Having made a present to the ghaladíma also, I thought it better, in

order to make up for the deficiency of the musical box, to satisfy the

musical taste of the sultan by making him a present of one of the

harmonica which the Chevalier Bunsen, in consideration of the great

effect which the Rev. Mr. Knoblecher had produced, with the aid of such

an instrument, upon the inhabitants of the shores of the Nile, had

procured for me; but I succeeded afterwards in repairing, in some

measure, the musical box, which caused the good-natured chief

inexpressible delight, so that he lost no time in writing for me a

commendatory letter to his nephew Khalílu the chief of Gando. But I was

extremely anxious to get away from this place, as I was sorely pestered

by begging parties, the inhabitants of Wurnó and Sókoto being the most

troublesome beggars in the world, and besides them there being also many

strangers in the town, especially the Kélgeres, who had brought the

salt.

I was sitting, one day, in the entrance-hall of my house, in the company

of some of these sons of the desert, when Góme, the brother of the

sultan ʿAbd el Káder, from Ágades, who had lately been dethroned in

order to make way for a new chief, Áhmed e’ Rufáy, called upon me, and,

with a very important and mysterious air, requested me to give him a

private audience. After I had dismissed my other visitors, he began by

reminding me of the kind manner in which his brother had received me,

and finished by urgently begging me to use my influence in order to

restore ʿAbd el Káder to his former dignity. I had great difficulty in

convincing him that I had very little influence with the emír el

Múmenín, and that I was afraid my intercession would have little or no

effect, although, as well by way of private acknowledgment for the

kindness of my host in that place, where I began to acquire more

confidence in the success of my proceedings, as from a persuasion of the

influence which a great service rendered by me to this man would have

upon my future prospects, I should have desired nothing better than to

be the means of reinstating him in his former position.

Among the people who sought my acquaintance there was also Khalílu dan

Hassan, one of the presumptive heirs to the royal power—Hassan being a

younger brother of Bello—a young man of gentlemanly manners, but not of

a very generous disposition, as he plainly evinced on my home journey

the following year, when he wanted to oblige me to send him, after my

safe return home, a pair of pistols in exchange for a black shirt

scarcely worth 5000 shells, or two dollars.

All this time, I had employed my leisure hours in reading a manuscript

work which had given me the first insight into the history of the

western portion of these Féllani dominions. It had been composed by ʿAbd

Alláhi, the brother of ʿOthmán the Reformer, to whom the western portion

of the conquered region was awarded as his share. But although this

work, the title of which is “Tezén el aúrekát,” contained, besides a

great deal of theological matter, some important historical data, it did

not satisfy my curiosity; and I had been endeavouring in vain to obtain

the work of Bello, entitled “Infák el misúrí fi fat-há el Tekrúri,”

which had been earnestly recommended to me by my friend the fáki ʿAbd el

Káder in Kátsena; but I did not succeed in getting it into my hands till

a few days before I left this place, when I found that the greater part

of its contents, which had any geographical or historical importance,

were identical with those documents brought back by Captain Clapperton,

on his first journey, and which have been partly translated by Mr.

Salame, in the appendix to the account of those travels.

Meanwhile the country became more unsafe; and on the 5th of May the

cattle of the village of Saláme were driven off by the people of

Chéberi, to the great loss of my friend ʿAbd el Káder dan Taffa, who had

considerable property there; but strongly reminded of the effects of the

rainy season, by a heavy shower which fell on the 6th, driving me out of

my cool shed, I urged my departure, and in the afternoon of the 8th took

leave of ʿAlíyu with a cheerful spirit, it being evident to me, not only

that he entertained not the slightest mistrust of my future proceedings,

but on the contrary even took considerable interest in me, as he found

that it was my earnest desire to become well acquainted with the country

and the people, and that I was anxious to establish friendly relations

with the most distinguished and learned among them. But he gave me

repeatedly to understand that he wished me not to go to Hamdalláhi, to

present my compliments to their countrymen and coreligionists there and

their chief or his successor, we having just received a few days

previously the news of the death of Shékho Áhmedu, while he had not the

slightest objection to my going to Timbúktu, and paying a visit to the

sheikh el Bakáy, who had spent some time in Sókoto and was on friendly

terms with the family of Fódiye.

[Footnote 41: It is, however, remarkable that, according to Sultan

Bello’s account, in a passage not translated by Silame, the original

idiom of the Toróde was the Wákoro or Wakoré, which, if it be true,

would render the Toróde the near kinsfolk of the Sissílbe.]

[Footnote 42: He says of the Jolof that their character is distinguished

greatly from that of _the other_ Fullán or Fúlbe:—

وطبايعهم تباين طبايع ساير الفلانيون

See Journal of the Leipsic Oriental Soc. ix. p. 536.]

[Footnote 43: Áhmed Bábá in J. L. O. S. pp. 550, 555, and elsewhere.]

[Footnote 44: M. Eichwaldt, from the account given of them by various

French travellers, makes, as to this tribe, the following interesting

statement, regarding them as gipsies:—“En effet, les ethnographes

considèrent habituellement les Laobés comme une branche des Foulahs:

mais ce fait n’est nullement démontré, et nous avons nous-mêmes connu

des voyageurs qui affirmaient que les Laobés possédaient une langue

nationale différente du Foulah.” (Journal de la Société Ethnologique,

1841, vol. i. p. 62.)]

[Footnote 45: The Fúlbe in general divide all the tribes belonging to

their stock into four groups or families; but they by no means agree as

to the particulars of the division. I will here give one which is

commonly assumed:—

1. The Jel, comprising the following sections:—the Torobe; Ulérbe;

Fíttobe; Jébtobe; Súdube; Úrube; Tarábe; Jéllube; Báʿabe; Símbirankóbe,

also called Ndójiga, from their dwelling-place; Feroibe; Núkkobe;

Síllube; Sosóbe; Tóngabe; Waijóbe. Of these the Úrube are again

subdivided into five sections,—the U. Búbe, U. Feroibe (distinct from

the Feroibe before mentioned), U. Dúde, U. Síkam, U. Waijóbe. The

Jéllube, again, are subdivided into three sections,—the J. Yorónga, J.

Haire, and J. Másina.

2. The Bʿaá, comprising the sections of the Gnara or Ghara, the Síndega,

and the Danéji.

3. The Só, comprising the Jawámbe, the Mábube or Mábe, Gergasábe,

Waílube, Laúbe, Wambaibe, and Waúlube.

4. The Berí, comprising the Siwálbe, Jaléji, Kombangkóbe, and

Kíngirankóbe.

But besides these there are a great many other divisions of this wide-

spread tribe, called from localities some of which I shall mention as

opportunity occurs. See especially Appendix II.]

[Footnote 46: Eichwaldt in Journal de la Société Ethnologique, 1841,

vol. i. p. 2, _et seq._ Among all the arguments brought forward by this

gentleman in order to show a relation of the Fúlbe with the Malays,

there is none of any consequence; and all his specimens of words brought

forward with this object are either taken from bad sources or prove

nothing, the only striking similarities in the language of these two

nations being the words for fish and spear. I speak here of a special

and direct relationship of the Fúlbe with the Malays, without taking

into consideration the vestiges of the general relationship of the whole

human race, which have lately been pursued and demonstrated with such

industry by Mr. Logan.]

[Footnote 47: There may be some remote affinity between the Fúlbe and

the South African tribes, but this refers to an age probably not later

than the rule of the Pharaohs; and the idea that the Fúlbe proceeded

from South Africa is certainly entirely erroneous. The identity of a few

numerals in the Fulfúlde and Kaffir languages is curious, but may be

explained on historical grounds.]

[Footnote 48: Vol. II. p. 638, under Bíri (Ibrahím).]

[Footnote 49: Áhmed Bábá, J. L. O. S. vol. vi. p. 550.]

[Footnote 50: See Vol. III. p. 433.]

[Footnote 51: I shall communicate his principal song, in Appendix III.]

[Footnote 52: Clapperton’s Second Journey, p. 203, _et seq._]

[Footnote 53: This is the term which Clapperton uses with regard to

him.]

[Footnote 54: There are inspectors of the provinces residing in Sókoto,

who are responsible for the tribute being duly delivered. ʿAbdú, the son

of Gedádo, has all the following provinces under his inspection: Kanó,

Zégzeg, Ádamáwa, Hamárruwa, Sámbo Degímsa, Katágum, Sámbo-Lé, governed

by Yeríma Áhmedu. The ghaladíma Áhmedu has only Kátsena under his

inspection; the mágaji inspects Zánfara; Modéggel, Baúchi; Yéron Sambo,

Kazáure, the province of Démbo; Dennil Jódi, Dáura.]

[Footnote 55: See Appendix IV.]

[Footnote 56: The national name Kábáwa is taken from the ancient form of

the name, Kábi, which was formerly in use (exactly like the form Máli,

Maláwa), but has given place to the form Kebbi, which is thus distinctly

written, even in Arabic, by authors of the seventeenth century.]

[Footnote 57: I shall say more in another place about this interesting

tribe, who, originally belonging to the Negro stock of the Wákoré, have

been swallowed up in the remarkable migration and conquest of the Fúlbe

eastward; here I will only mention the various sections into which they

are divided, at least as far as these eastern quarters are concerned.

These are the Lobárbe, Lómbe, Seníngbe, Yiróbe, Wárbe, Jakkóbe, Walárbe,

Jagálbe, and Jatíbe.]

CHAP. LVIII.

STATE OF INSECURITY ALONG THE MOST FREQUENTED HIGHROAD. — GANDO.

[Sidenote: Sunday, May 8th.]

At length I was able to pursue my journey, which now, as soon as I had

passed Sókoto, was to lead me into almost unknown regions, never

trodden by European foot.

I was escorted out of the town, in grand style, by the ghaladíma with

six horsemen, and then pursued my former track to Sókoto, the character

of which was but little changed, on account of the vegetation having

only just begun to be vivified and restored by the first showers of the

rainy season. The little stream which skirts the foot of the hill on

which the town of Sókoto is situated, and where we had watered our

horses on our former excursion, now began gradually to increase,

although as yet it exhibited but few signs of that considerable volume

which I found here on my home journey the next year.

I was lodged in my old quarters, in the house of the ghaladíma, and was

treated by my old friends Módibo ʿAlí and Sʿaíd with great hospitality.

Although most anxious, on account of the season, to continue my journey

with the shortest possible delay, I remained here the four following

days, in order to procure what was still wanted in my outfit for the

long journey before me, but principally from regard to the interests of

my companion ʿAlí el Ágeren, who had here to arrange some business;

hence we did not set out until the 14th of May.

There had been so heavy a shower the preceding afternoon, that a large

stream broke through the roof of my dwelling and placed my whole room

several inches under water. I passed, therefore, a most uncomfortable

night, and when I got up in the morning I had a very bad headache. Every

thing, also, was extremely wet, so that it took us a long time to get

ready our camels, and it was eight o’clock when we left the kófa-n-

Tarámnia, which, though the widest of the gates of the town, did not

allow my two largest boxes to pass without damage.

A grandson of Módibo ʿAlí, together with Shékho the chief of the

Zoromáwa, escorted me outside the town. The first was certainly sincere:

but as for the second, I could not expect that he was in earnest in

wishing me success in my undertaking; for the Zoromáwa, who are the

chief traders of the country, viewed my enterprise with a great deal of

mistrust, as they were told that I wanted to open an intercourse along

the river.

Thus we entered the large open plain, which is only bounded, at the

distance of about three miles to the north, by a low chain of hills, and

scarcely dotted with a single tree. But the monotonous country at

present was not quite wanting in signs of life, the plentiful fall of

rain having inspired the inhabitants of the several villages which were

scattered about with sufficient confidence to trust their seed to the

ground. Having then passed a larger village, called Kaffaráwa, we

crossed a considerable depression or hollow, stretching from S.W. to

N.E., with plenty of water, and with extensive grounds of yams, a branch

of cultivation which, in these swampy valleys of Kebbi, is carried on to

some extent; and this depression was soon succeeded by others of a like

nature. Numerous herds of cattle were here grazing on the intervening

pasture-grounds, which were adorned with sycamores and monkey-bread

trees; and this continued till we reached Bodínga, and took up our

quarters in a small cluster of huts lying on the outside, close to the

wall. This time I did not enter the town, but I did so on my return

journey, when I satisfied myself of the considerable size of the town,

and the state of decay and desolation into which it has at present

relapsed.

[Sidenote: Sunday, May 15th.]

While we were loading our camels, the governor of the town, who is a son

of Módibo ʿAlí, of the name of Mohámmedu, came out to pay me his

compliments. He was of a cheerful disposition, and had treated us

hospitably the preceding evening. He even accompanied me to a

considerable distance, till we left, on our right, the town of Sifáwa or

Shifáwa, an important place in the history of the Púllo reformer ʿOthmán

dan Fódiye, but at present almost desolate and reduced to great misery,

presenting a fair specimen of the state of the province of Gando, which

we here entered.

The country here, as well as near Bodínga, is almost exclusively adorned

with monkey-bread trees, and the soil seemed to be very parched; but a

little further on we descended into a depression which, having been

already fertilised by the rain, was just being sown. Further on, the

ground continuing undulating, we watered our horses at a rich source of

living water which rushed out from the rocks at the side of a small

hamlet. We then passed a large and comfortable-looking place called

Dendi (perhaps after a portion of that tribe, which settled here) and

adorned with a profusion of trees, among which the dorówa or _Parkia_,

the góreba or dúm palm, and the gigíña or deléb palm were most

conspicuous. Towards the south-east side it was bordered by a depression

full of yams and fresh herbage, and fringed by numbers of monkey-bread

trees. Even a little market-place was to be seen; and the place seemed

so attractive to my people, that they would fain have spent here the

rest of the day, and they were not at all pleased when I insisted on

continuing our march. A little after noon we passed a pretty village

with a small dyeing-place. Besides corn-fields, where the crops were

already two inches out of the ground, indigo was cultivated to a great

extent. We then entered upon rocky ground, and, five miles further on,

reached the place Shagáli, separated into two groups along the northern

slope of an eminence, and surrounded on three sides by a deep and wide

ravine, which made the access to it very difficult. Here we were rather

inhospitably received,—the former mayor having been deposed, and a new

one not yet installed in his place.

