the balls missed their aim 
entirely, or else, striking upon the shields of these poor pagans, which 
consisted of nothing but wickerwork, were unable to pierce this slight 
defence; for not only was the powder of a bad quality, making a great 
deal of noise without possessing any strength, but even the balls were 
of extremely light weight, consisting of pewter, as is generally the case 
here. However, it was not prudent of me to witness this scene (which 
was so little flattering to my friends) for too long a time; for when they 
saw that I had my gun with me, they called upon me urgently to fire at 
these scoffers, and when I refused to do so, reproached me in terms 
which very often fell to my lot-" 'Abd el Kerim faida nse bago," meaning 
that I was a useless sort of person. 
It is a remarl;:able fact that in almost the whole of the Musgu country, 
except near a few isolated granite mountains, there is not a single 
stone, else it would have been almost more profitable to have thrown 
stones at these people, than to fire at them with the pewter balls. 
With regard to those peculiar shields of wickerwork with which these 
courageous Musgu people managed to protect themselves so adroitly, 
I had afterwards an opportunity of examining them, and found them to 
be about sixfeen inches broad at the top, twenty-tlVo at the bottom, and 
about forty in length, but hollow. The material consists of the same 
kind of reed with which their huts are thatched. 
About noon the army began its march hmnelVards. Certainly it was 
not overburdened with spoil; for scarcely fifteen slaves had been taken, 
mostly decrepit old women, who either could not or would not leave 
their comfortable cottages. The anger and disappointment of the army 
was vented upon the habitations of these people; and all the cheerful 
dwellings which we passed were destroyed by fire. This certainly was 
JANUARY 5.] CONSEQUENCES OF SLA VE HUNTS. 591 
a heavy loss to the inhabitants, not so much on account of the huts, 
which they might easily rebuild, as on account of the granaries, the 
grain having been harvested some time previously ; and, as far as I 
became aware, there being no subterranean magazines or catamores, as 
I had observed with the Marghf, and the fugitives in the hurry of their 
escape mostly probably ha\~ng only been able to save a small portion 
of their store. In estimating, therefore, the miseries of these slave-
hunts, we ought not only to take into account the prisoners led into 
slavery, and the full-grown men who are slaughtered, but also the 
famine and distress consequent upon these expeditions, although nature 
has provided this peculiar tribe with innumerable shallow watercourses 
swarming with fish, which must tend greatly to alleviate their sufferings 
under such circumstances. The forest intervening between these 
villages consisted almost exclusively of "kindfn" or talha-trees, which 
were just in flower, diffusing a very pleasant fragrance, while here and 
there they were overshadowed by isolated dLlm-palms. As for deleb-
palms, I did not observe a single specimen in the whole of this distr ict ; 
but beyond the river to the south-east, as I have mentioned above, I 
had seen several in the distance. 
After a march of four hours, we again reached the broad ngaljam of 
Demma, but at a different point from where we had cf(.'ssed it in the 
morning with so much delay. It seemed almost providential that we 
had not taken this route in the morning, as the poor Musgu people 
would have had less time to make their escape. Leaving the main 
body of the cavalry behind me, I pursued my march towards my homely 
tent without delay; for, having been on horseback for more than twelve 
hours without anything to eat, I was quite ready for some repose and 
refreshment. But it took me full an hour and a half to cross this 
peculiar basin, which at present was dry in most places; and overgrown 
with taU rank grass, but swampy in some parts, and intersected by 
holes caused by the footprints of the elephant. A mile further along 
the north-western border of thi s swamp brought me to my ten t, and to 
the several dishes which awaited me; and this was one of those rare 
occasions, during my travels in Negroland, on which I dined with a 
truly European appetite. 
The vizier was very gracious, and praised my courage in having 
accompanied this distant expedition quite by myself; but th e Kanuri, 
who had taken part in it, detracted frol11 l11y praise, using th e very terms 
which I have mentioned above-"i'"aida nse bago." Indeed, this became 
one of my nicknames during l11y stay in B6rnu, and was the reason why 
I was less popular with most of the people than my companion. It is 
very natural that the motto" An faida nse?" (" Of what use is he? ") 
should be the guiding principl~, not oolyof Europeans, but barbarians 
and semi-barbarians. 
The followiog day we remained on the same spot, probably for no 
other purpose than to give some repose to the people who had accom-
panied the expedition the preceding day; and the vizier, who was fully 
aware of my ardent desire to push further southward, at least as far as 
the equator, took occasion to make merry at my expense, and, to the 
'rRA VElS IN AFRICA. 
great horror of the effeminate courtiers, suddenly proclaimed that it \Vas 
his firm intention to lead the expedition into those unknown regions in 
the interior. At times, indeed, he could be exceedingly amiable; and 
he was clever enough to conceive how Europeans could be induced to 
undertake such hazardous journeys, although he was scarcely able to 
appreciate the amount of courage which such an undertaking is able 
to inspire. He had often spoken with me concerning my project of 
plishing on towards the east coast; and he thought that a troop: of ten 
Europeans would be able to accomplish it, though he anticipated great 
obstructions from the quantity of watercourses in those equatorial 
regions; and there can be no doubt that this would be one of the 
greatest obstacles to such an undertaking. 
In order to console me, and soothe my disappointment on finding 
that this was to be the furthest point of the expedition, and that we 
should retrace our steps from hence without even visiting the country of 
the Tuburi, he ordered Mallem JYmma to be called, in order to inform 
me how far the enterprising Pullo conqueror Buba had penetrated 
beyond Buban-jIdda; but he found that I was already fully acquainted 
with this fact from other sources. The very interesting route of the 
M;illem JYmma from Demma, by the village of the Tuburi to Uika and 
Lame, I have already communicated on a former occasion. It is to be 
hoped that these regions will soon become better known, when English 
steamers shall go annnally up the river Benuwe, and enable travellers 
to start afresh from thence for those inland regions. 
CHAPTER XLV. 
RETURN TO BeRNU, 
Wednesday, Jalt. 7.-This was the day when we were to bid farewell 
to all projects of penetrating further towards the south or south-east. 
