N.W.?), to join the Njéreng, and forming the boundary between the
territory of the Jétem and that of the Tikár; about noon.
14th. Lamórde—that is to say, the residence of a chief of the Jétem,—in
a level country; between four and five o’clock P.M.
15th. The rocky mountain (hosére) Gelangéro (not the original, but a
Fulfúlde name), in an uncultivated country intersected only by small
watercourses; between two and three o’clock P.M.
16th. Kosél Danél, a small hill belonging to the territory of the Jétem,
west of which live the Dingding. The Jétem, as well as the Tikár, have
no guns (but according to some the Jétem have). The Mó dwell to the
north of the Jétem.
17th. Reach a river called by the Fúlbe “máyo balléwo” (the black
river), which, like the Kim, is said to join the Njéreng, a considerable
river, navigable for boats at all seasons of the year, and running
southward. Mbáfu is said to be three days west, and Tóto five days N.W.
from this place.
x. _From Ray-Búba to Mbáfu._
1st day. Hosére chólle. See above, p. 613.
2nd. Dánfa, a village inhabited by pagans, who do not tattoo, and whose
weapons are spears and arrows.
4th. Jáfa, a pagan village inhabited by a division of the Dúru, who make
long gashes on the left side of the body. This place lies round a rocky
hill, the south side of which is free from huts, while the dwelling of
the chief is on the north side. You cross the river Bénuwé in the
morning of the first day after leaving Dánfa, and, having passed the
night in the wilderness, arrive early the next morning.
6th. Bére, a village (see p. 617.) inhabited by pagans who make
incisions in the under lip; the country is mountainous, but the
mountains are detached. Direction S.W. Another longer road leads from
Jáfa, a little east from south, to Ságje, a large Púllo place situated a
day’s journey S.W. from the above-mentioned place, Saláng, and from
thence west to Bére.
7th. A village of the Mbum.
8th. Gankaini (see p. 626.), a village of the Mbum; the country level,
covered with dense forests, the large spreading “lainde” and the “kímba”
being the prevailing trees.
9th. Jerang, in the forenoon.
10th. A village of the Mbum, in the forenoon.
11th. A rivulet, called by the Háusa people “kogí-n-góra,” in the
wilderness.
12th. Soló, a village of the Búna, who make three small cuts over the
cheekbone, and possess neither horned cattle nor sheep, but only goats
and poultry; the country level, and covered with a dense forest.
13th. Bóngoré, a village of the Búte, who live in light huts constructed
of branches. The Búte, upon whom the Kótofó, driven from their ancient
seats about Chámba, have thrown themselves, wear no clothing except a
narrow rope, made of bark, round the loins; they have long arrows and
spears, and large shields of a very peculiar shape. They are said to
have red copper in their country, and to work it themselves.
14th. Yénda, a place of the Kótofó. The whole country is flat, with much
sandy soil, masr and sorghum being cultivated, besides a great deal of
vegetables; the country abounds in water, but has no running streams,
all the watercourses being of a shallow, wide-spreading character, such
as are called “ngáljam” in Kanúri, and “fáddama” in Háusa. The rainy
season is said to have here only three months’ duration, the heat, even
in the dry season, not being immoderate. The predominant trees are the
góro, kímba, mosóro, jittagúllo, and the passakóre. S.E., half a day’s
march from Yénda, is another large place of the Kótofó, called Koróngo.
15th. Bónchobé, W.S.W.
16th. Bérberó.
24th. Bambúm. Having passed during eight days, first through the country
of the Búte, then through that of the Tikár, or rather Tikʿa, you reach
this place, belonging to another tribe.
27th. Mbáfu. Mohámmedu my intelligent informant, says that there are
large and wealthy towns in this country, with well-frequented market-
places, and that the people have a great deal of property, and mostly
European furniture; all the houses are made of clay. He represents the
inhabitants of Mbáfu, as well as the Tikár and Dingding, as being of a
copper colour. They wear their hair dressed to a great height like all
the pagans hereabouts, let the beard grow, and practise circumcision.