[Sidenote: Monday, May 16th.]

Early in the morning we pursued our journey, through a rather hilly

country broken by several small watercourses, full of cultivated ground

and fine timber, principally monkey-bread trees, which now exhibited a

more cheerful appearance, as they were clad in fresh foliage. We passed

several villages, where we again observed some signs of industry in the

shape of dyeing, and, about six miles and a half from Shagáli, left the

considerable place Señína (the same town which a few days before had

been attacked by the enemy) on our left, situated on a small hilly

chain. Here we entered a tract of country at present desolate, and

thickly covered with underwood, and greatly infested by the independent

inhabitants of Kebbi; but it was only of small extent, and, about four

miles beyond Señína, we entered, by a steep rocky descent, the fine

valley of Sála, which is intersected by a considerable sheet of water.

We took up our quarters in the walled town of Sála, the dwellings of

which were almost lost in the most splendid vegetation, among which one

of the finest tamarind trees I have ever seen was greatly distinguished,

attracting to its dense foliage countless flights of birds, which were

gathering from all sides to pass the night here in cheerful communion.

The wider-spreading foliage of the tamarind and monkey-bread trees was

very picturesquely diversified by a large number of gónda trees, or

_Carica Papaya_, while in front of the principal gate a most splendid

rími or bentang tree, was starting forth as a proud landmark, pointing

out to the traveller the site of the gate. The camels, who suffered

greatly from thirst, immediately on our arrival were sent off to the

brook of living water, which is formed at the foot of the rocky cliff a

little to the north of the place where we had descended from the higher

ground.

[Sidenote: Tuesday, May 17th.]

We reached Gando, the residence of another powerful Púllo prince (as

powerful as that of Sókoto), after a march of six hours, through a

country richly provided by nature, and partly, at least, well inhabited.

Hill and dale alternated, the depressions and cavities offering suitable

grounds for the cultivation of yams. The vegetable kingdom also

displayed its larger members in great variety. In the village Babanídi,

which we passed about two miles from Sála, we observed the three species

of palms which are common to Negroland, in the same locality—viz., the

dúm, the date, and the deléb palm, while, near a swampy sheet of water

before we came to Masáma, I caught sight of the first banána or áyaba

tree that I had seen since I had left Ádamáwa, with the exception of

those young offshoots which I had observed in Bamúrna. Near this latter

place, which was situated at the border of a deep valley, a large swamp

spread out covered with rank reed-grass; and beyond the town of Masáma

we had to cross another large and irregular valley or fáddama, where,

even at this season of the year, a large sheet of water was formed,

which, according to the statement of the natives, was full of

alligators.

The towns also exhibited a considerable degree of industry in their

dyeing-places; and a short distance from our halting-place we even

passed large hollows about two fathoms in depth, and one in particular

where iron had been dug out. Small marketing stalls in some places lined

the road, and the town of Masáma, with its straggling suburbs, presented

an animated spectacle; but cattle were greatly wanting, nothing but

sheep being seen, as all the horned cattle had been carried away by the

predatory bands of Argúngo.

[Illustration]

As we approached the town of Gando, I could not help wondering how the

people had been led to choose this locality as the seat of a large

empire, commanded as it was by hilly chains all around, in the manner

shown in the accompanying woodcut, while the rising ground would have

offered a far more suitable locality. But the situation of the town is

on a par with the character of its dominion—without commanding strength,

and quite incapable of keeping together that large agglomeration of

provinces which have gathered around it. However, for a provincial town,

the interior is very pleasant and animated, being adorned with a variety

of trees, among which the banana is prominent.

Having sent a messenger in advance, I soon obtained quarters in the

house of El Khassa, the chief eunuch of the court; but they were

extremely narrow and unpleasant, although I had a very good clay house

for myself.

Thus I had entered the residence of another very important Púllo chief,

whose dominion extended several hundred miles over the country which I

had to traverse, and whose friendship it was of the utmost importance

for me to secure, as his provinces inclose both banks of the Niger,

while the dominion of the sultan of Sókoto does not reach the principal

branch at all. It was the more unfavourable that the present ruler of

this very extensive kingdom should be a man without energy, and most

inaccessible to a European and a Christian. His name is Khalílu, and he

is the son of ʿAbd Alláhi[58], the brother of the great Reformer

ʿOthmán, to whom that remarkable man, at his death, gave the western

part of his vast domains, while he installed the celebrated Sultan Bello

over the eastern portion. Khalílu succeeded to his brother Mohammed Wáni

about seventeen years ago, and has since lived in a state of the

greatest seclusion, well fitted for a monk, but by no means suited to

the ruler of a vast empire, employing one of his brothers in order to

keep up a certain show of imperial dignity where it was absolutely

necessary. Thus, during the first few years of his reign, he had

employed ʿAbd el Kádiri, and was now employing Halíru, or, as the name

is written, Hadhíru. Even by Mohammedans he is scarcely ever to be seen

except on Fridays. It appeared, from my first arrival, extremely

doubtful whether he would allow me to see his holy face; and after a

vain struggle, merely in order that, by an untimely obstinacy in matters

of form, I might not frustrate all my schemes of discovery, I agreed at

length to deliver my present to the messengers of the sultan, in his

palace, without seeing him. This present consisted of almost the same

number of articles as I had given to the emír of Sókoto, with the

exception of the silver-mounted pistols. I gave him three bernúses—one

of yellow, one of red cloth, and the third of the kind called heláli; a

háík or jeríd of the finest quality, a Stambúli carpet, two entire

pieces of muslin, a red cap, four loaves of sugar, three phials of rose

oil, a pair of razors, five looking-glasses, a pound of cloves, and

another of benzoin.

It was very unfortunate that a foreigner and an adventurer, who had no

other interest than his own selfishness, became the go-between with me

and the sultan, and found ample opportunities, owing to the monkish

character of the latter, for advancing his own interests, in the

thousand embarrassments which he caused me. This was El Bakáy, a person

who made me hate his very name, though it afterwards became so dear to

me on account of my protector in Timbúktu being called by the same.

However, he also was an Arab from the west, and from the tribe of the

Kunta, but not connected in any way with the family of the sheikh. After

having tried his fortune in several other places along the Niger,

especially in Zágha and Yélu, he had at length settled down here,

constituting himself a sort of consul of the Arabs, and, in the

miserable state into which affairs were plunged in this court, soon

exercising a great influence over the principal and the secondary

rulers; for, besides Khalílu, his several brothers enjoyed a large share

of authority, to all of whom I had, in consequence, to make suitable

presents besides. The most remarkable amongst them were the above-

mentioned Halíru and Bú-Bakr Maiguña, the latter an aspiring and

restless man, who occasionally distinguished himself by acts of great

violence, and to whom, in consequence, I had to make a more respectable

present, in order to ensure myself against any predatory proceedings on

his part.

My present to the sultan himself seemed at first to have given great

satisfaction; but after a few days, matters assumed a different aspect,

and I was told that the pistols which I had given to ʿAlíyu were of more

value than the whole of the presents which Khalílu had received from me,

while the empire of the latter extended over a larger tract of country

than that of the former; and I was clearly given to understand that it

was not in my power either to proceed or even to retrace my steps,

unless I gave much larger presents. After a protracted and serious

dispute with El Bakáy and my broker ʿAlí el Ágeren, I came at length to

the determination of sacrificing the second handsome pair of silver-

mounted pistols which I possessed, and then at length I had some

prospect of being allowed to proceed on my journey, although the state

of the country before me was really such as to make progress appear very

difficult, and it was certainly very doubtful whether I should be able

to reach the river. After much trouble and a great number of presents,

however, which I had to give to the crafty Arab, I managed even to

obtain a letter of franchise from Khalílu written with his own hand, but

in so general a style that it had not much the character externally of

an official document, although its contents were altogether very

satisfactory, guaranteeing full security to any Englishmen visiting his

territories, and commanding the officers of the various provinces to

respect their property and to facilitate their proceedings.

Besides the presents to be given to all these people, I had also to make

a fresh sacrifice to my Arab ʿAlí el Ágeren; for, notwithstanding the

arrangement which I had previously made with him, when he saw the

difficulties I was in, and being aware that the easy part of my journey

was now over, he threatened to leave me if I did not accept the

conditions which he prescribed to me. I had also the misfortune to lose,

during my stay here, my best camel, which I had bought from the governor

of Kátsena for 60,000 shells; so that I was obliged to purchase another

animal from Bú Bakr Maiguña at the price he demanded, camels here being

very scarce.

Notwithstanding all this disagreeable business, which occasionally cost

me much bitter reflection, greatly enhanced by the advance of the

season, the month of May being at an end, and that of June having set in

with violent rains, I passed the time during my residence in this place

not quite uselessly, especially as I was so fortunate as to obtain here

from a learned man of the name of Bokhári, a son of the late Mohammed

Wáni, a copy of that most valuable historical work of Áhmed Bábá, to

which my friend ʿAbd el Káder, in Sókoto, had first called my attention,

but without being able to satisfy my curiosity; and I spent three or

four days most pleasantly in extracting the more important historical

data of this work, which opened to me quite a new insight into the

history of the regions on the middle course of the Niger, whither I was

bending my steps, exciting in me a far more lively interest than I had

previously felt in a kingdom the great power of which, in former times,

I here found set forth in very clear and distinct outlines, and I only

lamented that I had not time enough to copy the whole.

As for the town of Gando itself, there was not much to be seen; and the

situation of the place, hemmed in as it is in a narrow valley, did not

admit of long excursions; moreover, the insecurity of the neighbourhood

was so great that it was not possible, at least in a northerly

direction, to proceed many yards from the wall. Several times during my

stay the alarm was given that the enemy was approaching; and the whole

political state of the place was plunged into the most terrible

disorder, the enemy being established in several strong places at

scarcely half a day’s journey distance, Argúngo being the residence of

Dáúd the rebellious chief of the independent Kábáwa. A numerous foray

(“yáki,” or, as the Fúlbe say, “konno”) left early in the morning of the

29th of May, but returned the same evening amid the noisy manifestations

of the inhabitants. They had however only given an additional proof of

their cowardly disposition, inasmuch as they had not even dared to

attack the enemy, who had just succeeded in ransacking the town of Yára,

and were carrying all the unfortunate inhabitants into slavery.

The interior of the place was not quite without its charms, the whole of

the town being intersected, from north to south, by the broad and

shallow bed of a torrent, which exhibited fine pasture-grounds of fresh

succulent herbage, while it was skirted on both sides by a dense border

of exuberant vegetation, which altogether is much richer in this place

than either in Sókoto or Wurno, being surpassed only by the fine

vegetable ornament of Kanó. The rains are extremely plentiful in Gando,

causing here quite an exceptional state in the productive power of the

soil; and to this circumstance we have partly to ascribe the fact that

very fine bananas are grown here in considerable quantity: and the fruit

being just ripe at the time, formed a very pleasant variation to my

usual food. The onion of Gando is remarkable for its size and quality,

compared with that of all the neighbouring districts; and it is well for

the traveller, in whatever direction he may intend to go, to lay in a

supply of this wholesome article. But the place is extremely dull, and

the market very insignificant—a fact easily to be explained by the

desperate state of the provinces around, although the situation of the

capital, as a central place for commerce, is rather favourable. But the

town of Jéga has not yet lost, in this respect, the whole of its former

importance, and is still the great entrepôt for that coarse kind of

coloured silk which is imported from the north, and which,

notwithstanding its very inferior character, is nevertheless so greatly

sought after by the natives for adorning their leatherwork. It is,

perhaps, in consequence of the little trade which is carried on, that

the people of Gando have applied themselves with more industry to

supplying their own want of cotton cloth—and no one can deny that their

cotton strips are of first-rate quality: their dyeing, on the contrary,

is very coarse, and they seem quite unable to give to the dyed cloth

that lustre which so eminently distinguishes the manufactures of Núpe

and Kanó; but nevertheless this cloth of Gando is in great demand as far

as Libtáko.

The kingdom or empire of Gando, according to its titles, comprises a

number of wealthy provinces, all lying along that great West-African

river which opens such an easy access into this continent, or on its

branches; although nobody who stays in the capital for any length of

time would suppose that it holds such a preeminent rank. I shall give

some further details respecting these provinces in the Appendix[59];

here I will only enumerate them by name. They are, the western half of

Kebbi, Maúri or Árewá, Zabérma, Déndina (comprising Kénga-koy and

Zágha), a great part of Gurma (comprising the provinces of Galaijo,

Toróde, Yágha, and Libtáko), with a small portion of Borgu or Barba, a

large portion of Yóruba with the capital Alóri or Ilórin, and, on the

east side of the river, the provinces of Yaúri and Núpe or Nyffi. But at

that time most of these provinces were plunged into an abyss of anarchy,

which could not fail to impart to the capital a more sombre aspect than

it may possess in general.

[Footnote 58: ʿAbd Alláhi died 20th of Moharrem 1245; and Mohammed died

4th of Ramadhán 1250. The children of ʿAbd Alláhi were the following:

Mohammed Wáni, Khalílu, ʿAbd el Kádiri Inneháwa, Halíru or Hadhíru and

ʿAlíyu (masuyáki)[a], ʿAbd el Kádiri Ay, Hassan, ʿAbd e’ Rahmáni, Ábú

Bakr Maiguña, Is-háko, Mamman Sambo (maiyáki).[a]]

[Footnote a: Maiyáki (_pl._ masuyáki) means commander-in-chief.]

