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clearing, we obtained a sight of the high clay walls of the town of Kála, starting forth from a beautiful grove of fig-trees, and overtowered by a very lofty but slightly inclined solitary palm

tree.

CHAPTER XLVII.

PROVINCE OF LOGÓN.-LOGÓN BÍRNI.

KÁLA is the first town of the territory of Logón or Lógone, the boundary of which we had crossed a short time before. Having entered the town through an extremely narrow gate, which scarcely allowed my bare and slender she-camel to pass through after having taken from her back the whole load, I was struck with the very different aspect it exhibited from the regions we had just left; for, while the dwellings testified to a certain degree of civilization, the inhabitants themselves seemed to approach nearer to the pagans than to the Mohammedans. We had scarcely entered the town when we were surrounded by a troop of boys and young lads from seven to twelve years age, tall and well built, and in a state of entire nudity, a thing hardly ever seen in the country of Bórnu, even with slaves. The type of their features, however, was very different from the general type observed in the Bórnu people, and seemed to indicate more intelligence and cunning. I have already observed, in the country of Músgu, how the state of the dwellings contrasts with the apparel, or rather the want of apparel, of the people themselves; but here it seemed more remarkable, for the dwellings in general did not consist of round conical huts, but of spacious oblong houses of clay of considerable elevation. I was quartered in one of these structures, but found it rather close and full of dust.

of

The town presented an appearance of the utmost decay, only a few dwellings remaining in the centre of it; and the only remarkable objects were two palm-trees, one of which I had already observed from without; and I now assured myself that

they were not date-trees, but belonged to the fan-shaped group of palms. But they were not bifurcated, and seemed not to belong to the Cucifera Thebaica, nor were they identical with the deléb-palm. At any rate, they were the tallest specimens which I ever remember to have seen of the fan-shaped tribe, their height appearing more extraordinary on account of the small tuft of leaves, which was confined to the very top. The town itself presenting no very interesting features, I went out in the afternoon, and lay down for an hour or two in the shade of one of those beautiful fig-trees which, fed by a large and deep swamp, surround the town on all sides; but, the more pleasant was my day's repose, the more disagreeable was my night's rest; for, owing to these stagnant pools, the town is full of musquitoes, and neither I myself nor any of my companions were able to get any sleep the whole of the ensuing night.

We therefore rose very early in the following morning, long before daybreak, and at four o'clock had already left the gate of the town behind us. There is still a great deal of cultivation of cotton to be seen, even in the present state of decay to which this province is reduced, but an immense deal more might be cultivated. Then followed fields of sorghum; and farther on, the lowing of cattle and the cackling of hens indicated the presence of a Shúwa village at some distance on our left. Cultivated ground and forest alternately succeeded each other, the wild hog being seen in every direction, while numerous villages were lying about here and there, but at present all deserted, the inhabitants, who belong to the Shúwa, migrating during the dry season toward a large, shallow water-course in the southwest, where they find fresher pasture-grounds for their cattle. This water-course or ngáljam is famous under several names, being called Bawish, Madéf, and Burbéde. We then passed on our left the town U ́lluf, Húlluf, or Hélib, surrounded by a high clay wall, and almost hidden behind wide-spreading fig-trees, just as is the case with Kála. This town, the name of which is pronounced "Elf" by the Arabs, and of the origin of which they give very absurd accounts, is ill-famed for the presumed witchcraft and sorcery of its inhabitants; and this was the only

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441

reason which prevented my companions from staying here during the heat of the day.

We therefore continued our march, and, having passed another swamp, entered a well-cultivated district, where a great deal of sorghum was grown. I was, however, surprised at seeing the stacks of grain, or, as they are called in Kanúri, bágga argúmbe, still standing in the fields.

We encamped a little beyond the temporary village of Sheikh el Khasés, close to an extensive sheet of water, under the shade of a beautiful tamarind-tree. This piece of water, as the people assured me, only dries up annually for a short time, when the rainy season again fills it. All these native Arabs, as I have already had occasion to remark, are very inhospitable, and the people here, where we had encamped, did not offer us any refreshment. However, I succeeded in buying from them a little honey for a few needles.