The tree “tármo,” with a fine fruit, is predominant. Of the identity of
Mbáfu with Mr. Koelle’s Mfút, and of its situation, a few days’ journey
N.E. from Kálabá, I have already spoken.
xi. _From Ngaúndere to the Batí._
1st day. Mambúm.
2nd. Soló.
3rd. Bóngoré.
4th. Búbadáddi Kachellél (the name not original, but introduced
altogether by the conquerors), a village of the Kótofó; the whole
country, as all the country south of that of the Mbum in general, is
said to be perfectly level.
5th. Bíttik, another village of the Kótofó; arrive about noon. The
direction, which, as far as Búbadáddi, has been almost south, now turns
south by west. A day and a half S.W. from Búbadáddi lies Géniyon, and
further on in the same direction Búbabóntong.
6th. Bórmoná, a place of the Búte; a long day’s march.
7th. Mángchirin, a woody district, governed by a woman, with a great
mountain towards the west.
10th. Bébe, a pagan village consisting of huts built of clay.
11th. Mére, another pagan village; country woody.
14th. Batí, a tribe of pagans of peculiarly light colour[176], well
made, and not marked by any incisions; they wear an apron round the
loins made of cotton, and dwell in huts built of clay; they have only
sheep, no horned cattle; they have shells for currency, and live at no
great distance from the sea, in the direction of which is seen a very
large mountain. They have no firearms, but only spears, and their
country abounds in elephants and wild pigs.
I am happy to add that Thomas J. Hutchison, Esq., H.M.’s consul at
Fernando Po, with whom I am engaged in active correspondence, is making
diligent inquiries with regard to the tribes of whom I obtained
information in the interior, through the missionary Mr. Anderson. These
inquiries tend always more and more to corroborate my information.
[Footnote 145: This name seems to have evident relation to Mélle, or
Málle, the foreigners from that country probably living in this part of
the town.]
[Footnote 146: The form of the name seems to be Mandingo, while the root
calls to mind Tawát. “Nke” in Mandingo means “inhabitants.” It is not
impossible that the quarter of the Tawáti in Kátsena was honoured with
the same name which in former times it had in Mélle.]
[Footnote 147: Or more properly “the schoolboys’.” “Da-n-alló” means
“the son of the writing-board.”]
[Footnote 148: “Chédia,” in Kanúri “jéja,” is the caoutchouc-tree.]
[Footnote 149: “Dúrrimi” is a kind of tree; and durrimi-n-sháuru means a
tree of this sort under which councils were held.]
[Footnote 150: It is a difficult question, as I have said already,
whether Dáura be identical with the Dáur mentioned by El Bekri; but I
think it is not. It was in former times a chief place of the Díggera.]
[Footnote 151: Záriya has been recently (end of 1855) visited by Mr.
Vogel; but his astronomical observations have not yet been received.
However, it appears from what he says, that all the water here-around is
drained toward the Kwára, and not towards the komádugu of Bórnu.]
[Footnote 152: Bebéji has been visited, and probably astronomically
fixed, by Mr. Vogel.]
[Footnote 153: Fánda, conquered in 1853 by the Fúlbe of Záriya by
treachery.]
[Footnote 154: Is this town identical with the place called by the
Háusa-fatáki “garí-n-serkí-n-Fáwa”?]
[Footnote 155: Katáwa is the Háusa name for the people of Ígbira, the
country itself being called Katú or Kotú, as in Kotú-n-karfi = iron
district, Rúgga-n-Kotú.]
[Footnote 156: This is entirely confirmed by Mr. Vogel’s recent
exploration.]
[Footnote 157: From Mr. Vogel’s last letters it appears that the
elevation is 2,500 feet.]
[Footnote 158: Mr. Vogel also, though some time at Zibu, which he calls
Chubum, has not been able to reach that important place, (the name of
which he writes Okale), on account of the flooded state of the country.]
[Footnote 159: There is some faint indication of such a place in Dupuis’
Researches; and its name, as Okare, is mentioned by William Allen.]