[Footnote 59: See Appendix VI.]

CHAP. LIX.

THE PROVINCE OF KEBBI AND ITS RIVER. — THE SALT VALLEY OF FÓGHA. — REACH

THE NIGER.

[Sidenote: Saturday, June 4th.]

At length I was allowed to proceed on my journey, which now soon

promised to become of overwhelming interest, as I was approaching that

great African river which has been the object of so much discussion and

individual ambition for so long a period. There had been a very heavy

thunderstorm during the night, accompanied by a great abundance of rain,

which lasted till late in the morning, and delayed my setting out for

a considerable time. It was almost eleven o’clock when we at length

left the western gate of the town, or the kófa-n-Jéga, and entered the

open fields, where the crop was already shooting forth. Keeping along

the rocky ground bordering the valley on the north side, we soon had a

specimen of the swamps which during the rainy season are formed in

these deep valleys of Kebbi, while we beheld here also extensive

rice-grounds, the first which I saw under actual cultivation. But the

guide, who was to accompany me to the very western extremity of the

territory of Khalílu, having not yet arrived, we made only a short

march of about six miles, and took up our quarters in a comfortable

hut lying outside the walls of Kámbasa, which, by a separate wall, is

divided into two distinct quarters.

This town lies on the north side of a large swamp, which fills the

bottom of the fáddama, and affords excellent grounds for the cultivation

of rice. The governor treated me hospitably, sending me everything that

was wanted for a good African dinner, from a sheep down to a bit of salt

and a few cakes of dodówa; and I made him a suitable present in return.

During the night we suffered greatly from mosquitoes, giving us a fair

idea of what we were to expect on our journey through these swampy

valleys.

[Sidenote: Sunday, June 5th.]

Another storm again delayed our departure this morning; and being now in

the middle of the rainy season, I had a fair sample of what I should

have to endure on my long journey to Timbúktu. In consequence of the

rain, it was again eleven o’clock before we could start. The principal

road leads along the northern bank of the fáddama, by way of Zóro, the

residence of Cháfo a son of Khalílu; but it was deemed too unsafe in the

present unsettled state of the country,—that very town of Zóro, although

situated on the north side of the fáddama, at present being only

accessible from the south; and it was decided, therefore, to cross the

swamp close to Kámbasa, in order that it might afford us protection, in

our further progress through this unsafe region, against any sudden

attack from the rebels in the northern part of the province. Thus

proceeding along the south side of the sheet of water, here about 200

yards broad and thickly overgrown with tall reeds of different species,

including a large proportion of papyrus, we reached, after a little less

than two miles, another walled town, likewise called Kámbasa,—a civil

war having broken out among the inhabitants of the former town, and a

portion of them having separated from the original tribe, and settled in

this place. We then continued along the southern side of the valley,

till, after a march of about four miles, we had to cross a small branch

which joins the chief trunk of the valley from the south, and opened a

view of Mount Bóbye, over the saddle of which the road leads from

Támbawel to Jéga, the great marketplace of this quarter of the country,

while the fáddama, here spreading out in a large sheet of water, receded

behind a walled town called Badda-badda. A track frequented by the

elephant, of which for a long time I had seen no traces, led through the

rich pasture-ground, to the edge of the water. Almost the whole

cultivation along this fertile but swampy valley consisted of rice. It

was about 1200 yards broad, and even at the present season, before the

rains had set in, was full of water. A couple of months later it

inundates its low borders, and almost precludes any passage, so that, on

my home journey from the west, I was obliged to pursue another path. The

crops of Negro corn were here already three inches high, numbers of

people being busily employed in the labours of the fields, while an

isolated deléb palm gave a peculiar character to the landscape. The

prevailing representatives of the vegetable kingdom were the dorówa and

the useful kadeña tree. The pasture-grounds were full of cattle; and

everything testified to the rich nature of the district, which is still

very populous. After passing another walled town perched on the high

border of the swampy valley, three miles and a half beyond Badda-badda,

we reached Gaúmaché, at present reduced to a small hamlet, or rather

“rúmde,” inhabited exclusively by slaves, and adorned by a few specimens

of the butter tree and the dorówa. It was once a large walled town; but

in the sanguinary war between the native Kábáwa and the conquering tribe

of the Fúlbe, it was destroyed by the former.

Having crossed here a considerable stream of running water, which

testified to the quantity of rain which had fallen in this district, we

passed, on our left, the large walled town of Talba, where the beating

of drums gave proof of warlike preparation. The fields around were

adorned with numbers of deléb palms.

At a short distance from Talba lies Dáube. The whole of this district

had attained a high degree of power and prosperity under the dominion of

the Kanta, and had only recently begun, in consequence of the war of

independence, to lose many of its former centres of human industry.

An obvious illustration of this desolation was afforded by the little

town of Yára, which we reached after another three miles. We had left

the fáddama at some distance on our right, and kept along rocky ground

occasionally broken by patches of fine sandy soil. But we were urgently

warned, by people whom we met on our road, of the danger of an

approaching ghazzia.

This place, which a short time ago was the seat of human wellbeing, had

been destroyed by the enemy on the 29th of the preceding month, and all

the inhabitants carried into slavery, notwithstanding the presence of

the expedition which, as I have mentioned above, marched out from Gando

to the succour of their countrymen. The aspect of the place was doleful

and melancholy in the extreme, corresponding well with the dangerous

situation in which we found ourselves; and while traversing the half-

ruined village, which from a bustling little place had become the abode

of death, I almost involuntarily snatched my gun, and held it steadily

in my hand. But life and death in these regions are closely allied; and

we had scarcely left the ruined village behind us, when, in a widening

of the fáddama, which again opened on our right, we were greeted by a

most luxuriant rice-field, where the crops were already almost three

feet high, and girt by the finest border of a rich variety of shady

trees, such as the dorówa, kadé, and kágim, overtopped by a number of

tall deléb palms, the golden fruit of which, half ripe, was starting

forth from under the feathery foliage. But our attention was soon

diverted from the enjoyment of this scenery, to a point of greater

interest to ourselves. We here observed a solitary individual, in spite

of the unsafe state of the country, sitting quietly at the foot of one

of the palm trees, and seemingly enjoying its fruit. Now, coupling the

present state of the country with the news we had just received, we

could not help greatly suspecting this man to be a spy, posted here by

the enemy in order to give them information of the passers by; and I had

the greatest difficulty in preventing my Méjebrí Arab, who, when there

was no danger for himself, always mustered a great amount of courage,

from shooting this suspicious-looking character.

Proceeding then through a very rich country, we reached, after a march

of about two miles, the town of Gúlumbé, situated close to the southern

border of the valley, and exhibiting extensive fields cultivated with

yams and cotton. The banana constituted the chief ornament of the narrow

border inclosed between the fáddama on one side, and the wall of the

town on the other, and the gónda or _Erica Papaya_, raising its feathery

foliage on its slender, virginlike stem, towered proudly over the wall,

as shown in the woodcut on the next page. The town was walled, of

considerable size, and densely inhabited; but nevertheless the people

were in such dread of the enemy, that they kept up a continual beating

of drums; and although, on account of the smallness of the gate, we

encamped outside, in a courtyard situated between the wall and the

border of the fáddama, we thought it prudent to fire a few shots, in

order to apprize the people around that we were well prepared to receive

them, to the great relief of the inhabitants of the town, who, delighted

at the unexpected addition to their strength, treated us in a very

hospitable manner. The only disturbance to our night’s rest was caused

by the mosquitoes, which harassed us greatly and drove most of my people

into the rúdu, that kind of raised hut which I have described on a

former occasion, and which forms the most essential part of even the

poorest dwelling in the province of Kebbi.

[Illustration]

[Sidenote: Monday, June 6th.]

After a thunder-storm accompanied by a few drops of rain, the night was

succeeded by a beautiful morning; and I felt great pleasure in surveying

the interesting landscape, only regretting that the insecure state of

the country did not allow the natives to enjoy it in tranquillity, the

war having driven thousands of people from their homes, and as many more

into captivity. The fields on this side of the town, as well as on the

other, where we had approached it the day before, were fenced with great

care, while horses and asses were grazing on the rich pasture-grounds.

After a little more than a mile and a half, we passed, on our left, a

farming-village called Ígené, after its master, a cheerful Púllo of

advanced age, who was just inspecting the labour of his slaves in the

fields. The crops hereabouts were already more than a foot above the

ground; and a little further on they reached a height of two feet.

Besides sorghum, yams were cultivated to a great extent; but

nevertheless, on account of the insecurity of the country, dearth and

famine everywhere prevailed.

A little further on we passed, on our left, a considerable sheet of

water, with plenty of dorówa, large kadé, and sycamores. The deléb palms

had ceased just beyond Ígené. A broad flat-topped mountain, called

Hamári, at the eastern foot of which lies the town of Zóro, broke the

uniform surface of the country.

Proceeding through this rich but distracted and unsafe district, I was

greatly delighted when, near the walled town of Kardi, I fell in with a

solitary and courageous pilgrim, a Jolof, from the shores of the

Atlantic, carrying his little luggage on his head, and seemingly well

prepared to defend it with his double-barrelled gun which he carried on

his shoulder, and a short sword hanging at his side, while his shirt was

tossed gallantly up, and tied over the shoulder, behind the neck. In my

joy at the sight of this enterprising native traveller, I could not

forbear making him a small present, in order to assist him in his

arduous undertaking.

The walls of the town of Kardi, which is chiefly inhabited by the slaves

of Khalílu, and which is of great importance for the supply of corn in

this province, were strengthened by a thick fence of thorny bushes,

which, in these regions, afford an immense advantage in the defence of

any town, by furnishing a secure place of retreat to the archers.

The green bottom of the wide fáddama had receded to a greater distance

on our right; but we joined it again seven miles from Gúlumbé, and had

here to cross it beyond a couple of hamlets which, lying close together

and called, the one Háusáwa, and the other Kábáwa, gave us a slight

indication as to the history of this country, where the Háusa element,

as the more civilized, gradually gained the upper hand and drove the

native element as well as the Songhay, which advanced from the west,

into the background. Perhaps, if we knew more of the history of this

country, the annals of these two villages might open to us a view of an

interesting national struggle. The fáddama was here at present dry; and

besides yams a great deal of tobacco was cultivated. We then traversed a

wooded tract adorned with a violet _liliacea_ and with the bush tsáda or

bidér, the delicious cherrylike fruit of which I have mentioned

repeatedly, and, slightly ascending, reached, a little before eleven

o’clock, the beautiful site of the former more extensive wall of the

large town of Bírni-n-Kebbi. It was founded in this commanding position

by the dynasty of the Kanta, at the time when the rival Songhay empire

was dashed to pieces and became the prey of foreigners and of a number

of small tribes, who had once been kept in a state of insignificance and

subjection.

Under such circumstances Kebbi, besides being the seat of a powerful

kingdom, became also the centre of a considerable trade even in gold,

till it was destroyed by the Fúlbe under ʿAbd Alláhi, in the year of the

Hejra 1221, when a great deal of gold and silver is said to have been

found among the ruins. The royal palace, however (the ruins of which I

visited), does not seem to have been very extensive; but this in part

may be attributed to the fact that a great portion of the residence

consisted of straw huts for the female department and the followers.[60]

The walls of the present town are almost a mile distant from those of

the old one, lying close to the steep slope which, with a descent of

about 250 feet, goes down here into the large green valley or fáddama

which intersects the whole of Kebbi from E.N.E. to W.S.W., and is at

this part almost three miles in breadth, affording the richest ground

for cultivation, but at present plunged in a state of the utmost

insecurity. Even then it was full of cattle, at least its southerly

part; but they had to be carefully watched by the natives from above the

slope, for the whole of the country on the other side, the hilly chains

and cones of which are clearly seen, is in the hands of the Ázena, that

is to say, those native inhabitants of Kebbi who, since the death of the

more energetic ʿAtíku, are successfully struggling for their religious

and political independence. On the very brink of the slope a market was

held, where we bought some necessaries before entering the town; and I

willingly lingered a few moments, as the whole presented a very novel

sight, increased by a picturesque spur or promontory which juts out into

the valley a few miles to the west, and is a remarkable feature in the

landscape. We then entered the town, which is rather thickly inhabited,

but is far from presenting that cheerful aspect which is peculiar to

most of the towns in these regions, as it is almost bare of trees. I

myself was quartered in an excellent hut, belonging to a newly-married

couple, and possessing all the comforts of which these simple dwellings

are capable,—the floor and walls of the hut being neatly polished, and

the background or “nanne” being newly sprinkled with snow-white sand;

but the whole of the courtyard was extremely narrow, and scarcely

afforded space for my horses and camels.

There are two great men in the town, ʿOthmán Lowel and ʿOthmán Záki; but

the former is the real governor of the place, bearing the pompous but

rather precarious title of serkí-n-Kebbi—for even he, at the present

time, possesses such limited authority, that it was rather out of my

respect for historical connections than for his real power[61], that I

made him a considerable present. He is a man of simple manners, without

pretensions, and almost blind. His residence was distinguished by its

neatness. The other great man, ʿOthmán Záki, who was many years ago

governor of Núpe, and knew Clapperton, although I did not pay him a

visit, showed his friendship for me by very hospitable treatment. He has

since returned to Núpe, and is rebuilding Rabba. We had a long

conversation in the afternoon with the more respectable inhabitants, on

the subject of our journey, and most of the people thought that I should

not succeed in reaching the Niger, the country being in such a turbulent

state; but they advised me to address myself to the governor of Zogírma,

who was the only man, they said, able to assist me in my endeavours to

traverse that part of the country with some degree of security.

[Sidenote: Tuesday, June 7th.]