It was rather remarkable, that, early in the morning, at the very moment 
when the drum was beating, the moon was eclipsed; but our com-
mander-in -chief was too much enlightened to be frightened at such a 
phenomenon like the Athenian general before Syracuse. He requested 
Mr. Overweg to explain it to him; but otherwise he was not much con-
cerned about it. 
We this time kept a little more towards the east than on our outward 
march, approaching closer to the river of Log6n. Only a short tract of 
clear forest separated the cultivated grounds of Demma from another 
village, where, besides Negro corn, we found tobacco and cotton in 
friendly community on the same piece of ground. We had already seen 
much cultivation of tobacco in this country, and were impressed with 
the opinion, however strange it may seem, that it was an indigenous 
plant, and not introduced at a recent period; we had moreover been 
informed that not only the men, but even the women in thi~ country, 
J ANUARY 8.] ANOTHER ALARkr. 593 
are passionately fond of smoking. But as for cotton, we had not yet 
seen any in the whole tract of the Musgu country which we had travelled 
over; and its appearance here seemed to be a step in advance towards 
civiliza~ion, caused, probably, by the influence of the neighbouring town 
of Log6n. 
After a short interruption, there followed another village, which was 
succeeded by fores t, and then another swamp, at present dry, and over-
grown with tall rank grass, but difficult to pass on account ef innumer-
able holes. Shortly afterwards the country on our right assumed an 
open and very pleasant appearance, a river with a clear sheet of water, 
but apparently without a current, winding through it in tortuous mean-
derings, and closely approaching the higher ground along which the 
numerous host was pursuing its march. The slope was adorned with 
,,~ld fig-trees and acacias, which were overshadowed by two fine deleb-
palms. T his open country was succeeded by the well-cultivated and 
shaded fields which lay stretched out between the scattered court-
yards of another village; and here we encamped, my companion and 
I pitching our tents near a beautiful sort of fig-tree of the species 
called" baure " by the Hausa, and" kago " by the Kanliri, or at least 
the Manga. -
The whole village was deserted; only a few neglected members of 
the poultry tribe were running about, endeavouring to escape from the 
hands of their greedy pursuers. It was a very hot day, the hottest we 
had on this expedition, the thermometer, at half-past one in the after-
noon, indicating 100° in the cool shade of our fine fig-tree. The encamp-
ment was cheerful and pleasant; but in the evening a frightful alarm 
arose-the rumour being spread that the pagans were attacking the 
"ngaufate,"-the great drum of the commander-in-chief keeping up a 
tremendo1.ls din, and all the people hurrying along -in every direction. 
The alarm was so great that my companion gave up his tent, ' and 
retreated with his people 10 that of the vizier; and I found myself 
obliged to allow my two sen'ants to follow him also. As for myself, 
I remained where I was, for I felt little inclination to have my tent once 
more plundered, as had been the case on our expedition to Kanem. It 
soon proved to be nothing but a false alarm. 
In thesel'redatory incursions, the rapacious Shliwa suffer the greatest 
loss, as it is they who always push on furthest, and run the greatest 
risk; but, on the ot-her hand, they also succeed in carrying off secretly 
a great deal of spoil to their native villages without its becoming subject 
to the general partition. None of them have firelocks, being only armed 
with missiles usually consisting of one large spear, or kasakka, and four 
small javelins, 'or ball em ; very few of them have shields. 
Thursday, Jan . 8.-The country through which we passed was ex-
tremely fertile and beautiful, the scenery during the first part of our 
march preserving in gen~ral the same features which it exhibited on the 
preceding day. We ourselves kept along the high ground, at the foot 
of which a clear open sheet of water was meandering along, whi le 
beyond, towards the east, an unbounded grassy plain stretched out, 
with a scanty growth of trees in the background, and only broken 
. ' . 38 
594 TRA VELS IN .!FRICA. 
towards the south-east by a low chain of hills. At the distan ce of a 
mile we reached some hamlets where d(lm- and deleb-palms were 
grouped together in a remarkable manner, starting forth from, and 
illuminated by, the sea of flames which was devouring the village, the 
whole forming a very picturesque spectacle. 
Further on we made a halt on the slope of the rising ground, the 
various troops, distinguished by the diversity of colours of their dresses, 
grouping themselves around some buildings which were almost con-
sumed by the fl ames, while I found leisure to sketch the fertile country 
before us. The people themselves were struck with its beauty; and 
when we continued our march, I took an opportunity to enter into a 
conversation with our friend the vizier, with regard to the policy which 
they pursued with these people, and the way in which they desolated 
these regions; and I asked him whether they would not act more 
prudently in allowing the natives to cultivate their fertile country in 
tranquillity, only levying a considerable tribute upon them. But the 
vizier answered me, that it was only by the most violent means that 
they were able to crush these pagans, who cherished their independence 
and liberty above everything, and that this was the reason why he burnt 
all the granaries, in order to subdue them by famine; and he added 
that eveu of famine they were less sensible than he could wish, as the 
water in this region afforded them an unlimited supply of fish. 
Slaves are the only articles which the conquerors want from the sub-
jectl'd tribes; by carrying into slavery great numbers of them they force 
them into subjection, and even the tribute which they levy, after having 
subdued them, consists of slaves. All this will be changed as soon as 
a regular and legitimate intercourse has been opened along the river 
Benuwe into the heart of these regions, when the natural produce of 
the soil will be in constant request-such as cotton, indigo, vegetahle 
butter, ground-nuts, ivory, rhinoceros' horns, wax, hides, and many 
other articles. The vizier himself, although a strict "Moslim, was too 
enlightened to lay much stress upon the spreading of Islam; but never-
theless the idea that these unfortunate creatures fully deserve such 
treatment, in their character as pagans (kofar or "kerdi "), blunted his 
feelings to their sufferings. 
Further on we crossed the water where it was shallower, and, a little 
beyond, another meadow-water of greater breadth but not so deep, and 
then entered a fine undulating country, while an arm of the water 
remained on our left. The whole country was extremely well cultivated, 
and densely inhabited, village succeeding village, while large trees, 
mostly of the ngabbore and karage kind, enveloped the whole in the 
finest vegetation. Some of the huts were distinguished by a natural 
ornamental network or covering, formed by that kind of Cucurbitacea 
which I have mentioned before as named" sagade " by the ootives, and 
which is probably identical with the species called Me/ojejo. The 
aspect of the country was the more pleasing, and left the impression of 
a certain degree of industry, owing to the tobacco-plants just standing 
in flower. 
