da). Búbanjídda is an extensive province, including the districts on the upper course of the Bénuwé, and its capital is called Ray-Búba. The governor is so powerful that, having in vain solicited the Emír el Múmenín, his sovereign lord, to make him a chief vassal, like the Governor of Hamárruwa, so as to be independent of the Governor of A'damáwa, he has placed himself in open opposition to both. It is also very remarkable that Ray-Búba (that is to say, the town which at present bears this name) was, with the exception of Tibáti, the only walled town which the Fúlbe found in the country; and it took them three months of continual fighting to get possession of it. I have already mentioned, in another place, that this country produces the best sort of iron; and it is not improbable that the more warlike spirit of its inhabitants, the Dáma, is in some degree connected with this circumstance.

Less powerful than the three governors just mentioned, but nevertheless mighty vassals, and most of them valiant champions of the faith, are the following chiefs: Bákari (properly Búbakr), governor of Ribágo, north from Búbanjídda; Ardo Badéshi, governor of the territories of the Falí; M'allem Sudé, governor of Holma; M'allem Hámma, governor of Song; the governor of Súmmo;* Mahmúd, governor of Kilba; M'allem Dáuraka, governor of the large settlement of Máruwa or Marba; M'allem Yusufa, the pious old governor of Binder; M'allem A'dama, the dashing governor of Agúrma in the territory of the Dáma; Ardo 'Omaro, seignior of Sabóngi, near Búbanjídda; M'allem Mústafa, the pious old lord of Míndif; Ardo Gári, the energetic and learned master of Bógo, whose people joined the Bórnu army on the expedition to Músgu which I shall describe farther on; the lord of Kafta-Báudi; Húrsu or Khúrsu, master of Pédde or Fétte.

The dominion of the Fúlbe is generally centred in single settlements, which are of various descriptions, comprising not only large towns, where a numerous host of these intruders, and a powerful chief, reside, but also more private settlements, such as country seats of governors, "ribádo" or "ribágo;" seats of * Súmmo, situated between Holma and Song.

mere petty chiefs, or "jóro;" farm-villages, or "úro;" slavevillages, or "rúmde." But the Fúlbe are continually advancing, as they have not to do with one strong enemy, but with a number of small tribes without any bond of union. It remains to be seen whether it be their destiny to colonize this fine country for themselves, or in the course of time to be disturbed by the intrusion of Europeans. It is difficult to decide how a Christian government is to deal with these countries, where none but Mohammedans maintain any sort of government. It can not be denied that they alone here succeed in giving to distant regions a certain bond of unity, and in making the land more accessible to trade and intercourse.

The most numerous among the native tribes, as I have already stated above, are the Bátta, whose prince, Kókomi, was, previous to the conquest of the Fúlbe, the most powerful chief in the country. They are divided into several great families, speaking also various dialects, which in some cases differ from each other very widely, and are closely related to the Marghi.* Many of the names of their districts serve to designate the territories as well as the tribes settled in them, of which several are still entirely independent of the Fúlbe.

The Bátta inhabit not only all the country on the middle course of the Bénuwé and along the Fáro for some distance beyond Mount Alantíka, but also the whole region north from these rivers as far as the southern boundaries of Bórnu. It is in their language that the river has received the name Bé-noë or Bé-nuwé, meaning "the Mother of Waters."

The tribe which ranks next in numbers and importance is the Falí, settled between the upper course of the Bénuwé and the

*They are settled in the following places: Song; Démsa, comprising DémsaPóha and Démsa-Mésu, which most picturesque places I shall soon describe on my journey back to Kúkawa; Sulléri, Bundáng, Gáruwa, Villáchi, Surkólchi,a Kanáda, A'fong, Táwi, Sedíri, Borongo, Fáwe, Hólchi, Gírbu, Kárin, Béfate, Géllefo, Fúro, Béngo, Búlkuto, Kóngchi, Yogo, Ganta, Bágelé, Birgené, Yébbolewó or Yébborewó, Dásin, Réddo, Geré, Kéddemé, Ndóng, Lawáru, Bang, Báchama, Bulla, Záni, Boy, Kirréngabó, Bólki, Murbáya, Ferma, Bólimbé, Alantíka, Komro, Malábu, Mubákko, Kúrachi, Wóko.

a These terminations in chi certainly do not seem to be indigenous.