In the morning, we left the town in the company of a son of ʿOthmán, a

person of manly bearing and a rather European expression of countenance;

and traversing the fields, which were quite dry and as yet without any

preparation for cultivation, we directed our march straight for a pass

in the mountain-spur which I have mentioned above, and which is called

Dúko; but we found it too narrow for our heavily-laden camels to pass

through, the path being cut into the sandstone like a gutter, so that I

was obliged to send my train round the southern slope of the promontory.

We thus descended almost to the level of the fáddama; but having

traversed a richly-wooded vale with a variety of trees, such as dynnia,

mádachi, and fresh kadé, we had another mountain-spur on our left, while

on the right the exuberant savanna of the valley became visible. The

place was enlivened by cattle, and occasionally by a sheet of water at

times fringed with a rich border of vegetation, amongst which also

isolated specimens of the deléb palm, besides dorówa, were not wanting.

Thus we reached the foot of a rocky eminence, on the top of which the

walled town of Kóla is situated in a very strong position, commanding

the whole passage of the valley. It is the seat of a governor who bears

the title of serkí-n-Záromé, and who is said to have as many as seventy

musketeers under his command; so that, as he was an officer of much

importance in this turbulent country, it did not seem advisable to pass

him unnoticed, and we therefore determined to take up our quarters here,

although it was still early in the morning. He has a large house or

palace, but it is somewhat in decay. Having made him a small present, I

was hospitably treated both by himself and his sister, who sent me an

excellent goose, which afforded a very pleasant change in my diet. He

accompanied me the following morning to the boundary of his little

territory.

Our road lay through fine corn-fields, shaded by beautiful dorówa trees,

along the border of this fertile valley, which was formerly surrounded

on both sides by an uninterrupted line of large walled towns. But most

of them are now deserted and destroyed, such as the towns of Kúka (which

lies about three hours north-west) and Ambúrsa; and both factions are

continually harassing each other by predatory expeditions. In fact the

state of the country is such, that the whole of the tribute which the

province of Núpe has to pay to Gando is obliged to take the roundabout

way through Zágha and Bunza, the latter of which is situated about eight

miles south from Zogírma, on the river Gíndi, which is said to be

navigable as far as this place, and sometimes even as far as Jéga. A

considerable number of horses were grazing on the fine pasture-grounds

at the border of the valley, under the protection of a couple of hamlets

well defended by a stockade; but the herbage was full of small venomous

snakes, which repeatedly crossed our path in such numbers as I never saw

before. When we reached the border of the territory of Júggurú, my

companion returned to his residence.

Leaving the walled town of Júggurú (surrounded by a good many monkey-

bread trees) on the hills to our left, we reached, after a march of

about five miles along the border of the valley, and only once crossing

a romantic rocky defile, the considerable town of Diggi; and here I had

the satisfaction of being officially received by three sons of the

governor of Zogírma, who quite unexpectedly came galloping up to the

front and saluted me, wishing me all possible success on my dangerous

undertaking, and bidding me welcome to the province of their father. The

eldest of the three was a very handsome young man, and splendidly

mounted upon a tall grey horse. Pursuing then our march in their

company, we immediately entered the wide fáddama which separated us from

Zogírma; and it took us more than three hours to cross this shallow

swampy valley, the whole of which at the end of the rainy season is

filled with water, but which at present was only intersected by two

broken sheets of stagnant water, while I endeavoured in vain to make

out, at this spot, an uninterrupted channel of the gulbi: and yet, in

the month of September, the whole valley is flooded by a river of

considerable breadth.

The town, which was surrounded by a clay wall in good repair, impressed

me as being more considerable than I had supposed it to be. We were led

immediately to our quarters, and were here treated with very good

tíggera, or prepared millet and sour milk; after which a large calabash

full of rice, and, a short time after, a heifer, were brought me as a

present. Later in the afternoon I went to pay my respects to the

governor, Hámed Búrtu, and found him a very decent-looking man of from

fifty to sixty years of age, with almost European features, but with

rather a melancholy expression of countenance. His residence had a very

stately appearance, and surprised me not a little by its style of

architecture, which approached to the Gothic, although the fine and

well-ornamented clay walls were only loosely held together by a

framework of boards and branches. Presenting to him a red bernús of

middling quality, a piece of muslin, a pair of razors, and some other

trifles, I delivered to him the letter with which Khalílu had furnished

me, and explained to him how the ruler of Gando had given me hopes of

his being able to conduct me safe to Fógha; for the two horsemen whom I

had with me, one from Gando and the other from Sókoto, were only of

service as long as there was anything to eat and while there was no

great danger. He received my address in the most cheerful manner, and

informed me that there were two roads, one of them leading straight on

through the midst of the forest from Zogírma to the town of Kallíul.

This he said was the safest, though it was probably too difficult for my

heavily-laden camels. The other, he added, was more convenient but very

unsafe. He promised, however, that he would find trustworthy men to

escort me.

Zogírma may contain from 7000 to 8000 inhabitants; but at that time it

was suffering greatly from famine, on account of the war which had been

raging for the last two years, between the Fúlbe conquerors of the

country and the native inhabitants the Dendi, who, favoured by the

weakness of the government of their oppressors, had risen to assert

their independence; and I could scarcely feel dissatisfied with my host

when, after the first signs of hospitality which he had shown me, he

left us to provide for our own wants, although we had some difficulty in

procuring a sufficient supply of corn. I was very sorry that, owing to

the unfavourable circumstances of the whole country, I was prevented

from visiting the town of Bunza (which is situated south from Zogírma),

on account of its interesting and important situation as regards the

intercourse with Núpe on the lower part of the gulbi, where it is still

navigable, and the number of deléb palms which are said to adorn it.

There was also residing in this place a man whom I should like to have

visited, inasmuch as he is reported to possess a great knowledge of the

history of the Kanta, and of the relations of the province of Kebbi to

the neighbouring countries. His name is Mʿallem Mahamúdu.

[Sidenote: Thursday, June 9th.]

We were to start the following day, in order to allow our camels some

rest before entering the unsafe wilderness; but in the course of the

morning the news suddenly arrived that a party of Tawárek, with about

forty camels besides bullocks and asses, had arrived at the neighbouring

town of Tilli on their way to Fógha, thus affording us the opportunity

of traversing the wilderness with some degree of security. It was

therefore decided that we should start in the afternoon by way of Tilli,

which certainly lay greatly out of our road, in order to join this

party, while my young friend Ábú Bakr, the eldest son of the governor,

rode immediately to the neighbouring town to induce those people to wait

for us. It was thus deemed sufficient to give me for companions only two

horsemen; but fortunately they were of such a character that I preferred

them to at least a dozen other people, both of them being experienced

old warriors and most respectable men, one of them having been till

lately the governor of the town of Débe, which was now deserted, and the

site of which we had to pass on our road. I was heartily glad to get rid

of my two former effeminate companions, Lowel, the servant of the

governor of Gando, and Beshír, an attendant of the ghaladíma in Sókoto,

as they had been of scarcely any use to me on my way hither, except,

perhaps, in procuring me a better reception from the governors of the

towns and villages; and I gladly complied with the demands of my new

companions, by giving to each of them a new black “lithám” or “ráwani

bakí” for themselves, a flask of rose oil for their wives, and one

thousand shells for the expenses of their households during their

absence.

Returning then in a north-easterly direction along the western border of

the broad fáddama, we reached after a march of about four miles, when

the sun had already gone down, the town of Tilli, which, coming from

Diggi, we had had just opposite us on the other side of the valley. Here

the danger from the enemy was already considered so great, that the

gates of the town on this side had been walled up, only a very narrow

passage having been left, which could only be used by way of a

drawbridge or kadárku. Having here learned that our new companions were

already gone on in advance, and had encamped at the very border of the

forest, we changed our direction from north-east to north-west, and,

after a march of about a mile, encamped close to them. A large herd of

cattle had its resting-place in the neighbourhood.

[Sidenote: Friday, June 10th.]

When we started, at an early hour in the morning, we soon left the

cultivated grounds and entered a dense forest, which at the present

season had a very pleasant appearance, all the trees being in blossom,

and spreading a delightful fragrance around. We were also agreeably

surprised when, after proceeding about five miles, we passed two

extensive ponds, which supplied us with delicious water. But on our

return journey, in August 1854, the water of these same ponds had

acquired such a pernicious character, that it almost poisoned the whole

of my troop. A little beyond these ponds, we had a considerable rocky

declivity, of about one hundred feet, from the top of which we surveyed

the extensive forest before us. To our disappointment, we encamped at a

very early hour, a little after noon; but a short distance further on,

the danger would have become so imminent that it would have been unwise

to pass the night there. Having, therefore, pitched my tent in the midst

of the forest, I indulged with great delight in the pleasure of an open

encampment, such as I had not enjoyed since leaving Gáwasú, the dirty

huts in which I had lately taken up my quarters having literally turned

my stomach. But I had to enjoy this wild encampment rather longer than

was pleasant; for we had to remain in it the whole of the following day,

in consequence of my friends the Ásbenáwa losing, in the course of the

night, one of their camels, which they did not choose to abandon. This

involuntary feat of mine procured me a name in the whole neighbourhood,

so that when I safely returned the following year from my journey to

Timbúktu, the people of the neighbourhood designated me only as the man

who had spent a day in the unsafe wilderness.

But it almost seemed as if we were to stay here a third day; for when we

were getting ready our luggage early in the morning of the 12th, a very

violent thunder-storm broke out, with torrents of rain, which made our

open encampment rather uncomfortable, and did not allow us to start

until a late hour. After a march of about four miles through a very

dense forest with low ridges on our right, we reached the site of Bírni-

n-Débe, a beautiful open spot adorned with a rich abundance of dorówa

besides a tolerable number of deléb palms, while beyond the rich mass of

vegetation a hilly chain approached from the north-east. Footprints of

elephants were here observed in every direction. The rich character of

the country scarcely allows the traveller to suspect that a few miles to

the north lies the province of Máuri or Árewá, which all my authorities

represent as a country approaching closely to the nature of the desert.

Having then entered again thick forest, which occasionally became so

dense that it scarcely allowed us to pass, and caused repeated delays,

we reached, after a march of about nine miles, a large depression or

shallow vale coming from the north-east from the province of Máuri, and

therefore called Dallul or Ráfi-n-Máuri (the Vale of Máuri), richly clad

with a profusion of the most succulent herbage and with numerous deléb

palms, besides a few specimens of the dúm palm; and having halted here

for a few minutes near a well and the site of a former Púllo settlement

of the name of Bána, we crossed the path which leads from Máuri to Yélu,

the capital of the province of Déndina. This is the most dangerous part

of the whole route, on account of the two provinces, that of Máuri and

Déndina, having rebelled, and there being constant intercourse between

the enemy in these two quarters along this track, so that our companions

were not a little alarmed when fresh footprints of horses were here

discovered. However we could move on but slowly on account of the dense

thicket, and the anxiety of the people to collect the fruit of the deléb

palm, corn being extremely scanty and scarcely to be got in this region

at the time. Here the camel, which I had received from Khalílu in a

present, and which I had given up to my Méjebrí companion, went raving

mad, making the most ludicrous leaps, and kicking in every direction,

till it fell to the ground.

At length we emerged from the dense vegetation of the fertile but

neglected vale, and ascended higher ground, which separates the dallul

Máuri from the dallul Fógha[62], and after a while obtained a sight of

the hilly chain bordering the east side of the latter valley, which runs

from N. 20° E. to S. 20° W., being at the broadest part about 1000 yards

across. These valleys certainly form a very remarkable feature in this

quarter, and, by their shallow character and the total want of a current

in the water here collected, evidently prove the little inclination

which the country has towards the Niger, as well as the limited extent

of ground which they drain; and it seems extremely doubtful whether,

even after the plentiful rains which occasionally fall in the

mountainous country of Ásben, the watercourses of that region have even

the slightest connection with these shallow vales which join the Niger.

It was half-past four in the afternoon when, greatly fatigued by our

long and slow march, we gradually descended the shelving ground into the

valley of Fógha, the beautifully sloping banks of which are adorned with

a profusion of dúm palms, but are entirely wanting in deléb palms.

Crossing then the green vale, which was clothed with rank grass, and

only presented here and there a broken sheet of water, we reached the

first salt-manufacturing hamlet, which is situated on a mound of rubbish

of almost regularly quadrangular shape, and of about thirty feet

elevation, not unlike the ancient towns of Assyria, while at its foot a

shallow dirty pond of brackish water of almost black colour spread

out,—the whole scenery forming a very remarkable _ensemble_, of which an

attempt has been made to give a fair representation in the plate

opposite.

[Illustration: Drawn by J. M. Bernatz, from a Sketch by Dr. Barth.

M. & N. Hanhart, lith. et impt.

RÁFIN FÓGHA.]

A few cattle were grazing here and there, but they looked very sickly

and emaciated, and skeletons of others were lying about in all

directions, proving the ravages that disease had made among them: for,

besides the fact that general epidemic diseases visit the cattle in

these regions as well as in the countries to the south of the equator at

certain periods, the conquering tribe settled in this quarter having had

to sustain a long siege against the enemy, most of their cattle, being

cooped up in the town, had perished for want of pasture. Notwithstanding

all these disasters, the inhabitants of Kallíul stood their ground; for

the Fúlbe hereabouts are a very warlike race, and are excellent archers.

Several of them, attracted by the news of the arrival of a caravan with

corn, of which they stood so much in need, rushed past us on horseback

as we were looking out for a place where we might take up our quarters

with some degree of safety. Leaving two other salt-manufacturing hamlets

on our left side equally jutting out into the bottom of the vale, we

descended at length from a higher slope crowned by a cluster of well-

built but at present deserted huts; and being informed that the town of

Kallíul, or Káura, was still some distance off, and far out of our road,

we turned into one of these salt-hamlets, which was the fourth on this

side. Here we were quartered in a very excellent hut, but suffered

greatly from mosquitoes during the following night.