Amidst such scenery, we \ook up our encampment at an arly ho~ 
JANUARY 9.] CATTLE INDIGENOUS OR IMPORTED. 595 
in the morning, a beautifully winding watercourse, which was bordered 
by a fine grassy slope about twenty feet high, closely approaching on 
our right. T he watercourse was about sixty yards broad, but of con-
siderable depth, at least in this place, and full of clear fresh water, 
which was gently gliding along, and disappeared further down in the 
plain. H ere I lay down for an hour in the cool shade of a large kanl.ge-
tree, and allowed myself to be carried away by the recollections caused 
by the ever-varying im pressions of such a wandering life, which repays 
the traveller full y for all the hardships and privations which he has to 
endure, and endows him with renewed energy to encounter fresh 
dangers. 
I have before observed what trouble the hard alluvial soil caused us 
in pitching our tents; but here the argillaceous soil was s ucceeded by 
loose sand, which forms the border of the river. The light troops, soon 
after our arrival to-day, had dispersed in all directions and brought a 
considerable quantity of cattle from the neighbouring villages; the 
cattle, however, hereabouts are only of middle size, and the cows yield 
little milk, and that of very poer quality. 
It seems remarkable that the Musgu, as well as the Marghi, and 
several divisions of the kindred K6toko, call the ca ttle by a name which 
closely approaches that given to it by the Hausa people, while the Batta 
call it by a name which is certainly derived from the Fulfulde, or the 
language of the Fulbe. Such linguistic relations are not without in-
terest, as they afford some little insight into the history of the civilization 
of these regions. A little variety was given to the monotonous pro-
ceedings of our rather inglorious expedition, by the fact of one of the 
Shuwa, who was supposed to have been killed a few days previously, 
being found under a tree in the forest, severely wounded, but still alive, 
after having undergone great hardships and privations. 
Friday, Jan. 9.-The whole district in which we had been roving 
about since the 30th December belongs to Wuliya, which is decidedly 
one of the most fertile and best-irrigated regions in the world. 
A desolate border-district, consisting at times of green swampy ground 
uprooted by the footprints of the elephant, and on this account affording 
a very difficult passage for cavalry, at others of dense forest, the one 
follo wing the other in rapid succession, separated Wuliya from another 
principality, of the natpe of Barea, and inhabited by a tnbe of the 
Musgu of the name of Abare. It was characteristic of the little peace-
f)Il intercourse which exists among these various petty tribes, that the 
Abare did not seem to have had the slightest information of the approach 
of the expedition, till we SUddenly came upon them through the dense 
forest, so that they had scarcely time tQ escape with their families from 
the village, and endeavour to hide themselves in th.e dense covert of 
the forest 'towards the east. They were pursued and overpowered, 
after a short resistance, by the continually increasing numbers of the 
enemy; and the booty of that day, chiefl y in cattle, was rather consider-
able. Slaves were also brought in in considerable numbers, principally 
young boys and girls. The distance of the field of battle spared us the 
sight of the s laughter of the full-grown men. ' 
[185 2 • 
We chose Om camping-ground on the stubble-fields between the 
straggling groups of the vill age, which were beautifully adorned by 
some fine specimens of the deleb-palm; and I took the opportunity of 
making a sketch of this scene of natural fertility, and wanton destruction 
of human happiness. The huts in general were. of the same con-
struction and arrangement as those described above; but in one 
of them I found a kind of three-pointed harpoon or spear very 
similar to a hay-fork, with this difference, that the middle poin! 
was rather longer. The handle also was rather long, measuring 
about eight fee t It probably was used for catching fish, rather 
than as a weapon, otherwise it would scarcely have been left 
behind; but it may easily have served both purposes. 
Thus by very short marches we again approached B6rnu, 
keeping mostly at a short distance eastward from our former 
r oute, and encamped the following day in the midst of another 
straggling village, the fields of which were especially shaded by 
fine bito-trees (Balanites ./Egyptiaca), the soil being as hard as 
iron. I had scarcely pitched my 'tent when Hamed, the son of 
fbrab[m Waday, one of the courtiers with whom I was on friendly 
terms, sent to me, begging I would pay him a visit; and, upon 
complying with his wish, he introduced into my presence a 
female slave who had been taken the day before, telling me that 1 might 
make a drawing of her; for he knew that I was making strict inquiries 
after the origin and customs of these tribes, and that I was making 
occasional sketches, 111is female slave was certainly worthy of a sketch, 
as she was one of the most stately women I saw here. But I enter-
tained some suspicion that she was not of Musgu origin, but belonged 
to the Marghi ; for in the whole of the M usgu country I had not observed 
a single individual of red colour, but all were of the same dirty black, 
approaching to what the French call caje-au-lait, while this woman was 
of a red complexion, She certainly wore in her under lip the large 
bone, the national emblem of the Musgu females; but this custom she 
might have adopted, As for herself, she would neither give me any 
information with respect to her origin, nor sit stil1 in order to allow 
me to finish my sketch, She was tall and well grown, with the excep-
tion of the legs, which were rather crooked; and being still a young 
woman, her breasts had not attained that bag-like shape which is so 
disgusting in the elder females of this country. Her features were only 
a little disfigured by the bone in the under lip , Her neck was richly 
orn:>menfed ,Jah strings of beads; but these were as little peculiar to 
her as tlie cotton cloth round her toins, having been given her by the 
new master into whose hands she had fallen . The national dress of 
the Musgu females consists of nothing but a narrow bandage, fanned 
of bast, twisted like a rope, which is fastened between the legs and 
round the wai~t like a T bandage. 
A circumstance happened here which caused a great sensation, 
p articularly among the courtiers, The last messengers who had been 
sent from Kukawa with despatches for the_c ommander-in-chief, as I 
have observed, had been destroyed by the pagans; and it wa-s on this 
JANUARY 11.] NARROW ESCAPE. 597 
day, and in this place, that, whi le all the cottages' were being pillaged 
and ransacked, three of the letters of which those messengers had been 
the bearers, were fonnd in the pocket of a shirt which had been hid in 
a clay jar. This was evidently the shirt of the messenger himself; and 
the blood with which it had been stained had been washed ont without 
taking the letters out of the pocket Devoid as the expedition was of 
feats of valour and interest, the greatest importance was attached to 
this little incident. 