When we started again in the afternoon we had great difficulty in avoiding the swamps. The country at times was well cultivated, producing, besides sorghum, a quantity of beans of the speckled kind; but I was not a little astonished to see, in the midst of the stubble-fields, young crops of that variety of sorghum called "másakuwá." This is a very rare sight in these countries in the month of March, as in general this winter-corn is got in during December or January. We then entered a forest, and, following a winding path, reached the rather considerable village of Múke, which belongs to Logón, but is inhabited chiefly by Kanúri. Here I pitched my tent in the marketplace, and was not a little pestered by numbers of inquisitive people.

Saturday, March 13th. The country through which we passed as we drew nearer the capital of Logón was of a rich and fertile character, but insufficiently cultivated. Besides grain, there was a great deal of cotton, and numbers of trees of various species gave it a charming appearance, the beautifully rich foliage of several of them relieving entirely the monotony which is usual in these Central African forests. Among the underwood the dúm-bush was predominant; gradually, however, the "ha

rás" or "karáge"-tree began to prevail. The pods of this tree, which contain the seeds, are not only much liked by camels, but also by monkeys and hogs, both of which seemed to be very numerous, and lived together in the greatest harmony. Numerous holes of the earth-hog (Orycteropus Ethiopiensis) were likewise to be seen.

We met a number of native travelers and people going to market, who saluted us in a cheerful manner, and bore testimony to the fact that we were drawing near a larger place; and the neighborhood of the town was still further indicated by women who had come out to gather wood for the supply of the market. Here I was agreeably surprised to see again my noble old acquaintance of the Músgu country, the deléb-palm or "uray." At first a single specimen appeared towering with its proud, fan-like foliage over the numerous karáge-trees that still continued to retain their predominant position in the vegetable kingdom; but when the clayey soil gave way to sand, a large group met the eye, in close array and full of fruit. It was, however, entirely limited to this locality, and I did not meet another specimen between this place and the town.

When we arrived in sight of the wall, my horseman changed his dress, and put on a new, glittering black Núpe tobe, in order to make his entrance with greater éclat, while I was not a little pleased to meet again here some traveling companions of mine, in whose company I had crossed the Bénuwé on my journey to A'damáwa, and who were once more on their way to the east. We then entered the capital of Logón-Logón Bírni, or Kárnak Lóggon, as it is called by the Shúwa, or Kárnak Lógone or Lóggene, as it is called by the Kanúri. The town on this side (the northwestern) has only one gate; and it was so narrow that we were obliged to unload the camel before we were able to pass through. The energy and activity of this place is naturally concentrated on the eastern side toward the river, where it has seven gates.

The interior of the town, where we entered it, had not a very animated appearance. The cottages, belonging evidently to the poorer classes of people, are in a wretched condition, and the

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only animation which the scenery presented was due to a group of dúm-palms, towering over this poor quarter from the north side. The character of the place improved, however, as we advanced; the streets were tolerably large, and I was struck with the appearance of the principal street or déndal, which is formed by the palace of the sultan or míyara, toward the south, and the house of the Keghámma or Ibálaghwán, toward the north.

The entrance to the palace of the sultan-the "raána míyará” in the kélakú Logón or language of Logón-is toward the east, where there is an open square, shaded by a few trees; here I was obliged to wait a long time on horseback while my quarters were getting ready, for etiquette did not allow me to dismount. The sun was very powerful, and my situation not exactly pleasant; but it afforded me some amusement to observe the flights of falcons and other birds who were nestling in the top of a group of tall dúm-palms which towered above the walls of the mosque opposite the palace.

I had also the pleasure of recognizing an old friend of Major Denham's, namely, Belál, the man who accompanied him as well on his expedition to the Shárí as to Kánem. This man, whose real name was M'adi, and who was an extremely amiable and good-humored personage, with a disposition akin to the character of Europeans, continued my friend during the remainder of my stay in Bórnu. His errand here at present was to collect the annual tribute which the ruler of the country of Logón has to pay to the Sheikh of Bórnu.

The quarters assigned to me were situated in the upper story of the palace of the Ibálaghwán, which surprised me not a little by the superior and even grand style of its architecture. This very spacious palace consists of a number of wings inclosing small quadrangular court-yards, and having an upper story of extensive apartments. The only part which did not correspond with the magnificence of the rest of the building was the staircase, which was rather dark and inconvenient. My own apartment was not less than thirty-five feet long by fifteen wide, and as many high, and received sufficient light from two semicircu