THE GA-BIBI.-LOCUSTS.

497

erable to allow of our crossing it with all our effects we encamped between it and the swamp, in a locality called Júna-bária; and I here distributed among my companions the articles which I had promised them.

The river at this point was frequented by several hippopotami, one of which, in its pursuit of good pasturage in the dusk of the evening, left the shore far behind it, and was pursued by my companions, who fired at it, without, however, hurting it or preventing its reaching the water.

Monday, July 10th. It was a beautiful morning; and while the Wádáwi crossed over to the island in order to fetch a supply of rice, I had sufficient leisure to look around me. The shore on this side presented little of interest, and was only scantily adorned with trees, but the island was richly clothed with vegetation. The only interesting feature in the scenery was the opposite shore, with the imposing cliffs of Bornu, where we had been encamped some time before. When at length we started, we were soon obliged to leave the shore in order to avoid an extensive swamp, and approached the hills, at the foot of which we had to cross a small creek, which during a great part of the year forms the border of the river itself, and then continued along the downs. Numbers of people, who had their temporary abode in the swampy plain, came to pay me their compliments.

These people are called Gá-bíbi, a name which is said to have. reference to their black tents, which distinguish them from the matting dwellings of the Gá-béro. I was here not a little surprised at the swarms of locusts which the wind drove into our faces, and which certainly indicated our approach to more fertile regions. Proceeding in this manner, we reached a fine camping-ground in an opening of the slope of the downs, through which a path led to the interior, thus giving to the herds of cattle access to the river, and therefore called Dúniyáme, "the watering-place of the cattle." A fine hájilíj afforded a cool shade, the vegetation in general consisting only of fernán, retem, and bú-rékkeba, and we at once decided to halt here, in order to await our guide, HammaHamma, one of the Gá-béro, who had gone to visit his family, but had promised to rejoin us at this spot. The situation of our camping-ground afforded us an interesting prospect over the valley, and numbers of the inhabitants of the neighboring hamlets and camps visited us in the course of the evening, and even supplied us with a tolerable provision of milk late at night.

VOL. III.—I 1

Tuesday, July 11th. The guide who was to accompany us as far as Say not having arrived, I had great difficulty in inducing my companions to set off without him; and we started at an early hour, keeping along the sandy downs, which a little farther on became adorned with the rich bush called "indérren" or "kólkoli," while ledges of rock obstructed the river. Gradually the downs decreased in height, and the melancholy-looking fernán succeeded to the fresh indérren, but its place was supplied for a while by the richer tabórak. The locality was called Alákke, and farther on, Dérgimi; but fixed settlements of any kind are at present looked for in vain in these districts. In A'ussa, however, on the northeastern side of the river, we left, first, a hamlet called Dergónne, and farther on a place called A'ghadór, which, as the name indicates, must have been formerly a walled place. West from Dergónne is probably the halting-place Shínjeri, and A'ghadór is most likely identical with a place called Eben-efőghan, said to be hereabouts. The opposite bank, gradually sloping down and being clad with large trees, bore the appearance of a pleasant, cultivable country, while the shore on this side the river likewise improved; altogether it seemed as if we had left the desert far behind us. I am not sure how the country here is called; but I think that the district called A'zawágh may reach down to the eastern border of the river. The Niger was for a moment entirely free from rocks, forming a magnificent open sheet of water, but farther on it again became obstructed by isolated cliffs.

Meanwhile, as we pursued our march steadily onward, at a short distance from the bank, in a S.S.E. direction, the Kél e' Súki, Mohammed e' Telmúdi, entertained me, from the back of his tall méhari, with a description of the power of the Tárki chief, El Khadír, the southern verge of whose territory we had passed on our outward journey, and now again turned round the northern side of it. The chief, at this time, was encamped about three days from here, toward the west, collecting, as we are told, an expedition against the, principality of Hómbori, the governor of which claims dominion over the whole district. There are even here several settlements of Fúlbe, a troop of whom we fell in with, and recognized in them young noble people, who in their countenances bore evident traces of a pure descent. Their idiom was closely related to the dialect of Másina. During the spring, however, the Tárki chief generally frequents the banks of the river, which then afford the richest pasturage.