Sunday, Jan, II.-When we left this place our friends just barely 
escaped punishment for their barbarous proceeding of burning the 
villages, in which we had encamped, as soon as we left them; for the 
conflagration spread before we had gained the open country, and a most 
horrible crushing took place among the burning huts. Had there been 
any wind, great part of the army might have been severely scorched. 
The country which we passed to-day was intersected by numerous 
watercourses; and we had to cross and recross them several times. 
Here we passed a place where the poor natives, in the consciousness of 
their weakness, seelI\ed to have been aroused to new and unwonted 
energy for building a large fortification, but had been obliged to leave 
it half finished. Ou~ march was extremely short, and scarcely extended 
to three miles, when we encamped in a village which seemed to have 
been ransacked at a former period. It lay straggling over a wide extent 
of ground, in separate groups of cottages, which were surrounded by 
stubble-fields shaded by karage-trees of a richness and exuberance 
which I had not seen before, and surpassing even those fine trees of the 
same species which I have described near the village Kade. 
Of course everyone was desirous of having his tent pitched in the 
shade of one of these beautiful trees, when suddenly the intruders were 
attacked by swarms of large bees, which, settling behind their ears, 
tormented them to the utmost, as if they wanted to take revenge for 
the miSChief that had been done to their masters, and to defend their 
favourite resting-places, against these cruel intruders. It is wen known 
that swarms of bees had almost caused the destruction of Mungo 
Park's, as well as Major Gray's expedition; but here a whole army 
was running away from these little creatures. Even those who had 
encamped at a greater distance were only able to , protect themselves 
by the large volumes of smoke which issued from the fires they had 
lighted. Before this, we had not observed the rearing of bees in this 
country; but here the larger trees were full of beehives, made of large-
sized blocks. Even flocks of turtle-doves were not wanting in this 
fertile region so rich in water and vegetation. 
In this pleasant spot we remained encamped the following day, while 
part of the army was sent out in a southerly direction towards our 
former encampment, Kakala, which was only at a few miles' distance, in 
order to try their fortune thereabouts; but the pagans being upon their 
guard, they r.tturned empty-handed in the evening. Our food to-day 
was varied, to our great satisfaction, by an excellent fish of considerable 
size, which we obtained from the neighbouring pond. Fish seems to 
be plentiful ill this quarter; but whether the number of small ridges 
TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
and channels which we obsenred on our march the following day were 
intended for catching fish, wh ich might enter them at the highest level 
of the inundation, or for prepari ng the fields for cultivation, I am not 
quite sure; but the former seemed to be the case, there being no signs 
whatever of the fields being brought under labour. Dense forest and 
open pasture-ground alternated, the forest, consisting of middle-sized 
acacias, interrupted now and then by the kalgo-tree, with its ash-
coloured leaves and its dark red pods, or by the k6kia. 
The country, however, became exceedingly interesting and pleasant 
when we reached one of the numerous watercourses of these African 
Netherlands, an open and clear river about seventy yards broad, which 
being fringed on each bank with a border of slender deleb-palms, or 
kamelutu, in the clear- magnificent morning sky, afforded a most pictur-
esque view. vVe here crossed this water, and passed a \~jlage on our 
left, and, keeping along the fresh turf of the western bank a mile further 
on, reached a spot where another branch, runn ing eastward apparen tly, 
though no current is ,~sible , and fringed likewise by palms of the same 
description, joins the main channel. The country being without any 
perceptible inclination, it is extremely difncult, nay almost impossible, 
to decide about the direction of these watercourses, except during the 
period of thei r highest inundation. But the fertile and picturesque 
landscape beyond this narrow sheet of water, 'which stretched along in 
a regular line like an artificial canal, did not seem at all to be deserted, 
natives being seen in every direction. The commander of the expedi-
tion therefo~e ordered a short halt, the army presenting th eir front to 
the enemy, and preventing the stragglers from crossing the river, which, 
owing to their greediness for spoil, they seemed to have not a little 
inclination to do. But the great men of B6rnu at the present day do 
not like any unusual exertion; and it was decided to await the arrival 
of the camels, to encamp at ease, and to take luncheon. W e then 
turned off a little to the westward, entered a village, and encamped in 
the stubble-fields. 
Suddenly, just about noon, without my having any previous know-
ledge of it, the vizier and his officers monnted on horseback, in order 
to attack the pagans on the other s ide of the ' water; but these poor 
people, to whom had been given full opportunity of estimating the 
strength of the army, had thought it prudent to make use of the leisure 
thus afforded them, not by the mercy, but by the cowardly disposition 
of their enemies, to convey their families and property into a place of 
safety; for the river of Log6n passed at a distance of only four miles 
from this place, and in its present state was capable of affording perfect 
security to the persecuted natives, their pursuers having no boats . But 
although the army did not go to a great distance, aud returned after an 
absence of three hours, I was ra ther sorry for having neglected this 
opportunity of obtaining a sight of the river of Log6n again at another 
place, and likewise of visiting once more that picturesque district, so 
rich in deleb-palms, which was evidently one of the finest in the whole 
country. Mr. Overweg, who had received pre~ous information of the 
intention of the vizier, was this time more fortunate than myself, and 
J ANU A RY 14.] MISER IES OF SLA VE HUNTS. 599 
afterwards informed me that they had been obliged to keep fi rs t along 
the smaller river, in order to reach the ford where we had crossed it in 
the morning. The great river, which they reached about three miles 
beyond, exhibited a single bed, and was not fordable. 