We remained in this poor hamlet the following day, and, being aware of

the great distress which prevailed in the whole of this tract of

country, I had no more urgent business than to despatch two of my men

early in the morning to our companions the Ásbenáwa, who had encamped on

the other side of the valley, in order to endeavour to buy from them as

much corn as they were able to spare; but my servants soon returned with

the news that the distressed inhabitants had taken from the fatáki or

native traders all their corn by force. I was therefore rather badly

off, but nevertheless was prevented from pursuing my route at once, as

the camels wanted some repose. The site of our hamlet was highly

interesting to me; and I soon set out for a stroll around this

artificial mound of rubbish. It was of considerable size, measuring

about 200 yards in length, and the same in breadth, with an elevation of

50 feet towards the bottom of the valley, and about 20 towards the edge

of the bank,—the whole of this mound bearing evident proof of its

artificial character, consisting as it did of nothing but the soil of

the valley itself, from which the saline particles had been extracted.

The salt is here prepared in the following manner. The earth is taken

from the bottom of the vale, and put into large funnels made of straw

and reeds, when water is poured upon the earth, and strained through the

funnels, after which it is caught in vessels placed underneath, and then

boiled, and the sediment formed into the shape of a small loaf.

That it is the earth which contains the saline particles, and not the

rank grass which grows here, I am quite sure, although in other places

there is no doubt that salt is extracted from the grass growing in such

localities: but this can only be done by burning, the salt being

extracted from the ashes; and no such process is pursued here. The salt

is of a greyish-yellow colour, and quite fit for cooking purposes; it is

of a much better quality than the bitter salt of Bílma, although, no

doubt, far inferior to the beautiful crystal salt of Taödénni, of which

I here saw the first specimen with some Songhay pilgrims, who had left

Hómbori four months previously on their way to Mekka. However, such a

mode of proceeding is only practicable in the dry, or towards the

beginning of the rainy season; for at the end of the latter the valley

is quite full of water, which then is fresh, and is said to contain

plenty of fish, the saltish properties of the soil being too scanty and

inconsiderable to impregnate so large body of water. Even at present a

considerable quantity of the aqueous element had already collected,

filling, in some places, the whole width of the valley between the two

banks, to the depth of a foot or two, so that the people could not make

use of the soil from the valley itself; but they had stored up a

sufficient provision to enable them to carry on their labours for a

month or two longer.

The Fúlbe call these places síle-chólli. It is only the salt which

induces the inhabitants to remain in this locality; for they have been

harassed extremely by their energetic enemy the Déndi. The town of

Kallíul had had to sustain, during a very short period, no fewer than

five attacks from the latter, whose chief seat, Yélu, closely borders

upon their territory; and, in addition to the sad circumstance of all

their cattle having died, these people had also lost the whole of their

slaves, who, under such circumstances, had run away in a body. The

neighbourhood, even at the present moment, was so unsafe, that the

people of the town would not allow me to stay in the open hamlet where I

was, and wanted me to come to them behind their wall; but fearing longer

delay I declined, and fixed my departure for the following day.

Yélu[63], the principal place of Déndina the country of the Déndi (a

branch of the Songhay about whom I shall say more on another occasion),

is situated only about seven or eight miles lower down this same valley,

which joins the Great River at the town of Dóle, and which is especially

inhabited by Songhay people. Their well-known and renowned chief,

Gójida, had recently died, and had been succeeded by a younger brother

of his, of the name of Gódu, who kept up the struggle against the

conquering tribe with considerable energy, and probably, if he had been

better provided with cavalry, would have long ago established the

independence of his countrymen, by driving away the Fúlbe from the

valley of Fógha, and thus opening a free intercourse with the countries

to the north. But the inhabitants of Kallíul, as I assured myself

especially on my return journey, when I entered the town, are hardy

warriors, and keep well together, although that little community is

ruled by four petty chiefs,—Señína, Mámma Yídi, and two brothers called

Mámma Gúnga and Ámedu Gúnga. Even on the present occasion of my journey

westward, these petty chiefs paid me a visit, and I made each of them a

small present; but none of them was able to supply me with even the

smallest provision of corn, although they all evinced their benevolent

disposition, and Señína (who, by wearing a miserable sort of bernús of

the poorest description, seemed to vindicate his superiority over his

brother chiefs) made me a present of 100 Kóla nuts, which luxury he

could more easily spare than a few grains of corn. Mámma Yídi, on the

other hand, an elderly gentleman, was distinguished by his amiable

conduct, and understood even a little Háusa. Generally speaking, none of

the Fúlbe here speak a single word of that language, the valley of Fógha

forming the boundary between the Háusa and the Songhay languages. I

likewise received a visit from two sons of the kádhi or alkáli, one of

whom, of the name of ʿAbd el Wahábi, was a remarkably handsome man, of

very gentlemanlike bearing, more like a European in his countenance than

a native of Negroland, and of a melancholy turn of mind, which awakened

my interest in him.

[Sidenote: Tuesday, June 14th.]

My two warlike companions from Zogírma, who, by their experience and

energetic conduct, had inspired me with almost unbounded confidence, and

whom I should have liked to have attached to me for a much longer

period, had returned home the moment I reached the border of the valley,

finding their only safety in speed and secrecy, and cutting straight

across the thickest part of the forest; and, in consequence, I had used

all my endeavours to obtain here another escort, but all in vain.

However, Mámma Yídi having promised that a guide should overtake me on

the road, I started tolerably early the next morning, in order to pursue

my journey through this unsafe wilderness, being anxious not to cause

more delay, and thus to increase the danger of my situation in

consequence of the news of my proceedings having spread through the

neighbourhood; but instead of making right across the country, I was

first obliged to retrace my steps northwards, to the very place where I

had crossed the valley two days previously, for, Kallíul being anything

but a place of trade and commerce, all the little intercourse which is

still going on in this region is carried on along the direct road,

without touching at this place.

A few hundred yards higher up from this spot, a rich source of excellent

fresh water gushes out from the rocky ground, and forms a large sheet in

the bottom of the valley, affording a remarkable contrast to the black

muddy water which covers the remainder of the surface. Having taken in

here a supply of water, we then passed several other salt-hamlets or

síle-chólli, and emerging from the valley ascended the higher ground,

which presented open pastures with only a little underwood scattered in

bushes here and there, principally the gónda bush and the poisonous

plant, damankádda, which I have already mentioned repeatedly as forming

an ornament of the landscape, at the same time that it endangers the

life of the camel.

It was a beautiful morning, and the view over the valley from this

undulating ground was highly interesting. We had just entered denser

forest, when my friend Yídi overtook me, accompanied by two horsemen,

and handing me, to my great surprise, besides a good provision of salt,

2000 kurdí, or shells, which I only reluctantly accepted for the sake of

my servants. He also brought me a guide, who was to accompany me as far

as Gárbo. We therefore pursued our march cheerfully, but experienced

repeated delays in the thick covert of the forest. The trees were rather

dry, and not very luxuriant, no rain having fallen in this part of the

country for some time. A little further on we passed a small pond, where

we fell in with a party of Tawárek half-castes from Zaberma or

Chéggazar, who were carrying the salt of Fógha to their home, on a small

number of oxen and asses. We encamped at a quarter past three o’clock in

the afternoon, near another small pond, on an open spot, where I again

enjoyed an open encampment, which is the greatest charm of a travelling

life.

[Sidenote: Wednesday, June 15th.]

Soon after starting, we had to descend a rocky passage, and we were glad

to find the road, from time to time, enlivened by small parties of

travellers. First we fell in with a man of the name of Mohammed el Amín,

from Hámed-Alláhi, the capital of the western empire of the Fúlbe, who

had come by way of Júnju, and who, having cherished the good intention

of performing the pilgrimage to Mekka, had been frightened by the

difficulties of the road; and further on we met another party of

travellers, among whom was a Limtúni, that is to say, a Moor, a man of

mixed Arab and Berber blood, of the ancient tribe of the Limtúna—who,

having once formed the chief portion of the powerful confederation of

the Merábetín (Almoravides), are at present scattered and settled, in

small fragments, on the very shores of the Atlantic. He was a stout and

active little fellow, with an open countenance, and, being on his way to

Mekka, rushed immediately towards me to salute me, asking me whether I

was a Turk or a Christian. I presented him with a dollar, requesting him

to give a short note (which I wrote on the spot) to my friend Háj

Beshír, in Kúkawa, wherein I informed him of my whereabouts.

Having then passed several ponds, among which the tebki Sugíndo was the

most important, and made another rocky descent, from the top of which we

overlooked the large valley or dallul of Bóso, and having turned round a

small rocky ridge, we reached the village of Gárbo about two o’clock in

the afternoon. Gárbo is a small place, half deserted, and greatly

harassed by the enemy,—the Déndi of Tanda having made a foray against

this place only two days previously, and carried away almost all the

cattle belonging to the inhabitants. But it is of importance, as being

the last Háusa place in this direction, the regions to the west

belonging exclusively to the Songhay and Fúlbe. A clay wall, which was

to afford some protection to the town, had just been begun but left half

finished. Numbers of corn-stacks inspired us with the hope that we might

be able here to supply ourselves with corn; but not a grain was to be

obtained. There was therefore no staying in this place, although our

heavily laden camels were rather fatigued after the forced march through

the wilderness.

[Sidenote: Thursday, June 16th.]

At a tolerably early hour we were again on the march through the fields,

where the fresh crops were just shooting up; but a little further on

they had attained already to a greater height, and were just being

cleared of weeds. Cattle also were not entirely wanting, and gave

sufficient proof that, under a strong government, there were elements

enough for the welfare of the people. The ground here is broken by

several cavities or hollows, where ponds are formed, which of course

vary in size according to the season. Some of them, although of

considerable circumference, contained salt water of a blackish colour.

Thus, having passed a fresh swampy depression, where dúm and deléb palms

also were not unfrequent, we reached, after a march of about seven

miles, a farming village called Lanadéji, where the peculiar structure

of the corn-stacks attracted my attention; but, although built of clay,

they are not pretty, and neither similar to the nobler style of those

which we have found in the Músgu country, nor to those which we are to

meet with further on, in the country of Másina. The whole cultivation

consists here of Negro millet, to the exclusion of rice and sorghum.

Last year’s crop had here also been very scanty; and we endeavoured in

vain to procure a supply. We had then to cross the bottom of the valley

or ráfi, which at present exhibited only separate sheets of water, while

on my return journey the following year, later in the season, it was

almost entirely inundated. But at a short distance beyond the hamlet,

even at present, we crossed with some difficulty an extensive swamp

covered with rank grass.

We took up our quarters, after a march of about nine miles, in an open

village situated on a rising ground, and overhanging a large sheet of

water which is overgrown with reeds; it is called Songho-sáre, meaning

probably “the town of the Songhay,” but nevertheless a very remarkable

name, as “sáre” is not a Songhay, but a Mandingo word. Besides Songhay

and Fúlbe, it was inhabited by serfs belonging to the people of Támkala;

and, being a farming village, it was full of corn-stacks. All the huts

in these Songhay villages consist merely of reeds; and while they are

less solid than the dwellings of Kebbi, which throughout are built with

clay walls, they are better ventilated and have a less offensive smell.

There was here a jovial old Púllo farmer, with a cheerful countenance

and pleasing manners, of the name of Mámmaga, who behaved very

hospitably towards me, and, besides milk and corn, even made me a

present of a sheep.

[Sidenote: Friday, June 17th.]

There had been a thunder-storm in the night; but it was not accompanied

with much rain, and the sky, not having been lightened by a discharge,

was thickly overcast when we set out. An extensive tract of country

consisting of sandy soil was here under cultivation, while the trees at

first were very scanty; but gradually the country became more wooded,

while considerable herds of cattle gave life to the landscape. After we

had passed another pond of water, we halted for a few minutes to refresh

ourselves near a herd of cattle, which was the property of a clan of

Fúlbe, called Dánan-koye, the original inhabitants belonging to that

part of the Songhay nation which are called Germábe; and proceeding

through a more woody country with an undulating surface, we took up our

quarters, at a very early hour, in another farming-village, called

Tigóre: for my camels were in want of rest, and I was too weak myself to

resist the wishes of my servants. This village is exclusively inhabited

by independent farmers, although belonging to the native Songhay stock.

The architecture of the place was entirely different from that of

Songho-sáre (which is more of a slave-village), consisting of very large

courtyards, which evidently appeared intended for a rich supply of

cattle, although at the present moment no cattle were to be seen in the

neighbourhood; and the huts themselves, although consisting entirely of

reeds, were large and spacious. We had some difficulty in obtaining

quarters, as the mayor of the hamlet was by no means of a jovial or

hospitable disposition, besides that the Songhay in general are among

the most inhospitable people I ever met, and, in their present degraded

political situation, are of a rather sullen character. Moreover, the

inhabitants of this hamlet, just at that moment, were in a state of

great excitement, as they had received the news that Dáúdu, the young

rebellious chieftain of Zaberma, or Zerma, was about to attack Ábú ’l

Hassan, the governor of Támkala, with a strong force; and this ray of

hope, of once more making themselves independent of those foreign

intruders who had conquered their country, could not fail at once to

rouse the national spirit of these people, who had formerly offered a

long resistance to the Fúlbe, and to render them indisposed to honour a

stranger who was paying his court to those foreign rulers, and at

present was under the protection of the chief of Gando. This report was

the reason of my giving up my intended visit to the town of Támkala,

which lay a short distance out of our direct road to Say, towards the

north, where we expected to find a supply of corn.

[Sidenote: Saturday, June 18th.]

On leaving Tigóre, we passed by the well, which presented a busy scene,

numbers of women being engaged in drawing water. Although situated in a

depression, it was twelve fathoms in depth. Further on we passed another

well, which had even been surrounded by a strong fence, to prevent

strangers from using it; and in the village of Tihóre, which we reached

after a march of about eight miles, the well, although situated at the

foot of the hill, measured as much as twenty-five fathoms in depth.

