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great extent, I was astonished at the neglected appearance which it exhibited, the cotton-fields being almost buried beneath the thicket, and overgrown, not only with rank grass, but even with trees and bushes, so that scarcely any space was left for the plants to spread out; nevertheless, their luxuriant growth bore ample testimony to the rich nature of the soil, and gave an idea of the wealth that lies buried in these regions. I have already observed, on another occasion, that the natives of Negroland take very little care of their cotton-plantations; and there is no doubt that, if sufficient care was bestowed, quite a different quality might be produced.

I roved about this wild and fertile region till I was entirely hemmed in by an impenetrable thicket. While returning hence to our encampment by a more westerly path, I was ruminating in my mind how the former rulers of this country had evinced so much more feeling for the bounty and beauty of nature than its present possessors; for while these have chosen for their residence the most monotonous district of the empire, the former selected those parts which nature itself had embellished-the shores of the so-called Yeou, or the komádugu Wáube, and this fine water-course of Dikowa; and they not only chose the most. interesting spots, but they even embellished them by art, as the large artificial basins in the neighborhood of Ghasréggomo, Ghámbarú, and Dámasak amply testify. In this respect it is not uninteresting that we are informed by the Imám A'hmed, the historian of King Edrís Alawóma, that his master, when he visited the town of Fika, could not forego the pleasure of paying a visit to the famous little Alpine lake which lies at some distance from that town. Although the country of Bórnu is far from being the most favored part of Negroland, yet the shores of these water-courses are very rich indeed, and capable of maintaining a numerous population.

In returning to our encampment I passed the market or durriya, which was held every afternoon on the west side of the encampment. It was really a busy scene, not yielding in importance to the little daily market of the capital; and this was not at all marvelous, as a greater crowd of people and a far

greater number of horses were gathered here than the average population of Kúkawa. Not only were provisions, such as meat, grain, beans, ground-nuts, and other articles of a like description, offered for sale, but even small luxuries; and there was a good deal of bartering, as the buyers were destitute of currency -kúngona or cowries, as well as gábagá or cotton-strips. I also observed that the encampment, especially on this side, where it was skirted by a thick covert of trees, was encircled by a living wall of light Kánembú spearmen, who were keeping watch; for although the army was still in its own territory, yet, in the weak state of the government, a certain degree of insecurity already commences here; and the very first evening of our being encamped on this spot, the ngáufate was roused by the gangéma, or announcement by beat of drum, to the effect that every body should be on his guard against horse-stealers.

While the country around presented interesting features, and the encampment itself exhibited a scene of great variety, the time we spent here passed away comfortably and agreeably, with the sole exception that the space allotted to us was too confined to be comfortable. We were on the most friendly terms with the sheikh as well as with his vizier, and all court etiquette was dispensed with. This went so far that I and my companion accommodated our noble and princely friends with our woolen jackets and drawers; for they began to feel the cold at night very severely, and on these occasions the very respectable Háj Edrís had to play the part of a royal laundress.

Already, during our hibernal stay in the country of Aïr, we had been obliged to accommodate our old and austere friend A'nnur and his numerous relatives with our Turkish waistcoats, but we had not yet condescended to give away our under-clothing; and being ourselves extremely poor and destitute in every respect, it was certainly not a little privation we imposed upon ourselves. The clothes of the sheikh and his vizier were all very wide, and not fit for keeping out the cold. I have repeatedly had occasion to mention how sensitive the Africans are to cold; and I am persuaded that, in the burning regions of Central Africa, a good cargo of warm under-clothing would find a

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ready sale, especially if it should arrive in the months of December and January. But neither did our noble hosts, on their part, fail to do every thing in their power to render our situation as comfortable as possible; and it was very satisfactory to see how anxious the vizier was to supply us with all desirable information.

One evening, at a late hour, when I was reposing in my tent and about to go to bed, he sent for me in the greatest hurry, as if my life or death were at stake; and upon hastening thither, anxious to hear what was the matter, I was told that the vizier had been informed of a person being in the encampment who, like my old friend the M'allem Katúri, had accompanied the memorable expedition of A'mba Sámbo, the warlike chief of Chamba, toward the country of I'gbo on the sea-coast. But while the latter had gone to Mbáfu with the main body of the army, the adventurous proceedings of that person had not even been limited by the boundaries of the sea; and he informed me, in the most positive and conclusive manner, that the body of troops which he accompanied had sailed along a rocky coast for fifteen days, when they unexpectedly met with an island, where they took possession of a number of muskets, their owners, who were all dressed in jackets, having taken refuge in their large vessel.