While remaining behind in the empty encampment, I lamen ted the 
misery of accompanying such an expedition; for nothing can be more 
dishearten ing to the feelings of a t raveller who is desirous of knowledge, 
than to vis it these beautifu l countries under such circums tances, when 
the original inhabitants are either exterminated, or obliged to seek their 
safety in flight, when all traces of their cheerful life are destroyed, and 
the abodes of human happiness converted into desolation, when no one 
is left to acquaint him with ' al l the significant names wh ich the various 
characteristic features of the country must necessari ly bear, espec ially 
those numberless creeks, swamps, and rivers which intersect this 
country in all directions . The stranger who intrudes upon the natives 
in this hostile manner is scarcely able to make out a fe w dry names of 
the principal dwelling-places, and, being placed under such disadvan-
tageous circumstances, is at least j ust ified in speaking more emphatically 
of the endless misery into which the finest and most populous regions 
of this continent are. plunged by these slave-hunting exped itions of their 
merciless Mohammedan neighbours. This fertile district, which is 
enclosed by the river of Log6n on the east, and by the narrow channel-
like watercourse on the west side, seems to be that very dominion of 
" Fuss," the power of which, as I have related before, was greatly 
dreaded by our friends . ~ 
This was the coolest day we had as yet experienced on our expedi-
tion, the thermometer, in the cool shade of a tree, at half-past one 
o'clock in the afternoon, indicating only 84°. This was probablyattri-
butable to the fresh northerly breeze which sprung up about noon; for 
during the night it was not so cold as we felt it afterwards, the thermo-
meter during this time indicating, a t sunrise, between 56° and 59°, and 
at sunset between 74° and n°. -
Wednesday, Jan. 14.-We made a longer march than usual, while 
the character of the country changed entirely, and not, as it seemed, to 
its advantage; for instead of a f,,,t ile landscape, clothed with rich 
verdure, we entered upon bleak alluvial plains scantily overgrow'n with 
stunted mimosas, and to all appearance almost unfit for producing grain. 
It was one of those remarkable days in January, which, in the whole 
of Central Africa, form. a distinct season by themselves. A thick fog 
enveloped the whole country, and excluded any di stant view, and, while 
subsequently it helped to increase the dismal character of the country, 
in the beginning of our march it prevented us from enjoying once more 
the rich scenery of the preceding day; for we had first to return to the 
bank of that beautiful clear sheet of wa ter along which our march had 
led the day before. Its banks here also were quite flat, but the sheet 
of water was wider than at the place where we had seen it before. 
Proceeding a little in advance of the army, I obtained a sight of a river-
horse just at the moment when it raised its immense head above the 
surface of the watery element. 
600 TRA VELS iN AFRiCA. rIg5~' 
But as 50011 as we left this fiue clear sheet of water the ·character 
of the country changed entirely, assuming an exceedingly sombre aspect, 
and we passed a hamlet more cheerless and miserable than any I had 
seen in the whole of this country. Not a single trace of cultivation was 
seen on the bleak, black, argillaceous soil; and it was evident that the 
inhabitants of this hamlet subsisted solely on the fish which they were 
able to catch; and these may be abundant, as the whole configuration 
of the ground evidently shows that this entire tract is reached by the 
inundation during the rainy season. 
The country preserved the same aspect as we proceeded onwards; 
and the hamlets which we passed were not of a more inviting appearance 
than the first. Only now and then an isolated deleb-palm, or kamelutu, 
raised its magnificent tuft into the air, and served, by the contrast it 
afforded, to make this spot appear more gloomy. A large piece of 
ground was entirely covered with aghul (I-iedysarus alltajji) which 
seemed to me not a little remarkable, as I did not remember to have 
seen this plant, which is so much liked by the camel, since I had left 
Taganama. 
The country assumed more and more the appearance of a swamp at 
present dry; and we were even obliged to change our direction fre-
quently, in order to avoid spots where the bog had not dried up, while 
everywhere we observed the same kind of small ridges which I have 
mentioned before. Further on, the ground became a little drier, but 
presented only a monotonous waste, with detached bunches of rank 
grass, overshadowed now and then by scanty and stunted karage-trees 
scarcely fifteen feet high, while we had been accustomed, in the l\1usgu 
country, to see this kind of tree assume the size of the most magnificent 
specimens of the vegetable kingdom, with an elevation of from seventy 
to eighty feet, and a crown of not less diameter. As far as the eye 
could reach, the character of the country presented the same poor 
appearance; but, as I have mentioned before, the sky was not very 
clear, and the view was therefore rather limited. The bush of the 
fan-palm seemed to be quite solitary, without there being a full-grown 
specimen to be seen. 
At length this swampy ground seemed to have an end; but nothing 
but poor stubble-fields, where the crop had failed, took its place, with 
here and there a few detached poor-looking huts, the few trees which 
were visible exhibiting the same scanty growth that we had observed in 
the district through which we had just passed. At last the eye, fatigued 
by the length of this gloomy tract, was refreshed by the sight of a field 
,vith a fresh crop of masakuwa, or Holcus cern1t2ts, though it was far 
from being a rich one. Already here, besides the huts common in this 
country, others, of a remarkable and peculiar style, became visible, such 
as I shall describe further on, and as only the most excellent clay soil 
can enable the natives to build. 
Entering for a while a grassy plain, we reached an open water, such 
as the Kanuri people call komadugu, about thirty yards broad, but 
apparently of considerable depth, being enclosed by banks ten feet high, 
and winding through the plain in a fine meandering course. T he water, 
NA Tl17E AxCHITECTURE. 601 
at present, had no curren t; and we found a spot where it was totally 
broken, and were enabled to cross it with dry feet. 
A few hundred yards on the other s ide of this watercourse were the 
ruins of Baga, the residence of the chief Kabishme (or, as the Kanuri 
call him, Kabsh ime), which had been ransacked last year by I~ashella 
'Ali Fugomami. Among these ruins the vizier, by the advice of Adishen, 
who wanted to -keep the undisciplined host from his own fertile territory, 
had chosen the encampment. Thither I directed my steps, while the 
main body of the cavalry were scattered about the cornfields, in order 
to gather the half-ripe ears of grain for themselves and their half-starved 
horses; and he was lucky who arrived first, those who came afterwards 
either finding nothing at all, or only green, unwholesome corn. 