Owing to the weak condition of my camels, I was induced by my people to

take up my quarters in this village; but I was heartily tired of these

short marches, for the hut where I was lodged was in very bad condition,

being extremely small and dirty, with no trees to afford a little shade

during the hot hours of the day. Provisions also were here very scanty;

and it was with great difficulty that I obtained a small supply of corn

for our horses. But I was so fortunate as to procure a little sour milk,

there being a tolerably large herd of cattle belonging to Fúlbe cattle-

breeders, who inhabit a sort of suburb at the north-western end of the

village. The whole neighbourhood was suffering from drought, as there

had been no rain for the last eight days; nor did a thunder-storm, which

in the afternoon gathered from the east, bring us a single drop.

[Sidenote: Sunday, June 19th.]

The district also, through which lay the first part of this day’s march,

was extremely parched and suffering from want of rain, and in

consequence of this drought, notwithstanding the advanced season, the

ground hereabout had not yet been brought under cultivation; but after a

march of a little more than three miles, through a country partly laid

out in fields, partly covered with underwood, we entered a district

which had been more favoured with rain, and where the labours of the

field had begun. The people here make use of a hoe with a long handle,

of a different shape from what I observed in other quarters.

Forest and cultivated ground then again succeeded each other

alternately; and having passed a farming-village of some extent called

Tanna, we took up our quarters about four miles beyond, in a village

called Tóndifú, but were obliged to use force to obtain a hut for our

use, as the head man of the village was too lazy, or too obstinate, to

leave his cool shed in the heat of the day: probably here also the news

of the proceedings of their countrymen in Zaberma kept the minds of the

people in a state of excitement. The hamlet, which is rather a miserable

one, has received its name from lying at the commencement of a rocky

district, which extends from here to the river, a hill or mound being

called “tóndi” in the Songhay language. We were now close to the Niger;

and I was justified in indulging in the hope that I might the next day

behold with my own eyes that great river of Western Africa, which has

caused such intense curiosity in Europe, and the upper part of the large

eastern branch of which I had myself discovered.

[Sidenote: Monday, June 20th.]

Elated with such feelings, I set out the next morning, at an early hour;

and after a march of a little less than two hours, through a rocky

wilderness covered with dense bushes, I obtained the first sight of the

river, and in less than an hour more, during which I was in constant

sight of this noble spectacle, I reached the place of embarkation,

opposite the town of Say.

[Illustration: Drawn by J. M. Bernatz, from a Sketch by Dr. Barth.

M. & N. Hanhart, lith. et impt.

THE ÍSA (NIGER) AT SAY.

June 20th. 1853.]

In a noble unbroken stream, though here, where it has become contracted,

only about 700 yards broad, hemmed in on this side by a rocky bank of

from twenty to thirty feet in elevation, the great river of Western

Africa (whose name, under whatever form it may appear, whether Dhiúlibá,

Máyo, Eghírrëu, Ísa, Kwára, or Báki-n-rúwa, means nothing but “the

river,” and which therefore may well continue to be called the Niger)

was gliding along, in a N.N.E. and S.S.W. direction, with a moderate

current of about three miles an hour. On the flatter shore opposite, a

large town was spreading out, the low rampart and huts of which were

picturesquely overtopped by numbers of slender dúm palms.

This is the river-town, or “ford,” the name Say meaning, in this eastern

dialect, “the river.” The Fúlbe call it Ghútil, which name may

originally have been applied to the ford at the island of Oitilli. The

banks at present were not high; but the river, as it rises, approaches

the very border of the rocky slope.

I had sent a messenger in advance, the preceding day, in order to have

some large boats ready for me to cross the river. But no boat having

arrived, I had plenty of leisure for contemplating the river scenery,

which is represented in the plate opposite. There were a good number of

passengers, Fúlbe and Songhay, with asses and pack-oxen, and there were

some smaller boats in readiness suitable to their wants; but at length

the boats, or rather canoes, which were to carry me and my effects

across, made their appearance. They were of good size, about forty feet

in length, and from four to five feet in width in the middle, consisting

of two trunks of trees hollowed out, and sewn together in the centre.

These boats are chiefly employed for conveying the corn from the town of

Sínder, which lies higher up the river, to the town of Say; and they had

been expressly sent for by the “king of the waters,” or the inspector of

the harbour, the “serkí-n-jirgí,” or “lámido-lála,” as he is called by

the Fúlbe, or “híyokoy,” according to his title in the Songhay language.

The largest of them was able to carry three of my camels; and the water

was kept out much better than I had ever yet found to be the case with

the native craft of the inhabitants of Negroland.

My camels, horses, people, and luggage having crossed over without an

accident, I myself followed, about one o’clock in the afternoon, filled

with delight when floating on the waters of this celebrated stream the

exploration of which had cost the sacrifice of so many noble lives. A

little nearer the western bank, a short distance below the spot where

the river is generally crossed, an isolated rock starts forth from the

river, rising at this season from twelve to fifteen feet above the

surface; and beyond there is a smaller one, which, as the river rises a

little higher, becomes covered by the water. The sight of the river was

the more momentous to me, as I was soon again to take leave of it; for

my former notion, that I should be able to reach Timbúktu only by way of

Libtáko, had been confirmed in Gando, and I only entertained a slight

hope that perhaps on a future occasion I might visit that part of the

river between Timbúktu and Say. From the very beginning I entertained

strong doubts whether I should be able to reach the western coast; and

it seemed to me more interesting to survey the course of the Niger

between the point where it has become tolerably well known by the

labours of Mungo Park and Réné Caillié and the lower portion explored by

the Landers, than to cross the whole extent of Central Africa.

Having presented myself at the governor’s house, I soon obtained

quarters; but they were not at all according to my fancy, being small

and narrow. The town, in its very low position, is not refreshed by a

single current of air, and altogether has a very oppressive atmosphere.

The huts in these Songhay places are made rather for women than for men,

the greater part of each hut being occupied by the female apartment or

the alkilla, and the bedstead or serír, made of the branches of trees,

being inclosed in a separate chamber of mats, and thus leaving only a

very small entrance, and obstructing the whole interior of the dwelling.

I have already had occasion, in describing the town of Ágades, to point

out the care which the Songhay people bestow upon their matrimonial

couches; and I was obliged first of all to take down one of these small

matting bed-rooms in order to obtain some little ventilation in my hut.

At length I had made myself somewhat comfortable, when the governor sent

two calabashes of rice in the husk, and two others of millet, but no

refreshment for the moment, though I stood very much in need of it,

having been exposed to the sun during the hottest part of the day. To

the master of the harbour, who had so opportunely supplied me with the

large boats, I made a present of 1000 shells. Very little rain had

fallen as yet in this neighbourhood; and a thunder-storm which broke out

in the afternoon did not reach us. Indeed the air in this low valley,

which is probably at a level of about 350 ft., was so oppressive, that I

felt at times almost suffocated, and unable to breathe.

The following morning I took a ride round the place and its

neighbourhood. The shape of the town is tolerably quadrangular, being

encompassed on three sides by a low rampart of earth, the side towards

the river being unprotected. It is of considerable size, each side

measuring about 1400 yards; but the town is only thinly inhabited, the

dwellings (all of which except the house of the governor, consist of

matting and reeds) lying scattered about like so many separate hamlets.

It is intersected from north to south by a wide shallow depression or

vale encompassed by dúm palms, which are almost the only trees either

inside or outside the town; and at the end of the rainy season it

becomes filled with water, causing great inconvenience to the business

of the town and the intercourse between the various quarters, and

greatly contributing to its unhealthiness. There can be no doubt that,

in seasons when the river reaches an unusual height, the whole town is

under water, the inhabitants being obliged to seek safety beyond the

borders of the valley.

There is a market held every day in the eastern part, not far from the

bank of the river. Poor as it is, it is of some importance in the

present state of the country: and hence the town has a great name as a

market-place among the inhabitants of Western Súdán, a great many of

whom here supply their want of native manufactures, especially of the

common clothing for males and females, as the art of weaving and dyeing

is greatly neglected in this quarter, cotton being cultivated only to a

very small extent. But the place was most miserably supplied with

provisions, there being no store of grain whatever. Everything necessary

was brought day by day from the town called Sínder—the same place which

I have mentioned as being situated about eighty miles higher up the

river. I was greatly surprised at not finding here even a vestige of the

cultivation of rice, although a large tract of ground on this low

island, which, towards the rainy season becomes partly inundated, is

particularly suited to that branch of cultivation. Not even onions are

grown in the place; but, fortunately, I had been informed of the

circumstance beforehand, and had provided myself with a large supply of

this useful article in Gando, where the onions are excellent.

Being detained in this place longer than I wished, and feeling a little

better, on the Thursday following I took a ride along the river to some

distance below, where it takes a westerly bend, and I was astonished at

the dry and barren aspect which this island bore, even here neither rice

crops nor vegetables, as might be expected along the banks of so noble a

river, being seen. The island, which during the highest level the river

attains becomes almost inundated, bore the aspect of a scorched treeless

prairie; and disappointed in my expectation of finding a cool shade, I

returned into the town, being cheerfully saluted by all the people whom

I met, the name of a módibo or learned man, which preceded me, gaining

me the favour of the inhabitants. While passing along the streets, I was

delighted to observe a certain degree of industry displayed in small

handicrafts and in the character of the interior of the households.

Everything was very dear, but particularly butter, which was scarcely to

be procured at all. All the currency of the market consists of shells;

but I found the most profitable merchandise to be the black cloth for

female apparel from Gando, which realized a profit of eighty per cent.,

while the Kanó manufactures did not find a ready sale. The black Núpe

tobe, of common manufacture, bought in Gando for 3300 shells, here

fetched 5000, while the black zenne, manufactured in Gando itself, and

bought there for 1050, sold here for 2000. Of course all depends, in

this respect, upon the momentary state of the intercourse of this

quarter with Háusa; and, at the present time almost all communication

with that manufacturing province being interrupted, it is easy to

explain how an article produced in Gando could realize such a per-

centage in a town at so short a distance from that place—a state of

things which cannot form the general rule. At any rate for the English,

or Europeans in general, Say is the most important place in all this

tract of the river, if they ever succeed in crossing the rapids which

obstruct the river above Rabba and especially between Búsa and Yaúri,

and reaching this fine open sheet of water, the great highroad of

Western Central Africa. The traffic of the natives along the river is

not inconsiderable, although even this branch of industry has naturally

suffered greatly from the rebellious state of the adjacent provinces,

more especially those of Zabérma and Déndina; so that, at present, boats

did not go further down the river than Kirotáshi, an important place

situated about fifteen miles lower down, on the western bank, while in

the opposite direction, up the river, there was constant intercourse as

far as Kindáji, with which place I made myself sufficiently acquainted

on my return journey.

About noon the second day of my stay here, I paid a visit to the

governor of the town. His name is Ábú Bakr, the son of the far-famed

mʿallem Mohammed Jébbo. I found him a tolerably cheerful person,

although he is wanting in that manliness of character which makes a

lasting impression, and he bore evident signs of having been born of a

female slave, while his manners appeared to me to possess something

approaching to a Jewish character. He, however, was delighted to see me,

as I was not only the first Christian who had ever visited this place,

which Mungo Park, on his ever-memorable journey, seems to have passed by

entirely unnoticed, but especially as I had come at a time when the

whole intercourse of the country had been interrupted, and Arabs as well

as natives were all afraid of visiting it. Having heard of the great

superiority of Europeans over the Arabs, both in point of intelligence

and industry, he entertained an earnest wish, if it could be

accomplished without detriment to the welfare of his province, that a

vessel or steamer belonging to them might come and fill his poor market

with luxuries; and it was with the utmost surprise that he learned that

I did not trade. But, on the other hand, this led the governor to think

that, in exposing myself to such great dangers, I could not but have a

very mysterious object in view; and he soon became alarmed, and asked

repeatedly why I did not proceed on my journey.

I had already been informed in Gando, that Ábú Bakr, two years

previously, had navigated the river with a small flotilla of boats,

upwards as far as Gágho or Gógó, the ancient capital of Songhay, and

collected tribute from the Fúlbe or Féllani settled near that place, but

that he had been prevented by the threatening attitude of the Tawárek

from penetrating any further. In consequence of this expedition on the

river, made in open boats which were continually filling with water, the

governor was suffering very severely from rheumatism, and was scarcely

able to move.

Having so many petty chiefs before me, and seeing that this officer did

not possess much power, I did not choose to give him a large present;

but on my return the following year, when I still had something left, I

made him a more considerable present of a bernús.

Having entered a new country, where a language was spoken (the Songhay)

with which neither I nor any of my servants was acquainted, and not

being able to give much time to its study, as I had to apply myself to

the Fulfúlde, the language of the conquering tribe, I was extremely

anxious to take into my service a native of the country, or to liberate

a Songhay slave; but I did not succeed at this time, and, in

consequence, felt not so much at home in my intercourse with the

inhabitants of the country through which I had next to pass, as I had

done formerly. For Gurma, although originally inhabited by quite a

distinct race, has been conquered and peopled by the Songhay to a great

extent.

[Footnote 60: Kálgo, at the northern foot of the mountain, lies south-

west from here, and the town of Gurma, at present destroyed, north-east

beyond the valley.]

[Footnote 61: For a statement of the few facts which have come to my

knowledge, with regard to the history of this kingdom, see Appendix.]

[Footnote 62: Dallul Fógha joins the Niger at Bírni-n-Dóle, one day and

a half from Gáya.]

[Footnote 63: For the other places of Déndina, see Appendix V. Here I

will only enumerate a few villages belonging to the districts which we

passed on our road from Zogírma, and lying just in the border district

of the Songhay and Háusa territories. Close to Júnju lie the following

places, or rather hamlets, at present greatly reduced: Karákará, ʿAbd el

ʿAzi, Jabóre, Bébé, Dámana, Gangánge. The following places are said to

lie along the dallul Fógha; but I am not able to indicate their

situation more distinctly: Rúma, Béngu, Baná Harukári, Nyánsamé, Kúduru,

Gergánga and Lúdu. There is no such town as “Bírni-n-Fógha,” Fógha being

only the name of the valley; but not far from Kallíul there is another

town called Báura. Most of the villages mentioned are inhabited by

pagans.]