He did not doubt that these people were Christians, and, according to the description which he gave me of the vessel, there can scarcely be any doubt that it was a European one; but I did not feel quite certain as to the point whether he had navigated a large river or the open sea, though I think it probable they went down the Niger, and surprised one of the European traders at the mouth of the river. At any rate, however, this is an extremely interesting circumstance. I apprehend that the chiefs of A'damáwa will hesitate in future to extend their expeditions so far, after an English steamer has gone up the river to the very heart of their own country. It was this same Bórnu horseman who informed me that, on that expedition, all the horses had died from a disease proceeding from worms.

While chatting together upon these subjects till after mid

night, I had an opportunity of giving the vizier some little information regarding the peculiar character of the maritime power of the Imám of Maskat, of which he had never heard before, and which interested him exceedingly. With the Arabs of Timbúktu, also, this subject formed a topic of the highest interest, as they had no idea that there were people of the same faith living on the eastern shores of this continent; and they delighted in the thought that even in those regions there were Moslems who were not quite destitute of political power; for, although that famous traveler E'bn Batúta has given to his countrymen an account of these regions, it was only in Sokoto that I met with a man, the learned Káderi dan Táffa, who knew Sofála by name.

My friend Billama also frequently called on me, and furnished me with a variety of information,* while I applied myself strenuously to the study of the Kanúri language, which had discouraged me at first, owing to the difficulties of its grammatical structure; and I could scarcely have had a better teacher than our friend Háj Edrís; for, being of Kanúri origin, he had lived a great many years in the East, especially in Medína, and had become almost an Arab. He was certainly an intelligent. and honest man, and in the course of our stay we became indebted to him in many respects. Of course, we could not expect him to render his service gratuitously, as he himself was not in affluent circumstances, though as a courtier he had to keep up a good appearance; but, being myself very poor at the time, I could do nothing but place him upon a needle-pension, the needles being very useful in the encampment for buying provisions.

*Among other things, he informed me that at a short distance north from Dikowa lies the town A'jiri, equally surrounded by a clay wall, and inhabited by Kanúri; but, while a tribute is levied on Dikowa by the Malá Mása Mándara, A'jiri belongs to a man called A'bsa. About two hours south by west from Dikowa is another walled town, called Gawa; but this town still at the present day is inhabited by the ancient population of the country, viz., the Gámerghú, and is the residence of a petty native chief, Bíllama Sára, while another petty chief of the Gamerghú has his residence in Degímba, the Dagwamba of Major Denham. Of the Gamerghú I have spoken on a former occasion.

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CHAPTER XLIII.

THE BORDER REGION OF THE SHÚWA.

Saturday, December 6th. At length, after a protracted stay, we left our encampment at Díkowa, though still in complete uncertainty whether the expedition was directed against Mándará or not; for as yet the chief of that little country (which, through the adventures of Major Denham, has obtained in Europe a greater share of attention than it really deserves), relying upon the natural strength of his mountains, had not yet made his submission. The rumors which we heard from thence were of the most contradictory nature; and it seemed as if Abú Bakr, which is the name of the present chief, had made up his mind to a determined resistance, having retired into his mountain. fastnesses, to the great disappointment of the vizier, who repeatedly asked me and my companion, with great anxiety, what was to be done, and how it was possible for the cavalry to attack the enemy in his mountainous retreat; for, whatever military strength the Kanúri may still possess, it is almost solely looked for in their cavalry. The former excellence of the Kánembú spearmen, resulting from their enthusiastic devotion to their leader, has disappeared long ago, at least since the overthrow of the old dynasty; and the vizier had to expect very little sympathy from this body, as most of them were decidedly favorable to the interest of his adversary, 'Abd e' Rahmán. As far as I had been able to learn the nature of those rocky mountains on my journey to Yóla, I could not but think that not only the cavalry of Bórnu, but even the Kánembú spearmen, accustomed as they were to the level plains of their country, would be incapable of climbing those rocky cliffs.

The whole country was enveloped in a thick fog when we started in the morning, so that the passage of the komádugu, VOL. II.-Y