TONGI.-BARBAROUS CUSTOM.

499

Gradually the green shore widened, and formed a swampy ground of more than half a mile in breadth, adorned by a line of trees which, during the inundation, likewise becomes annually submerged by the water. The valley is bordered on this side by steep banks of considerable elevation. As soon as I became aware of the swampy character of the plain, which greatly retarded the progress of my camels, I endeavored to strike across the swampy ground, and to reach the firm bank again, but had considerable difficulty in doing so.

The bank was adorned by a growth of the finest trees, which gave to the river scenery a peculiar character, and invited us to halt during the hot hours of the day. We therefore encamped opposite Tongi, a hamlet lying on a low swampy island, separated from us by a considerable open creek, and ruled over by a man of the name of Sálah, who was a brother of Hamma-Hamma, the very man who was to serve us as a guide, but who had broken his word. The people, who seemed to be called Dekíten, behaved very hospitably, sending us immediately upon our arrival cows' and goats' milk as a refreshment, and giving us, in the course of the afternoon, a bullock for our farther entertainment. I have already mentioned, I think, on a former occasion, how cruelly the inhabitants of these regions treat oxen which have been destined for slaughter, although in general they are rather mildly disposed toward animals. In conformity with their barbarous custom, my companions broke the hind legs of the animal which had been given us as a present, and allowed it to drag itself about in this state until they found it convenient to slaughter it.

While detained here the remainder of the day, I had the pleasure of meeting, among the people who crossed over to us from the island, an old man who had a very lively remembrance of Mungo Park, and who gave me an accurate description of his tall, commanding figure, and his large boat. He related, besides, the manner in which the Tawárek of the tribe of the I'de-Músa, the name of whose present chief is El Getéga, attacked that mysterious voyager near Ansóngho, where the river is hemmed in by rapids, but without being able to inflict any harm upon him, while the intrepid Scotchman shot one of his pursuers, and caused two to be drowned in the river.

It was altogether a fine camping-ground, the talha and siwák being thickly interwoven with creeping plants; but a heavy thunder-storm, accompanied with rain, which lasted almost the whole

of the night, rendered us rather uncomfortable. Besides this circumstance, the fact that the people of the sheikh could only with difficulty be induced to forego the companionship of our guide, lost us here the best half of the day. But I collected a good deal of valuable information, especially with regard to the chief settlements of the independent Songhay, as the famous towns of Dárgol, Téra, and Kúlman, situated between the river and our former route through Yágha and Libtáko, which I shall give in the Appendix.*

At length I succeeded, at a rather late hour in the afternoon, in stirring up my companions, and, leading the way, we crossed from this advanced headland a swampy creek which separated us from the main, and then kept along the rising ground, which was richly clad with vegetation, and from time to time formed recesses, as the one called Tennel, the river being now more open. But farther on it became obstructed by cliffs and rocks, till at length, after a march of about seven miles, the river, which here formed a fine bend, assuming a southeasterly direction, exhibited an open, undivided sheet of water, and on this account forms the general place of embarkation, called A'dar-andúrren, properly "the small branch," meaning evidently here a narrowing of the river; for people going from Kúlman to this part of A'ussa generally cross here. A little higher up there is a hamlet called Tabáliat, inhabited by sherifs, with a chief named Mohammed. Just at that moment some people were crossing over, but, when we horsemen hurried in advance, they immediately took to flight with their boats, leaving behind them some slaves, and four or five packoxen, and all our shouting was not able to convince these native travelers of our peaceable intentions. Here, owing to a small creek which runs closely at the foot of the hills, we were obliged to ascend the rising ground, and, rather against the advice of our more prudent Kél e' Súki guide, encamped on the heights, which were clad with rich herbage, but covered with great quantities of the feathery bristle. This spot afforded a commanding view over the surrounding country, but on this very account appeared less secure for a small party; and, notwithstanding the elevation, the camping-ground was greatly infested by musquitoes, which almost drove our camels to distraction, and troubled our own night's rest not a little.

But the view which I here enjoyed over the northern end of * See Appendix XV.