[Illustration: DR. BARTH’S TRAVELS IN NORTH AND CENTRAL AFRICA Sheet No.

13.

MAP OF THE ROUTES between SAY AND TIMBÚKTU 24 June 1853-30 July 1854.

INCLUDING THE SURVEY OF THE NIGER.

Constructed and drawn by A. Petermann.

Engraved by E. Weller, _Duke Strt. Bloomsbury._

_London, Longman & Co._]

CHAP. LX.

THE HILLY COUNTRY OF GURMA.

[Sidenote: Friday, June 24th.]

I now left the Great River behind me, which formed the limit between

the tolerably known regions of Central Negroland and the totally

unexplored countries on the south-western side of its course; and

with intense interest my thoughts were concentrated on the new region

before me. However, this very day we had a sufficient specimen of

what awaited us on our march during the rainy season; for we had

scarcely left the low island behind us, on which the town of Say, this

hotbed of fever, is situated (with its dry prairie ground almost

destitute of verdure, and covered only with a few scattered specimens of

the _Asclepiadeæ_), and had ascended the steep rocky bank which borders

the west side of the narrow, shallow, and irregular western branch of

the river, which, being encompassed by granite boulders, was at present

dry, when a dark array of thunder-clouds came, as it were, marching upon

us from the south-east, and we had scarcely time to prepare for the

serious assault, when a terrible thunder-storm broke out, beginning with

a most fearful sand-wind, which enveloped the whole district in the

darkness of night, and made progress, for a moment, quite impossible.

After a while it was followed by a violent rain, which relieved the

sand-storm, but lasted for nearly three hours, filling our path with

water to the depth of several inches, and soaking us through to the

skin, so that our march could not fail to be very uncomfortable.

It was on this account that we took up our quarters about half an hour

before noon in a farming-hamlet called Sanchérgu, where the people were

busily employed in sowing; the plentiful rain of to-day, which was the

first of the season, having rendered the fields fit for cultivation.

After some search, we obtained two huts of round shape, which were

situated near a sheep-pen in front of the dwelling of the proprietor.

This was a cheerful and wealthy old man, who both lodged us comfortably,

and treated us hospitably. While my people were drying their clothes and

luggage, I roved about a little, and observed, at a short distance west

from the hamlet, a small rocky watercourse with pools of stagnant water,

where the women were washing their clothes, while the slaves were busy

in the labours of the field.

[Sidenote: Saturday, June 25th.]

Having rewarded our hospitable host, we started at an early hour to

pursue our march, in order to reach in time the residence of Galaijo, a

distinguished chief, of whom I had heard a great many flattering

reports. It was a fine morning after yesterday’s storm, and the country

through which our march lay was hilly, and at times presented very

pleasant vales, or glens, but in general it was destitute of trees, and

was only insufficiently inhabited and cultivated. The view which

presented itself to us of the country before us, when, after a march of

about three miles and a half, we reached the highest point, was that of

an extensive wilderness, the few cultivated spots being entirely hidden

in the midst of the forest. Red sandstone was apparently the chief

component of this hilly country, with occasionally a black tint,

received from exposure to the air, and rich in oxide of iron—in fact, of

the same geological feature as the border country between Kebbi and

Góber. Short herbage was springing up here and there, affording but

scanty food to the cattle that were grazing hereabouts.

A steep rocky declivity brought us from the higher level, which was

covered with small stones, into a deep valley. But we had soon to ascend

again, traversing a district which belonged to the village of Ndobúra

and bore some signs of cultivation; and a dell, which we passed a little

further on, was extremely picturesque. But the country hereabouts does

not in general seem to be very fertile, and, besides, the exceptional

drought of the present year had destroyed a large proportion of the

crops; and it was this very unproductiveness that had induced the chief

to leave his former place of residence, Shirgu, which lay a little more

to the east, and to found a new dwelling-place further west.

This place, which is called Champagóre, we reached at noon, but

preferred taking up our quarters on a hill opposite the town, to the

north, which was bounded on that side by a well-wooded dell, and

overlooked the whole neighbourhood. The town itself is inclosed by a

small hilly chain towards the south, at the foot of which are the wells,

seven fathoms in depth. It was to have been surrounded by a clay wall;

but, only provisionally, the four gates had been finished with clay,

while the rest of the town was still inclosed by a stockade. The

interior of the place looks very peculiar, and quite different from the

style usual in Kebbi, which is chiefly owing to the remarkable character

of the magazines of corn, which consist of towers or quadrangular

buildings, raised a few feet above the ground, in order to protect them

from the ants. They are from ten to fifteen feet in height, and about

six feet in diameter, the walls gradually sloping inwards towards the

top, as shown in the accompanying woodcut. They have no opening at the

bottom, but only a windowlike aperture near the top, through which the

corn is taken in and out; and on the whole they are not unlike the dove-

cots of Egypt. In every courtyard there were one or more of these

magazines; and they far surpassed, in their whole appearance, the

dwellings themselves, which, with a few exceptions, consisted of low

huts, the whole of the courtyards being only surrounded by a frail

fence, made of the stalks of the native corn, while, in many yards, one

half of the circumference of the huts themselves, of which there were

rarely more than two, formed part of the fence.

[Illustration]

I went in the afternoon to pay my compliments to the chief. The portal

of his residence has quite a stately appearance, as shown in the

accompanying woodcut, bearing evident testimony to an attempt at

architectural decoration; but the spacious courtyard inside, which was

inclosed by a low clay wall, full of rubbish and poor mean-looking huts,

did not correspond with the stately character of the entrance. However,

the dwelling itself, although simple, is not so mean, and, besides two

spacious clay halls, includes some very airy and cool corridors built

entirely of wood. Having been first received by Galaijo in one of the

clay halls, I was conducted afterwards to a more private audience in one

of these corridors; and here, while delivering my present[64], I had a

fair opportunity of surveying the exterior of this interesting man.

[Illustration]

Mohammed Galaijo, at the time of my visit, was a man of about seventy

years of age, of an extremely pleasant and almost European expression of

countenance, and of middle stature. He was dressed very simply, in a

light-blue tobe, with a white shawl wound round his face. Galaijo, son

of Hambodéjo, son of Páte, son of Hámed Yella, succeeded his

father—probably the very chief who treated Mungo Park so hospitably

during his stay in Másina—in the year of the Hejra, 1231. He was then

the most powerful chief of Másina, or Melle, which, since the overthrow

of the Songhay empire by Múlay Hámed el Dhéhebí the emperor of Morocco,

had been left to itself, and was consequently split into several petty

kingdoms, the three other powerful chiefs of that country being the Árdo

Másina, the Árdo Fíttogel, and Gél Hamma Mána. But just at the time when

Galaijo became ruler, the great religious movement of the Fúlbe of Góber

began, under the Reformer ʿOthmán, and, instigated by their example, and

fired with religious zeal, a chief went forth from them, in order to

spread Islám among that section of the Fúlbe which was established along

the upper course of the Niger. This man was Mohammed or Hámed Lebbo,

who, arriving in the country of Másina in the beginning of the year 1233

of the Hejra, at the head of a small band, formed first an alliance with

Galaijo, who himself had embraced Islám; and, thus closely allied, they

spread their conquests over the neighbouring country. But, after having

succeeded in establishing a strong power, Mohammed Lebbo demanded homage

and allegiance from his ally Galaijo, under the pretext of his having

brought the ensign, or túta, of Islám from Sifáwa, the place mentioned

on a former occasion, where the Reformer ʿOthmán dan Fódiye resided at

the time, together with his brother ʿAbd Alláhi. Upon this, Galaijo,

feeling little inclined to cede the dominion of the country over which

his claims had been established from ancient times, entered into a

violent struggle with the new comer; but after an unsuccessful

resistance, carried on for three years, he was obliged to give up his

former residence, Konári, and, with the rest of his partisans, to seek a

new home further eastward. Here he was received with open arms by the

ruler of Gando, who was not at all pleased with the independent bearing

of Lebbo and his son Áhmedu, by whom he was succeeded,—those people,

being borne away by a pure reformatory view of their religion, and

elated by their victory, going so far as to despatch a message to their

kinsmen in Sókoto and Gando, to the effect that, if they would not

reduce the number of their wives to two, and renounce their wide

effeminate dress, they would pay them a hostile visit; and it is on this

account that, even at the present time, there is no amicable relation

whatever subsisting between the courts of Sókoto and Gando, on the one

hand, and that of Hamda-Alláhi on the other.

The chief of Gando, therefore, granted Galaijo an extensive although not

very fertile district in his territories, where he has now been settled

for almost thirty years. Thus we find, in this region, a small court of

its own, and a whole community bearing no resemblance whatever to the

customs of the people around them, but having faithfully preserved the

manners and institutions of their native country, Másina; for, while all

the neighbouring Fúlbe are rather a slender race of men, with expressive

and sharply-cut features, who make it a rule to dress in white colours,

we find here quite the reverse—a set of sturdy men, with round open

countenances, and long black curly hair, all uniformly clad in light-

blue tobes, and almost all of them armed with muskets. I was utterly

surprised at the noble bearing of several of the courtiers, but

especially that of the vizier and the commander-in-chief or lámido

konno, both of whom reminded me of Europeans. The old chief, even at the

present time, keeps up a continual intercourse with Timbúktu, where his

eldest son was at the time studying, and which place he did not leave

until some time after my arrival. Indeed the town of Konári is still

said to belong to Galaijo.

Taking into consideration the peculiar character of this little colony,

and the benevolent disposition and venerable character of the chief in

particular, I thought it worth my while to enter into more intimate

relations with him, and in consequence, the following day, presented him

with a heláli bernús, which he admired very much, and was as grateful

for as his reduced fortune allowed him to be; for, besides giving me a

present of a heifer and a great number of fowls, he provided me also

with corn, of which there was a great dearth in the place. The market

was very small and insignificant, consisting merely of seven stalls, or

shops, where scarcely a single sheep or ox was to be seen. The bitter

species of ground-nuts, or gángala, and salt, formed almost the sole

articles for sale. Butter and sour milk were plentiful.

The whole of this country belongs to Gurma—a name which, however, does

not seem to owe its origin to the native inhabitants, but probably was

given to it by the Songhay, who, while still settled on the north side

of the river, applied this term to the region on the opposite or

southern side, identical with the name Ari-bínda. The country, at least

the northern portions of it, had gradually been conquered and colonised

by the Songhay, who, as we shall see on my home journey, have preserved

in this quarter a portion of their national strength and independence,

while in the recent rising of the Fúlbe the chief places along the high-

road had been occupied by the latter; but after the first impulse of the

religious movement had passed by, the settlements of this conquering

race had greatly decayed, so that the communication along this important

highroad from the west, at the period of my journey, was almost entirely

interrupted, nay, the native independent chief of Bójjo had totally

destroyed the considerable settlement of Martebógo which commanded the

road; for, from the very beginning the conquerors had only succeeded in

establishing themselves along the high-road, leaving the independence of

the chiefs in the interior almost undisturbed. The most powerful of

these native chiefs of Gurma are those of Belánga, Bótu, Bosúgu, Bójjo,

Machakwáli, Nándau, and Mayánga.[65] Of these the chief of Belánga seems

to be at present the most powerful, while next to him ranks that of

Bójjo; but in former times Bótu seems to have been the chief place in

the country, which is the reason why it is still called by the Háusa

people “fáda-n-Gurma,” “the palace or royal residence of Gurma.” The

name Gurma however, as I have said, seems not to be the indigenous name

either of the country or of the people, while the language of the

natives bears a certain affinity to that of the neighbouring tribes, the

Mósi or Móre, and Tombo.

However, the original inhabitants of Gurma are not the only enemies of

the Fúlbe, but, besides the former, there are also the Songhay, who have

emigrated into the country since the time of their predominance along

the Niger; and some of these communities are the most inveterate enemies

of the present conquerors, especially the inhabitants of Lárba, or

Láraba, a place which we had to pass on our further march. Besides the

latter place, the most important settlements of the Songhay in this

district are said to be the following:—Téra (the residence of Hamma-

Kása), Darghol, Garmúwa, Fámbita, close to the river; and not far from

it, to the west, Garú (probably identical with the neighbouring town of

Sínder of that name), Kasáni, Kókoro, and Fóni.[66] We shall come into

contact with some of these Songhay settlements on our return journey

along the Niger, and I shall then say more about them.

It was on account of the Lárba that I was induced to remain a day longer

at Champagóre than had been originally my intention, the chief begging

me most urgently to wait till some other people who were going to Yágha

might join me; and while staying here, we were so fortunate as to have a

tolerable shower of rain, which greatly refreshed this parched country

and again raised the hopes of the inhabitants. The whole depression

between the hill on which we were encamped and the town became filled

with water; and I was greatly delighted at the arrival of the proprietor

of the farm where we had established ourselves, an energetic weather-

beaten Púllo, who came to inspect the labours of the fields, and who was

not a little surprised at finding us quietly established in his homely

dwelling.

[Sidenote: Tuesday, June 28th.]

Our road lay through a hilly country, well wooded and intersected by a

number of small watercourses; and in some favoured localities a good

crop of corn was seen standing in the fields. Cattle also seemed not to

be wanting, which accounted for the circumstance of the residence of

Galaijo being so well provided with milk. We also met a great number of

women on their way to the market of Champagóre with their supplies of

sour milk. But besides the small dry watercourses just mentioned, we had

also to cross a very rapid torrent, which is called Górebi, and is said

to come from the direction of Kulféla, a very important market-place in

the interior of Mósi, and which caused us considerable delay. Before we

entered Champaláwel, also, where we took up our quarters half an hour

before noon, we had to cross a considerable sheet of water, three feet

and a half in depth and about thirty yards broad, about the relation of

which to the neighbouring watercourses I am not quite certain.