The whole district where the encampment was chOsen was b are and 
desolate in the extreme, especially on th e eastern side, where it was 
only bordered by stunted mimosas a considerable distance off. But the 
village itself, and particularly the dwelli ng of the chief Kabishme, was 
calculated to create a great deal of interest, as well on account of the 
finished and careful execution of the buildings. as owing to a certain 
degree of comfort and homeliness which was evident in the whole 
arrangement; and in this respect it was very fortunate that, immediately 
after our arrival, before the train came up, I directed my attention 
towards these buildings, for afterwards the deserted palace of the Musgu 
chief became a harrm, or prohibited spot, the vizier finding its architec-
tural arrangements very useful and convenient for his own domestic 
purposes. 
The palace must have afforded a very different spectacle in former 
times, when it was inhabited, it being at present in such a state of ruin 
that several features in its arrangement could not 
be distinctly made out, almost everything that 
was liable to take fire having been destroyed, and 
especially the sheds and inner courtyards, whicfi 
are so characteristic of the domestic life of these 
people. At present it was an empty courtyard of 
a tolerably round shape, and of large circumference, 
surrounded by huts more or less destroyed, and 
adorned at the four corners, if we may speak of 
corners in a building of almost round shape, by 
buildings of a very peculiar and remarkable cha-
racter, which at once attracted my attention, as they bore testimony 
to a degree of order, and el'en of art, which I had not expected to find 
among these tribes. 
They were smail round rumbll, about eight feet in diameter, and at 
least twelve feet high to the apex of the cupola, the clay walls of which 
were very neatly polished; the entrance formed a projecting portal. 
about six feet high, four feet deep, and not more than fourteen inches 
wide. The exterior, to the very top of the cnpola, was ornamented in 
a very peculiar manner by regular lines of projecting ribs running 
round the building in the way represented in the woodcut. These 
very remarkable rooms, although at present empty, from their analogy 
602 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
with several buildings described above, and according to the state-
ments of the people, were nothing but well. protected granaries, 
although they might have served occasionally in the cold season as 
bedrooms or sleeping-rooms. They were exactly the same at each 
of the four corners; but the north-east corner of the yard claimed par-
ticular attention, owing to another very remarkable apartment being 
there joined to the granary, which, as it is best adapted to give a clear 
idea of the homely comfort of these people, however low the scale of 
their civilization may be, has been made use of to represent, in the 
plate opposite, a scene of the domestic life of these people, besides 
that its ground-plan is given in the accompanying woodcut. 
It was a round uncovered apartment of about twenty-four feet in 
diameter, inclosed by a clay wall of about seven feet high, and a foot 
in thickness, and carefully polished at the corners. The doorway was 
~ __" ',_".'~ about four feet high by about 
. 0 2 ~J; >:'--t~ two feet wide; entering through 
2'" :;"~ ( ' ;, /)" this yon had on your left a bank v "'%> ~ .... of clay running r;arallel with the 
,( '!,,"~ ~ : wall, and enclosmg a space of 
0 ;, 33! [G ''Ie ':. ~{{," about two and a half feet in 
:. 6._ ....., ; 0 . " : breadth .. It was a foot and a 
':,}. quarter 11lgh, and one foot broad, 
~ 2 . f' '6 and ran round more than half the 
. . . ~. l ' circumference of the room, but, 
in order to afford easy access to 
the narrow space between it and the wall, had an opening in the centre, 
both ends of the banks thus formed having a regularly shaped pro-
jection. The space included between the bank and the wall formed 
a sort of stable, as was evident from three stakes placed in the ground 
at equal distances from each other. Probably it was the place for three 
head of cattle or goats. The clay bank, therefore, served two purposes, 
partly as a separation of the stable from the inner apartment, and partly 
as a seat. The centre of the apartment was formed by a shed about 
eight feet by six, and consisting of a roof of reeds and grass, 
supported by four stakes, and furnishing an evident proof that the 
apartment had never been covered in, but formed an open little 
courtyard sub dio. 
On the right of this shed was the cooking-place or kitchen, enclosed 
by two very low clay walls, and formed by four projections of clay in 
the shape of lapge round stones, which in a very simple manner formed 
two fireplaces, each of which, if detached, would have required three 
stones. Between the kitchen, the sQed; and one end of the clay bank, 
and divided from the former by a separate wall, appeared a broad 
entrance to the adjoining building, which we have recognized as a 
granary; but at present it was walled up, and formed a recess for some 
purpose or other. Between the kitchen and the gateway was another 
place enclosed between two thin clay walls, which was most probably 
destined to contain the water-jar. 
The four well-built and well-secl uded rooms, which had been 
JANUARY 17.] . AMOUNT OF BOOTY. 
intended originally as granaries, seemed very desirable to the vizier 
in the cold weather, as he was able to lodge there, very comfortably, 
himself and his female slaves; for the cold in this open spot, which was 
not protected either by vegetation or by any rising of the ground, was 
so severe that not only the whole black world, but the two whites also, 
that is to say Mr. Overweg and myself, tjatives of the north of Europe, 
suffered severely from its intensity. Indeed it was most distressing 
during the night to hear the shrieks of the poor naked Musgu slaves, 
who had been torn from their warm huts-; and it was not till about noon 
that they seemed to revive a little. Nevertheless the thermometer at 
six o'clock in the morning of the 15th, indicated as much as 51°,. which 
was the greatest amoun t of cold we had during this expedition, and 
at noon it even rose to 87°. 
We were obliged to remain in this uncomfortable place several days, 
owing to the circumstance that the whole of the spoil was to be 
divided here before we left the hostile territory; for an undiscipli ned 
host like this, of course, cannot be controlled except by fear, and if 
th e people were allowed to regain their own territory with what they 
had taken in slaves and cattle, they would go to their own homes with-
out contributing anything to the common s hare of the army. This is 
also the custom in ' Waday as well as in Dar Fur, the spoil being 
divided before the expedition re-enters the friendly territory. Although 
on the present occasion the expedition had not been eminently success-
ful in the different places, nevertheless the whole booty, besides about 
ten thousand head of cattle, amounted to a considerable number of 
slaves. The leaders boasted that they had taken not less than ten 
thousand slaves; and although I was glad to find that this number was 
exaggerated, I convinced myself that they numbered not less than 
three thousand. 