*

southern provinces of Bagírmi, of whose families and territories (the same name generally indicating both) I learned the following names: Safaláwa, Yamyam (probably not an original name), Gidér, Débba; Múndam, with the chief place Lére, the residence of the powerful pagan prince (kówa) Gónshomé; Mámbay, Dáma, Láme, Láka, Durú, Nánigí, not far east from Chámba, and Bóka. Their idiom seems to be quite distinct from that of the Bátta, but it shows some affinity with other neighboring tongues. Among the few people belonging to this tribe with whom I came into contact, I observed some of very light color. Then follow the Mbúm, living to the south from the Bátta and southwest from the Falí, and partly subjected, the Fúlbe conquerors being principally established in the place called Ngáundere. There is another large place called Bére. As separate divisions of the Mbúm, I learned the names of the Máiwa, Wúna, and Buté. Southeast from the Mbúm live the Yángeré, and still farther on in that direction the Báya. In what relation the Chámba, after whom the large place at the southern foot of Mount Alantíka is called, stand to the above-named tribes, I can not say. The Chámba are said to have driven from these seats the Kóttofo, who dwell at present farther south. Then there are several other tribes, ranked by my informants as separate nations, the independence or relation of which to the rest I am not able to determine, as I have not obtained specimens of their languages. These are the Holma, the Zummáwa, the Gudá, the Kílba, Honá, Buzá, the Bá, Múchelár, Hína, Búla, Múkubá,† all of whom live in the mountainous region to the southwest from Mount Míndif, and no doubt are partially cognate with other tribes; but, in order to group them, it is necessary to collect specimens of their languages.

Around A'damáwa, partly within, partly beyond its boundaries, but in a certain degree of subjection, are the following

* The numbers "three” (tan) and “four” (nan) seem to point to the Fulfulde as well as to the Kaffir languages.

+ It is probable that this tribe is indicated by the of Makrízi (Hamaker, Spec. Catal., p. 206), although there are several other localities of the same

name.

tribes: the Tikár (by this name, at least, they are called by the Fulbe, though they have probably another name for themselves, as by this they do not seem to be known near the coast*), the Yétem, the Dókaka, the Batí, a tribe of rather light color, the Dáka, the Wére, the Dingding (partly armed with muskets, and regarded by the Fúlbe as Christians), the Mbáfu. Then the Wága, the Yángur, and the Róba. With most of these tribes the reader will be brought into nearer contact by the itineraries subjoined in the Appendix, where I shall have occasion to add a few remarks with regard to information obtained by Europeans near the coast. Here, however, it will not be without interest to compare with this list of tribes the following list of languages spoken in A'damáwa, which Mohammedu gave me : Battanchi;† Damanchi, the idiom spoken in the province of Búbanjídda; Falanchi; Bumanchi, or, perhaps more correctly, Mbumanchi, the language of the Mbúm and of the people of Báya; Butanchi; Tekarchi; Mundanchi; Marghanchi;‡ Kilbanchi; Yangurchi; Gudanchi; Chambanchi; Kotofanchi; Weranchi; Duranchi; Wokanchi; Toganchi; Lekamchi; Parparchi; Kankamchi; Nyangeyárechi; Musganchi;‡ Mandaranchi,‡ or rather "A'ra Wándalá;” Gizaganchi; Rumanchi; Giderchi; Dabanchi; Hinanchi; Muturwanchi; Zinanchi; Zaninchi; Momoyëenchi; Faninchi, the idiom of Fani, the dominion of Hajji Ghálebu; Nyaganchi; Dewanchi; Lallanchi; Doganchi; Longodanchi.§

Probably their real name is Tik'a. See Appendix.

The termination nchí is nothing but the Songhay word ki, which in several dialects is pronounced as chí, and means "language." On account of this termination being added to the original name, I have purposely not marked the accents in this list.

The languages thus marked are spoken only partly in A'damáwa, the tribes to whom they are peculiar being for the greatest part independent.

§ In the Appendix will be found a collection of itineraries, which, written down with accuracy from the mouths of the natives, will give a sufficient idea of the various districts of the country.

JOURNEY HOMEWARD.

199

CHAPTER XXXVII.

MY JOURNEY HOME FROM ADAMAWA.

HAVING made these few remarks with regard to the interesting work of conquest and colonization which is going on in A'damáwa, I now return to my quarters in Ribágo, in order to carry the reader with me on my journey back from that country to Kúkawa.

Wednesday, June 25th. Our luggage had been so wetted on the preceding afternoon, while crossing the máyo Bínti, that we were obliged to stay in Ribágo the whole morning in order to dry it. The horseman who had escorted me out of the town had returned, and in his stead Ibrahíma, with a companion on foot, had made his appearance with orders from the governor to escort me to the very frontiers of the country. In order to render him a more sociable companion, I thought it well to make him a present of a túrkedí. My m'allem had not come along with us; and I could not be angry with him for not desiring to return to Kúkawa, where he had been detained against his will. The horse on which I had mounted him he had well deserved for his trouble. Ibrahíma told me that Katúri had come after me as far as Yébborewó, thinking that I would pass the night there, but that the governor would not let him go farther.

Before starting in the afternoon, I made our landlady, the wife of the Ardo of Ribágo, very happy by a few presents, as an acknowledgment of her hospitality in having twice entertained us in her house. After a short march of a few miles, we took up our quarters for the night in Duló, where the landlord, who, a few days ago, had been deprived of his office of mayor, received us at first rather unkindly, but afterward assigned me a splendid hut, where the ganga or large drum, the ensign of his former authority, was still hanging from the wall. I was great