Champaláwel is the residence of the governor of the Tórobe; but it was

at that time in the utmost state of decay and almost deserted, the

slight remains of the ramparts being almost hidden in a dense forest;

for since the decease of Moʿazu (a celebrated chieftain mentioned also

in other accounts), who died about twenty years ago, the power of the

Fúlbe in this place has greatly declined. The present governor, a

younger brother of that energetic chieftain, himself tolerably advanced

in years, proved to be a very illiberal and unamiable man, and he would

not even assign me quarters on my arrival; so that I had the greatest

trouble in taking possession of a miserable little hut on my own

account, while good shelter was very essential, as a great quantity of

rain fell in the afternoon. However, all was changed when, towards

evening, a cousin of the present governor, of the name of ʿOthmán,

arrived, and I then received a present of two sheep. I also had the

great and unexpected pleasure of meeting here an Arab, of the name of

Mohammed el Wákhshi, a near relative of my friend Bú-Bakr el Wákhshi,

the Ghadámsi merchant whom I have mentioned repeatedly in the preceding

part of my narrative. This man was then on his return from Gonja, the

northern tributary province of Asanti,—the Gúro caravan having been

induced, by the state of the country, to abandon its direct road from

Yendi to Komba on the Niger, in favour of a northerly and very

circuitous road by way of Yágha.[67] But I was disappointed in the hope

of corresponding with Europe by means of this man. The letter which I

gave to him, and which I had already written in Say, never reached its

destination, for El Wákhshi succumbed to disease in crossing the

province of Núpe in the height of the rainy season, before reaching

Kanó.

[Sidenote: Wednesday, June 29th.]

On leaving this desolate residence of the chief of the Tórobe, reduced

to an entangled thicket, we passed the encampment, or zango, of the Gúro

caravan, which, as is generally the case, consisted of small round huts,

erected for the occasion with branches and rank grass. The caravan

consisted of about one hundred individuals, with a couple of hundred of

asses, which form the usual beasts of burden of these native travellers.

Scarcely a mile beyond the town we had again to cross a river which,

bordered by the richest vegetation, and by abundance of rank grass, runs

at this spot from S.E. to N.W., with a depth of about three feet, and at

times, when a great deal of rain has fallen, forming a far more

considerable volume of water.

The country which we then entered was hilly, tolerably well cultivated,

and thickly inhabited. It was adorned here and there with the baobab

tree, and a fine leafy tree called here “harúna.” But we made only a

short march, being induced, on account of the danger of the road before

us, to take up our quarters in a farming-village, situated in a very

rich tract of country, behind a flat-topped cone, at the distance of a

little more than four miles from Champaláwel. Notwithstanding the

fertility of the district, no corn was to be obtained here at present,

the last year’s harvest having failed entirely, so that the people were

obliged to supply their own wants at Bosebángo. This scarcity is

increased generally in districts where only one species of corn is

grown, all the produce here being reduced to millet; while where various

grains are raised, which ripen at different seasons, even in these

countries, dearth cannot prevail to such an extent and for so long a

time. All the inhabitants, including even the head man, belonged to the

native Gurma race. All the cattle-breeding is in the hands of the Fúlbe,

who regard “the cow as the most useful animal in creation,”—“negge

ngombúri déya fó náfa;” and, there being no such people in the

neighbourhood, no milk was to be obtained. The dwelling where I was

lodged, with its numerous compartments and courtyards, presented quite a

labyrinth of itself. Three servants of Galaijo, all armed with muskets,

had attached themselves to my troop; and I supplied each of them here

with ball cartridges, in case of any attack on the road.

[Sidenote: Thursday, June 30th.]

We had a long day’s march before us, through the unsafe wilderness which

separates the reduced dominion of the chief of the Tórobe from the

territory of Yágha. It was a fine morning, and tolerably clear. Corn-

fields now and then interrupted the dense growth of talha trees and

prickly underwood, while occasionally a baobab or a tamarind tree gave

greater variety to the scenery. About four miles and a half from our

starting-point we passed, on the right of the path, some peculiarly

constructed smelting-furnaces, about six feet high and a foot and a half

in diameter at the base. The proceeding is very simple and

unsophisticated. On the ironstone is placed a large quantity of wood-

ashes, till the metal begins to melt, and is then, by means of three

channels at the bottom of the furnace, received in a basin.

[Illustration]

Close behind these smelting-furnaces, which happened to be the first I

had seen in Negroland, though there are plenty of them in some

districts, we passed the site of a former encampment, or zango, of

native traders, or fatáki, in a spot clothed with the finest _Poa_, and

adorned with large wide-spreading trees. Ascending then a little, we

passed the village of Bangapélle on our left, situated at the eastern

foot of an eminence, and then kept along the northern base of the

latter, while on our right a dense forest spread out, broken by a rocky

ridge. The whole wilderness through which our way led was in general

very dry, and did not possess any fresh pasture-grounds, although about

two miles beyond Bangapélle we passed a considerable pond of water, with

numerous traces of the elephant; but gradually the country became more

rocky, granite prevailing. We encamped, at length, on the site of a

former hamlet, called Kófe, situated on a rising rocky ground, close to

a depression, with water, and clothed with fine pasture interspersed

with flowers, in whose sweet blossom numerous butterflies were

indulging. Here again the footprints of the elephant were extremely

numerous; but by far more interesting, and of much higher importance to

me, were the traces of the rhinoceros, an animal which at present seems

to be wanting entirely in the regions between the Niger on the west and

the Shárí towards the east. Our rest at this place was greatly

disturbed; for after an alarm in the evening, which, fortunately for us,

proved to be false, we were kept awake the whole night by a terrible

thunder-storm, which broke out with great violence, and rendered our

situation in the midst of a low swampy ground very uncomfortable indeed.

[Sidenote: Friday, July 1st.]

In consequence of the storm, we started rather late. Close behind our

encampment we had to cross a very swampy ground, which we might have

passed more easily the day before. We were therefore greatly cheered

when the boggy ground was succeeded by sandy soil, which became

intersected by several small watercourses, affording a channel to the

watery element; but after a march of about six miles, it was again

succeeded by a considerable pond, which we had to avoid by a long

circuitous road. Here, also, the ground was marked by numerous

footprints of the elephant, while monkey-bread or baobab trees were in

great abundance.

In the afternoon, the whole aspect of the country changed, the surface

becoming rugged, and broken by small rocky ridges; and here the danger

increased, on account of the vicinity of the town of Lárba, the

inhabitants of which, as I have mentioned before, are the inveterate

enemies of the Fúlbe. Only a few days before, they had robbed and

murdered some people of the governor of the Tórobe. But well-armed as we

were, all the people round about being aware that an attack upon us

would not be an easy affair, we proceeded without any accident; and

having twice made a considerable descent, we reached, a little after

three o’clock, the village of Bosebángo, which is surrounded by a strong

stockade. It is inhabited by the Karábe, who, although kinsmen of the

inhabitants of Lárba, fear and respect in some degree the authority of

the Fúlbe: however, we soon convinced ourselves that the character of

their allegiance is very precarious. The mayor of the village, being a

man of advanced age, dressed in a ragged shirt, lodged me in his own

quarters, which seemed to contain a very remarkable household, the most

interesting objects being his two wives, very stout females, richly

ornamented with copper rings on their arms and legs, and with strings of

beads round their necks, but having, besides, another ornament, at which

I was more surprised, viz. a thin plate of tin in the under lip, like

that worn by the Marghí; but I was astonished at not finding the nose-

ring, which, from what I had heard, I had concluded that all the Songhay

were in the habit of wearing. Altogether, these fashionably dressed

women, with their dirty old partner, would have formed a highly

interesting subject for illustrating the customs of these people.

Having rested awhile, for I felt greatly exhausted after my sickly state

in Say, I roved a little about the place (which lies at the foot of a

well-wooded eminence), and collected several specimens of minerals,

which, in the course of my journey, were thrown away by my people.

Gneiss and mica slate were predominant, and beautiful varieties of

granite occasionally appeared.

Having observed from this point that the river Sírba runs only at a

short distance from the place, we endeavoured in the evening to arrange

with the inhabitants to assist us in crossing this sheet of water, where

there are no boats. While speaking with the natives about this river, I

was surprised to hear from them that they consider the water

unwholesome, and more particularly so for horses, while even the herbage

which grows close to the border is regarded as extremely deleterious to

the cattle; but the people themselves supply their own wants entirely

from the river. They do not carry the water in single pitchers on their

heads, which is the general custom in Negroland, but use a simple pair

of yokes, from which a couple of nets are suspended, in each of which a

pitcher is carried, in much the same way as in Germany.

The chief treated my party very hospitably. While in the neighbourhood

of Bangapélle there seemed to be great scarcity of corn, here it

appeared to be in abundance. We spent our evening comfortably, although

it was necessary to take great care of the horses, as a number of horse-

stealers were hovering about the place.

[Sidenote: Saturday, July 2nd.]

A few hundred yards beyond the village we came to the river Sírba, which

here forms a bend from N.W. to N.E., between banks about twenty feet

high, and caused us not a little anxiety, as it was nearly seventy yards

wide, and not less than twelve feet in depth in the middle. We had,

moreover, to cross it merely on bundles of reeds, which we had to tie

together ourselves. At length, after much controversy, we succeeded in

arranging with the natives, for 2000 shells, to assist us in crossing.

While the large bundles which were to constitute our frail ferry were

being tied together, the head man of the village and a great number of

the natives were sitting on the high banks of the river, which form a

sort of amphitheatre, in order to enjoy the spectacle. There was

something very peculiar about the inhabitants of this place. The men

were formed into interesting groups, with features full of expression,

but approaching somewhat to effeminacy, their hair being plaited in long

tresses, which hung down over their cheeks, and in some cases reached

their shoulders. Their dress consisted of short blue shirts, and long

wide trowsers of the same colour. Almost all of them had small pipes in

their mouths, which they smoked incessantly. The women were of rather

short stature, and of not very symmetrical forms, with naked legs and

breasts. Their necks and ears were richly ornamented with strings of

beads; but they also were destitute of the nose-ring, which I had

supposed common to this tribe.

The men were expert swimmers, and carried the small articles across the

river in large calabashes; but we ourselves and the heavier luggage had

to cross on the rafts of reeds, and in about two hours we succeeded in

getting safely over the water with our whole troop. A little after

twelve o’clock we left the opposite bank, being joined by two horsemen

of the Sýllebáwa, who at no great distance from this spot have a large

settlement called Dútuwel; but we had great difficulty in making our way

through the swampy plain, intersected by several small watercourses,

which descended in deep ravines from a small rocky chain towards the

north. After a march of about eight miles, we pitched our tents a little

beyond the site of a former encampment of the native traders, where the

ground was tolerably free from trees; and I enjoyed our resting-place

extremely, for, having been exposed to the sun during the heat of the

day, I felt greatly fatigued.

[Sidenote: Sunday, July 3rd.]

We continued our march through the forest, which here had a very fresh

appearance, and soon passed a cone on our right, on the offshoots of

which, as would appear from the quantities of stones scattered about, a

hamlet appears to have been situated in former times. Besides gneiss,

large pieces of a fine species of marble were lying about in every

direction. Rank grass, now and then adorned with blue _Cruciferæ_,

filled up the intervals between the dense growth of trees (but there

were none of large size, and less of the bush called “tsáda” than I had

seen the previous day), besides a few isolated monkey-bread trees. I

observed, also, that the people were here digging up the same root which

I had noticed on my journey to Ádamáwa. The footprints of the elephant

and the buffalo were very numerous; and a little further on we fell in

with a large herd of the latter species indulging in the luxuriant

herbage of the pasture-grounds, which here grows without any use to man.

Having then gone round a considerable pond of water in the midst of the

forest, we entered upon more undulating ground adorned with larger

trees, where, besides the monkey-bread tree, the dorówa was predominant;

and a little beyond an eminence, at the foot of which the village of

Bundóre had been situated in former times, we reached the modern village

of that name, which is surrounded with a stockade. A dyeing-place,

containing from eight to ten pits, besides a large basin for making up

the mixture, presented some signs of industry and civilisation; at a

short distance from our quarters, also, a blacksmith was living. This

village belongs to the territory of Yágha, and the huts presented a

peculiar style of architecture, being built almost entirely of stalks

and matting. The latter, which constitutes the walls, is plastered with

clay, and reaches an altitude of nine feet. The roof is not formed of

slender boughs and branches, but of large poles.

Not being able to obtain any corn that evening, I was obliged to stay

here the following day. No millet is cultivated in this place, all the

corn consisting of sorghum. The people would not take anything but

shells, and refused cotton strips. Sixty of the former bought a full

measure of a common drinking-bowl, or “gerra,” of corn; and for 1500

shells we procured a lean sheep.

[Sidenote: Tuesday, July 5th.]

The country which we traversed on leaving Bundóre, was well adorned with

trees, especially the tamarind, and bore evident signs of extensive

cultivation, even indigo and cotton being observed by the side of a

pond; but the forest soon became so dense, that our progress was very

difficult, and the ʿamúda, a _Liliacea_ which I have mentioned before,

was so plentiful in some places, that it formed, as it were, a rich

carpet, exhibiting quite an unwonted and cheerful aspect, for in general

this quarter of Africa is rather poor in flowers. We had just passed a

very dense jungle of tall reed-grass interspersed with blue and yellow

flowers, when a thunder-storm which had hovered over us all the morning

broke out, and soon changed the whole forest into one mighty sheet of

water, when we had to cross three powerful torrents, all running towards

the south-east, and probably discharging themselves into the Sirba.