By far the largest proportion of this number consisted of aged women, 
who had not been able to join in the hasty flight, and of children under 
eight years of age. There were some women so decrepit that they 
were scarcely able to walk-mere skeletons, who in their almost total 
nakedness, presented a horrible sight. All the full-grown men who had 
been taken prisoners, with the exception of a few cowards who had not 
made any resistance, had been slaughtered; but their number scarcely 
exceeded three hundred, almost the whole full-grown male population 
of the country having had time to escape. Of these three thousand 
slaves, the commander-in-chief received a third part; but he also claimd 
for himself the whole amount of the slave-hunt which was made into 
the territory of Ad ishen, and which constituted a sort of tribute. 
In the afternoon of the 17th, two officers had left th e encampment, 
under the pretext of gathering fodder from the neighbouring vill a"es, 
but in the evening re turned with about eight hundred slaves, an~l a 
considerable number of cattle; and we were given to understand that 
this foray was executed with the consent of the chief himself,-to such 
degrading means did this despicable chief resort in order to preserve 
his authority, however precarious it was. Of course he selects as a 
sacrifice such of his subjects as are not his zealous followers; but it is 
TRA VELS IN AFRiCA. 
almost incredible how such a government can exist, as his dominion 
scarcely extends over a tract of country more than fifteen miles in 
every direction. At any rate, his subjects seem to be fully justified in 
taking care of themselves; and they had succeeded, in the darkness, 
in getting back part of the spoil which had been taken from them. 
The vizier himself pretended to behave in a very gracious manner 
towards the submissive vassal, returning to him about two hundred of 
the oldest and most decrepit women, who, he most .probably thought, 
would succumb to the fatigues of the march, observing, in a tone of 
friend ly irony, that they were to cultivate the country, and that when 
he should return he would eat of the produce of their labour. On other 
occasion§ the vizier had expressed himself to me to the effect that he 
wished Adishen strong and powerful, in order that, as a faithful vassal, 
he might oppose the progress of the Fellata in these regions; for in his 
heart he was the most inveterate enemy of that enterprising nation, and 
certainly he had ample reason to be so. It was on this occasion I 
heard that this renegade Musgu chief had never been rebellious to his 
B6rnu sovereign (which, from information I had received previously, I 
concluded to have been the case), but that occasionally he was obliged 
to make reprisals against the Shuwa, who were makicg plundering 
expeditions into his territory. We have already noticed the peculiar 
situation of this Musgu chief, separated from the interests of his 
countrymen, and opposed to them in a hostile manner. He has to 
defend his position against all the people around him, while his rear is 
very badly protected by his very friends the B6rnu people, even the 
Shuwa Arabs, who are subjected to the former, infesting his territory. 
Only ,vith his kinsmen, the people of Log6n, he seemed to be at the 
time on friendly terms . 
Monday, }m!. 19.-We at length set out on our returp to Kukawa. 
We first returned to the ford of shallow water, and then continued 
through a fine grassy plain, passing one or two hamlets' and a few fields 
of native corn. We then encamped, after a march of about ten miles. 
Already this day, in the distance towards the west, we· had observed 
some small elevations ; but, proceeding at a slow rate, and making very 
short days' marches, we did not reach the district of VV' aza, wllich is 
distinguished by its rocky mounts, till the 22nd, when, after a march of 
about fifteen miles, we encamped between those two rocky eminences 
which form the most characteristic feature of this locality. 
It gave us extraordinary pleasure, after having traversed the fl at 
alluvial plains of B6rnu and Ml1sgu, to find ourselves once more oppo-
site to some elevation of even a moderate altitude. T hese eminences 
assumed a very picturesque appearance. The valley between the two 
rocky mountains where we ,:vere encamped was rather bare of trees; 
but there- were some beautiful wild fig-trees at the north-eastern foot of 
the western eminence, where a pond was formed in a deep hollow. To 
this spot I turned my steps immediately after our arrival, before the 
camels had joined us, and speRt here a delightful hour, a ll the horses 
qelonging to the army being brought here to be watered, and forming 
a varied and high ly interesting scene, with the rich verdure of the trees 
FEBRUARY I.] ENCAfi;fPilfENT AT WAZA. 60 5 
around, and the steep rocky cliffs above them, while fresh parties-were 
continually arriving from tbe camp. 
Having made a sketch of this locality, I went to join my companion, 
and we decided upon ascending the more elevated of the two emin-
ences; but having attained to the height of some hundred feet, I felt 
quite exhausted, especially as I had a severe cold, and gave it up; but 
Mr. Overweg ascended to the top, which rises to about seven hundred 
feet above tbe plain· These rocky mounts abound with a species of 
black monkey, while even beasts of prey generally have their haunts 
here. The crevices formed by the granite blocks are adorned with small 
t rees and shrubs. The view from here, over the immense plain towards 
the south, girt as it was by a continuous band of middle-sized timber, was 
very characteristic, the uniform line being relieved in the foreground by 
the other rocky mount. This place belongs already to the territory of 
Log6n, and consists of several small hamlets inhabited by Shuwa, but 
governed by a chief, or "Iawan," who belongs to the tribe of the Fulbe . 
It was here that we received the news that a courier had arrived from 
Fezzan, but that he had been plundered, by the Tuarek, of the letters 
and articles which he was carrying for us. This, of course, was sad 
news, although we did not expect to receive money, or anything of 
great value, at the time. 
Wednesday, Jan. 22.-After a long delay, caused by the straying of 
the vizier's favourite horse, which he rod_e every day, and which had . 
most mysteriously disappeared during the night, from the midst of the 
encampment, we left this interesting spot, and after a good ride over a 
very rich though insufficiently cultivafed tract of country, encamped at 
a short distance from a broad shallow water adorned with the finest 
trees; it is called Zengiri. From here we reached D[ggera, and took 
up our quarters in our old camp, pitching our tents on the very spot 
where they had stood two months previously; and from this point 
onwards, we stopped each day at the same place where we had 
encamped on our out\Vard journey. 
