Tubes.-Well of Dibbela.-Zaw-kurá.-Caravan of Tebu.-Bilma and Kalála.— Wádí Kawár.-Dírki.—A'shenúmma, its picturesque Scenery, and its Chief.— Singular Use of dried Fish.-A'nay.-I'ggeba.-Síggedim.-Value of Horses in the Desert.-Heat of the Desert.-Tiggera-n-Dúmma.-El Ahmar.-Rugged Passages.-Arrival at Tejérri.-Madrúsa.- Meet Mr. Warrington.- Entrance into Múrzuk.-Revolution in the Regency.-Leave Múrzuk.-Wádí Zemzem.— Meet Mr. Reade at 'Aín Zára.-Return to Europe.-Conclusion...... VI. Information with regard to the Provinces of Gurma, Mósi, and Tombo. 643 VII. Pedigree of the Sheikh Sídi A ́hmed el Bakáy........... VIII. Two Poems of the Sheikh el Bakáy, wherein he satirizes the Fulbe of X. Collection of Itineraries illustrating the Western Half of the Desert, its Districts, and its Inhabitants, and the Course of the Upper Niger......... 683 XI. List of the Arab or Moorish Tribes scattered over the Western Part of the Desert, according to the Districts of natural Divisions of the Des- XIII. A Vocabulary of the Temáshight or Tárkiye, such as spoken by the Awelímmiden, with some prefatory Remarks and Notes by Professor A "Bét" or E'nnefi, a small Leather Pouch, with three Pockets and Cover, 66 66 ERRATA. Vol. i., page 208, line 3, read “Ramadhán" instead of "Rhámadán.” 361, line 14, read "tenth century" instead of "twelfth century." 582, line 26, add after the words "few huts" the words "This was the site of the celebrated town of Damasak." TRAVELS AND DISCOVERIES IN AFRICA. CHAPTER LIII. DEPARTURE FOR TIMBU'KTU.—THE HILLY NORTHWESTERN PROVINCES OF BO'RNU. THE death of Mr. Overweg, happening at a period when the prospects of the mission just began to brighten, induced me to relinquish my original plan of once more trying my fortune in Kánem and on the N.E. shores of Tsád, as an undertaking too dangerous for me in my isolated position, and the results of which could not reasonably be expected to be great, even with the protection of a small force, in a disturbed country, in comparison with the dangers that accompanied it. Besides, such was the character of the horde of the Welád Slimán and their mode of warfare, that, after having received the sanction of the British government for my proceedings, and being authorized by them to carry out the objects of the mission as at first projected, I could scarcely venture to associate myself again with such a lawless set of people. I therefore determined to direct my whole attention toward the west, in order to explore the countries situated on the middle course of the great western river, the I'sa, or the so-called Niger, and at the same time to establish friendly relations with the pow erful ruler of the empire of Sókotó, and to obtain full permission for myself or other Europeans to visit the southeastern provinces of his empire, especially A'damáwa, which I had been prevented from fully exploring by the real or pretended fear of the governor of that province to grant such a permission without the sanction of his liege lord. The treaty which I had at length succeeded in getting signed by the Sheikh of Bórnu and his vizier on the last of August, together with a map of all the parts of Central Africa which I had as yet visited, and containing at the same time all the information VOL. III-B which I had been able to collect concerning the neighboring provinces,* I had forwarded home in the middle of October, addressing at the same time the request to H. M.'s consul at Tripoli to send me, by a special courier to Zínder, a certain sum of money. The road which I had before me was long, leading through the territories of a great many different chiefs, and partly even of powerful princes; and as soon as I should have left Zínder behind me, I could not expect to find fresh supplies, the sum of money which I had received on my return from Bagírmi being almost all spent in paying the debts which we had incurred when left without means. A sum of 400 dollars, besides a box containing choice English ironware, had been some time before consigned to a Tebú of the name of A'hmed Háj 'Alí Bíllama; but instead of proceedat once with the caravan with which he had left Fezzán, as he ought to have done, he staid behind in his native town Bilma to celebrate a marriage. The caravan, with about twenty horses and a hundred camels, arrived, on the 10th of November, without bringing me any thing except the proof of such reckless conduct; and as I could not afford to lose any more time in waiting for this parcel, I left orders that it should be forwarded to Zínder as soon as it should arrive, but never received it. Nearly three fourths of the money in cash which we had received being required to pay off our debts, we had been obliged to give away a great portion even of the articles of merchandise, or presents, in order to reward friends who for so long a period had displayed their hospitality toward us, and rendered us services almost without the slightest recompense; so that, on the whole, it was only under the most pressing circumstances I could think of undertaking a journey to the west with the means then at my disposal. But, very luckily, a handsome sum of money was on the road to Zínder; I also expected to receive at that place a few new instruments, as the greater part of my thermometers were broken, and I had no instrument left for making hypsometrical observations. An inroad on a large scale of a tribe of the Tawárek, or Kindín, as they are called in Bórnu, under their chief, Músa, into the province of Múniyó, through which lay my road to Zínder, delay * This is the map which was published by Mr. Petermann in the account of the progress of the Expedition to Central Africa, adding from Mr. Richardson's and Mr. Overweg's journals, which I had sent home, an outline of those districts visited by themselves alone. |