[Footnote 160: This information, received after I had laid down the map,
was, however, indicated by Mr. Petermann in the notes accompanying his
Atlas, p. 11.]
[Footnote 161: Notices et Extraits, tom. xii. p. 650.]
[Footnote 162: A large piece of native cloth of Kwána manufacture, very
interesting to those who feel real concern for the state of industry
among the native Africans, was forwarded to England by the vizier of
Bórnu at my urgent request.]
[Footnote 163: I have already observed with what accuracy I have laid
down Hamárruwa with regard to latitude, while the error of longitude is
attributable to the false position of Kúkawa, as established by
Clapperton. With regard to the name of the town, I observe that I
formerly wrote Hamárrua; and although for English readers it is
certainly better to write it Hamárruwa, nevertheless I never heard it
pronounced with a long ú, but the accent was always laid upon the second
syllable.]
[Footnote 164: Mai Chebchóma being the title of the chief, the original
name of the place is probably Chebchó.]
[Footnote 165: According to another very intelligent informant, of the
name of Ádama, a Púllo native of Ádamáwa, the river of Láro is joined by
the máyo Chánega, which flows two days S.S.W. from Chámba.]
[Footnote 166: This place also furnishes another proof of the care with
which I constructed my routes from information, having changed the
latitude of this place from 10° 15′, in which Denham had placed it, to
11° 1′,—an error of less than three miles. In the number of Mr. Vogel
representing the longitude, there seems to be an error.]
[Footnote 167: The situation of this place is controlled by its relation
to my route to Músgu, and by the distance from Wolóje as well as by that
from Wúliya. See Vol. III.]
[Footnote 168: The termination _ng_, is a nasal sound, and is often not
clearly distinguished.]
[Footnote 169: Respecting this name, see what I have said above, p.
480.]
[Footnote 170: This name seems to be a nickname given to the place by
the Kanúri people, on account of the misery or dearth prevailing there,
although “úro” is a Púllo name meaning “farming-village.”]
[Footnote 171: The form of the name, terminating in “ram,” seems to be
Kanúri.]
[Footnote 172: Mr. Vogel, who visited the Músgu country in the rainy
season, 1854, and who was so fortunate as to reach the district of the
Túfuri, found there a considerable sheet of water, which, very
erroneously, he seems to regard as the feeder of the Bénuwé, while in
reality it was nothing but an expansion of the fáddama. How can it be
possible that such a district, quite close to another large river,
should feed such a stream as the Bénuwé?]
[Footnote 173: This is rather curious, as the name is evidently a Púllo
name meaning “the chief’s residence.”]
[Footnote 174: The prevalence of the _Carica Papaya_ in this district,
in the midst of the forest, is of very great interest.]
[Footnote 175: This last statement is perplexing, as there can be but
little doubt about the situation of Mbáfu a few days’ journey N.E. from
Kalabá, and its identity with Mr. Koelle’s Mfút and with Ndó; for if the
direction were correctly given, we ought to look for these Íbo rather
about Duke’s Town. Nevertheless I have no doubt that the Ígbo are meant,
although no account of an expedition being made by the Fúlbe into that
country has become known on the coast.]
[Footnote 176: Dr. Baikie (Appendix, p. 425.) says that the man from
this tribe whom he met had a very black skin; but nevertheless the
greater part of the tribe may have a far lighter colour, although it is
most probable that Dr. Baikie’s informant would not acknowledge that.
The specimens of the Batí language, which Dr. B. gives, seem to
characterize a tribe entirely distinct from the Báya, or Bayong; but
nevertheless it is likely that there exists an original bond of affinity
between these two people, and that they belong to one and the same
stock, which we may call the Bá stock. It is very characteristic, that
all the numerals given by Baikie commence with a “bá.”]
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE
CONTAINING
A LIST OF THE SÉFUWA, OR KINGS OF BÓRNU
DESCENDED FROM SÉF.
WITH THE FEW HISTORICAL FACTS AND EVENTS UNDER THEIR
RESPECTIVE REIGNS, THAT HAVE COME TO OUR KNOWLEDGE.
* * * * *