Satlwday, Feb. I.-On our re-entering the capital there was a good 
deal of ceremony and etiquette observed, when the whole army, at least 
that part which had not yet been disbanded, was formed into one com-
pact line of battle, in order to receive in a suitable manner the military 
salutes which were paid to the commander-in-chief on his successful 
return. Distinguished above all those who came to meet us and pay 
their compliments to the commander, was Ghet, the chief of the Welad 
SIrman, who, a few days previously, had arrived from Kanem, where 
we left him, and from whence he had made a successfu l expedition 
against the Kunkuna in Karka. Galloping up with the utmost speed, at 
the head of his little band of from twenty to thirty horsemen clad in 
their picturesque attire, this petty Arab chief exhibited an interestinO' 
and animated specimen of horsemanship, which presented a remarkabl~ 
contrast to the unwieldy movements of the clumsy and sluggish figctres 
* Mr. Vogel, who likewise visited this spot in 1854, found the plain 
elevated 920 feet above the level of the sea, while the two mounts attained 
the respective heights of 1,300 and r ,600.feet. 
606 TRA VELS IN AFRICA. 
of the negroes. Returning to our old quarters in the town, we were 
treated with a peculiar dainty of the Kanuri, consisting of the fresh 
seeds of the grain called masr (Zea mats), which are roasted in a 
peculiar way. 
Thus ended this expedition , which opened to us a slight glimpse into 
the richly watered zone of the equatorial regions, which had been sup-
posed to form an insurmountable barrier of a high mountain chain, and 
brought us into contact with tribes whose character has been repre-
sented as almost approaching to that of wild beasts. We had certainly 
not entered those regions under such circumstances as were most 
desirable t6 us; but on the contrary, we had been obliged to associate 
ourselves with an army whose only purpose was to spread devastation 
and misery over them. Nevertheless, situated as we were, while we 
could not prevent this mischief, we were glad that we had been enabled 
to see so much. We were without any means, no further supplies 
having arrived; but I did not despair, and in order still to be able to 
try my fortune once more in another direction before I returned home, 
besides other articles, I even sold my large tent, and employed part of 
the proceeds to line my small tent, which was fast wearing out, and 
neither excluded rain nor sun. 
IN D E X. 
PAGE PAGE 
AOAMAWA 401 ,428 Dlkowa ... ... 549 
Afalesselez 117 . 
Agades ]75) 203 EOERI ... • 67 
Ahmed 37 1 Enshed e' suret IS 
'Ain Shershara, Ruins near 31 
t¥:i 39 FARO 45 1 Zara .. 
349 Fenorang Valley 
129 
Alantika .. . 45 1 Fodet 149 
Ahiune 343 Fugabu 527 
Asben 121 , 139 F~go M?"lri 40 9 
Asi'u 127 Fumbma ... 469 
Anderas barbarity 17 1 GAMERGHU District 40 5 
167 Gazawa BAGHZEN 257 G6bi 
Babanshe slave 133 313 Gerki 317 . 
Barakat 109 Ghaladlma 
Bel-Gbet ... 20 331 9 Ghariya 
Belem 445 59 Ghariya e' Sherkiya 61 
Benuwe 45 1 
Benzari 2 GMt 
101 
3 3 Ghurian . .. 
Berbers 103 43 GUminim .. 
Besher 245 353 Gozenakko 
Boghel Valley 173 249 Gunnek, Lake 
Bokhari ... 323 235 
Bornu 333 HAOANARANG 
Bundi 331 
105 
Haj Beshir 
1 373 Buwa 35 Haj Hassan . .. 395 
Hanshir 22 
CHAO, or T sad, Lake 386 . Hallta ... 89 
G::hemia ... . .. 225 Hausa 273 
Chereka, Mount ... .. . 165 
Gnyps 37 IKAOltMMELRANG 125 
I mghad ... . .. 107 
DAM~RGHU 241 Itisan and K6l-geres 157 
Dan Ibra ... 237 
Demma ... 081 JEBEL Durman ... 47 
608 INDEX. 
PAGE · PAGE 
Jebel Msid 25, 33 5Mbel e'Tulha 65 
J erma Kadim 71 Shitati 526 
Shuwa 557 
}ZANEM ... 501, 541 S6kolo 497 
Kan6 285 Soy 367 
Kasr Dawan 33 Sullori ... 475 
l{asr D 6ga 31 
Kasr Ghurian 21 T ABONfYE 57 
Kasr Kerker 36 Tagima ... 233 
Kasr Teghrinna ... 21: Tagamlma 325 
Katsena 277 Tarh6na ... 29 
KeI·geres .. . .. . 157 Tasawa ... 78,251 
KeI'Qwi ... ... 153 Tebu Merchants 225 
KiIela 18 Tekut, Mount 21 
l{omadugu, T he Jungles of 345 Teleshera .. . 221 
Kuka Mairua 315 Tergula\ven 231 
Kukawa · .. 353, 369, 379, 49 1 Tiggeda ... 169 
Kurulu 439 Tintagh-ode 145 
Kusada 283 Tin-teggana. 215 
Tin-IeBust 151, 21 3 
L AliAULA 425 Titiwi 395 
Lake Chad, or T sad 38• Tripoli ·7,8 
Leptis Khoms 37 Tsad, L ake 386 
Tunis 
MABANf ... 407 
Maduwari 391 UBA 
Mallem DaliIi 4
81 
445 Ugrefe 1 
I1Hndara .. 7561 Uj e Kasl,kuhi 0
Manga \,,'arriors 4 9 327 Um e' Zerzan 15 
Marghi 410 Unan Valley '227 
Marte 547 
Mishena 325 '",,7ADAY ... 
Mbutudi 497 433 Wadi 339 
~1e lago 44, Wady Aberjush ... 85 
Mejen!n 40 Wady Eliwen 87 
Mesellata ... 35 Wady Iiaera 41 
Mizda 45 Wady Kerdemin 18 
Molghoy .. . 413 Wady Ran ... 23 
Ml,bi 479 Wady Rummana 23 
Muglebu ... 479 
Murzuk ... Wady 5Mbet 65 75 Wady Shati 66 
NG,sRNU ... Wady Tagije 387 53 Wand ala Mountains 421 
RABDA 19 Waza ... 605 
RaIle 95 Welad Sliman ... 518 
Ribago 459 Wuliya ... 583 
SALLA-U'JA 187 v6 505 
Sammit ... . .. 237 V61a 461 '