4th. Niakóngo.
5th. Berber, a very short march.
6th. Síye, in the morning.
7th. Hamda-Alláhi, the capital of the kingdom of Másina.
I.—_List of towns and villages situated along the bank of the chief
trunk of the river Ísa-bére or Máyo-mangho, from Dire upwards to
Sansándi. This branch is the north-westerly one; the other, which
Caillié navigated, is the south-easterly, and is called Bara-Ísa._
_Dire_, a very important place, one of the eldest settlements of the
Songhay in this quarter, situated at the point of junction of two
branches which have separated from each other in the lake Débu.[65]
Tindírma, one of the original seats of the Songhay, by some regarded as
the original seat of the whole tribe. That portion of them called Sáhena
were especially settled here. It is now principally the residence of the
Chóki, who formerly were settled in Gúndam. With regard to its
importance in former times as the capital of the province of Kúrmina,
see Vol. IV. p. 420. A little distance from the bank of the river lies
Gitigátta, and on the island in the river the locality called “Al
Mohalla,” probably from having been once the spot where part of the
Mohalla, or the army of the Moroccains, remained encamped. At Tindírma,
the branch of Gúndam separates from the main trunk of the river.
Hamma-koira.
Nyafúnke.
Síbo. This is evidently the town Seebi where Mungo Park is said to have
made some stay on his voyage from Jenni to Timbúktu. (Clapperton’s
Second Journey, Appendix, p. 334.)
Dháhabi-koira, called after a sheríf belonging to the family of Muláy el
Dhéhebi.
Gúmmo.
Átara.
Tongomáre.
Úro.
Yówaru. In crossing from Yówaru the next branch, and leaving Gúram on
one side, you reach Zinzo or Jinjo, or Gíjo, as it is called, in four or
five hours. This is another of the eldest seats of the Songhay, and
probably the place from whence Islám spread in this quarter, there being
here the sepulchre of a venerated saint called Mohammed el Káberi,
belonging to the Idaw el Háj. It is not impossible that this is the
place of pilgrimage to which Scott the sailor went as a captive by way
of the Giblah, crossing the lake.[66] In the neighbouring hamlet, Togga,
also, is the tomb of a holy man called Morimána Báka. There is another
tradition current in Zinzo, of a saint of the name of Elfa Zakkaríyá,
who is said to have visited this place at a time when no village
existed, nothing but a cavern being then inhabited.
S.E. of Zinzo, at some little distance from lake Débu lies Áwi. The Débu
is so shallow during the dry season, that the native boats can only
proceed with great difficulty along the main channel, and often stick
fast entirely. In the dry season the natives ford it by wading through
the water. Where the main branch, called by the Fúlbe Máyo balléo,
reaches the lake, at least during the rainy season, it divides into a
net of smaller branches, thus increasing the difficulty of the
navigation. On the contrary, the advantage of the smaller branch, the
Bara-Ísa, or river of Bara, called by the Fúlbe Máyo dhannéo, consists
in preserving one unbroken volume of water. This was the reason probably
why the party with whom Caillié went down the Niger from Jinni followed
this branch. Besides the Máyo balléo and dhannéo, the chief creeks which
join the Débu are the Máyo Píru and the Máyo Jóga, not inconsiderable
during the rainy season, but very small during the dry one.
The lake, besides fish, contains numbers of that curious animal called
ayú (_manatus_).
From the lake upwards, there lie along the principal branch of the river
the following places:—
Búri.
Bánghida.
Waládu.
Ingárruwe.
Mányata.
Kossanánna.
Tánnare.
Bówa.
Kirrínkiri.
Gánde-Táma.
Sarbére.
Kára, an important place, after which the river is sometimes called “the
river of Kára.”
Ingánshi.
Dággada.
Kumáy, a place of some importance, distant two days from Yá-saláme[67],
which is about three days from the considerable market-place Tenéngu (p.
469), both W. from the river.
Júgi.
Nyásu.
Kóliñango.
Sabáre.
Búrruwé.
Fenga, a middle-sized place, after which this whole branch of the river
is also called “Máyo Fenga,” about two hours E. from Tenéngu, and one
good day’s march from Fáfarák.
We now proceed along the south-eastern shore of the Débu and along the
Máyo dhannéo.
Gúram, a considerable place, situated round a large rocky eminence,
kódia, as the Arabs call it, or “haire,” as it is called by the Fúlbe,
who celebrate it highly as the “haire maunde Gúram.” The mount is so
conspicuous in the flat alluvial level, that it is visible from Yówaru.
Caillié saw it at the distance of three or four miles (ii. p. 18); and
again, further on, where he calls it St. Charles’ Island (ii. p. 20).
The village is separated into three distinct groups, one of which is
called Gúram Fúlbe, lying at the northern foot of the kódia; the other,
Gúram Hábe, inhabited by Songhay; further on and finally, Gúram Súrgube,
inhabited by (degraded?) Tawárek or Surgu.
Méro }
} Both inhabited by Kórongoy.
Bang }
Sóba.
Sórroba, situated at the foot of another smaller rocky eminence called
“haire Sórroba,” lying opposite to Gúram on the S. side of the river,
which seems to make here a great bend. It is mentioned by Mohammed el
Másini (Appendix to Clapperton’s Second Journey, p. 331). Caillié gave
it the ridiculous name of “Henry Island.”
Jantaye, a considerable place.
Máyo Tína, a place close to the former, inhabited by Tawárek.