Sunday, August 7th.Taking now a N.N.W. course, we again approached nearer the mountains of Hómbori, which for several days we had already observed in the distance on our right; but after leaving Kúbo, owing to our curious zigzag travelling, we had again turned off from them entirely; and when we left the village of Mundóro, it seemed even as if we were almost to retrace our steps, for we followed a direction a little E. from N. while ascending through cultivated ground, till, after a march of three miles, we reached the highest point of this tract, which presented to us a highly interesting view of the mountains, or rather the detached eminences, of the Hómbori range (which is represented in the accompanying woodcut), isolated cones starting forth from the plain in the most grotesque and fanciful forms.

Here we began to descend through an undulating sandy tract, where the acacia predominated, only interrupted now and then by a single baobab tree. Having passed a pond of stagnant water, we gradually began to turn a little westward from N., the country improving till we reached the fields of Ísayé, or Ísé, a place of some importance, consisting, as the villages in this neighbourhood generally do, of a nucleus of clay houses remarkable only on account of its peculiar towerlike granaries, and a suburb of cottages of thatch-work, but of the most varied shape, several of which are represented in the accompanying woodcut; and here we took up our quarters. As for myself, I obtained a large, excellent hut, with, however, this great defect—that the lower part of the thatching was so thin and frail that a heavy shower would have swamped the whole, but for a small channel which was carried all round the inner part of the wall.

I felt greatly exhausted, in consequence of the constant humidity to which I was exposed, and was neither able to enjoy the hospitable treatment which was shown me, nor even to get rest at night, although I changed my couch repeatedly in order to obtain some repose. But as we remained here the following day, I had sufficient leisure to become fully acquainted with the distinguishing features of this place; and I made a sketch (which has been represented in the plate opposite) of the village, together with an extensive pond from which the natives at this season of the year get their supply of water, and the picturesque castellated mountains of Hómbori in the background.

The place is populous, and inhabited by Songhay and Fúlbe conjointly, the latter of whom belong to the tribe called Jéllobe, and are in possession of large herds of cattle and numerous flocks, while the native Songhay seem to be poor and rather badly off. As strict Mohammedans they have the custom of wearing silver rings on their little finger, which they fancy obtains favour for them when saying their prayers. A good deal of industry was apparent; but corn was very dear, although cheaper than it was said to be further on, where no corn was to be obtained except in Núggera; and I was glad to buy a small quantity of grain, the mudd for four drʿa of very broad cotton strips, while sixteen drʿa of Gando cotton strips were esteemed equal to ten drʿa of their own. Cowries, or “chéde,” had no currency here, except for buying sour milk, of which there was a good supply. On account of the numerous pools which surround the place, it was infested by mosquitoes, which deprived me of what was most valuable to me—a good night’s rest.

Tuesday, August 9th.There were two roads before us through the unsettled country to the north, where at present there are no towns, but only temporary encampments of the Tawárek or Imóshagh, who are now in possession of the country adjacent to the banks of the great river to a considerable extent,— one road leading in a more northerly direction to Láro, and the other in a north-westerly one to Bóne; and although the guide whom we had taken with us from Mundóro assured us that we should not find in Bóne either quarters or hospitality, my friend El Waláti, for some reason or other, preferred the latter route, and we had to make rather a long day’s journey in the weakened state to which we ourselves and our animals were reduced. But the march was highly interesting, on account of the peculiar nature and the picturesque shape of the several detached cones of the Hómbori mountains, through the midst of which our way led. It would have been impossible, from the information which I had gathered from the natives, to form a correct idea of the character of the chain, which I had thought far more elevated and continuous:—the highest elevation which some of the cones reach does not appear to be more than 800 feet above the plain.

In the beginning the appearance of the country was more uniform, while the mountains, covered by the rising ground on our right, looked like mere hills, our track itself lying through a more level country sometimes covered with underwood, and at others presenting a bleak open ground, or “néga;” but the interest of this scenery increased considerably when we reached the western foot of a broader mound which had already attracted our attention the day before. On a sloping ground, consisting of rubbish and boulders, there rose a wall of steep cliffs like an artificial fortification, forming, as it seemed, a spacious terrace on the top, where there are said to be three hamlets, inhabited by a spirited race of natives who, in this rocky retreat, vindicate their independence against the overbearing intrusions of the Fúlbe. We even observed on the slope under the steep cliffs, where there are several caverns, some people pasturing their sheep, while fields of Negro corn and karás, or Corchorus olitorius, testified to the fact that the natives sometimes descend even into the very plain to satisfy their most necessary wants. After passing this mound, and following a more north-westerly direction, we approached another mound, rising from the plain like an isolated cone, and with its steep, narrow, and rugged crest, looking exactly like the ruin of a castle of the middle ages. Leaving this mound, together with the path leading to the Songhay town of Láro on our right, we approached the southern foot of another castellated mound, which stretched out to a greater length, but offered in its rugged and precipitous cliffs, exactly the spectacle of crenellated walls and towers. Where the foot of the mound juts out into the path on the top of the offshoots, the inhabitants of the mountain had erected a small chapel, or rather a place for pagan worship, which presented a very peculiar appearance. Here we entered a sort of broad defile, formed between this castellated mound and another cone towards the west, which, although of considerable elevation, was not so rugged, and exhibited a less picturesque appearance.

Greatly fatigued by our long march, especially as a cool breeze in the morning was followed by an oppressive heat in the noonday hours, we reached, at about five o’clock in the afternoon, the Fúlbe village of Bóne, situated at the foot of the eastern mound; but although I had sent two of my people in advance, we were unable to obtain quarters, and after some unavailing dispute we were obliged to encamp outside in the open grassy vale between the two mountains; for the inhabitants of this village, who are exclusively Fúlbe, do not like strangers to enter their dwellings, at least not for a night’s quarters. They however treated us in the evening with a good supply of milk, while they also informed us that a large encampment of that section of the Tawárek which is called Iregenáten was at a few miles’ distance. El Waláti supposed, or rather pretended to suppose, that they were the clan of a powerful chief of the name of Somki, and assured me that it would be necessary to make this chief a handsome present, in order that under his protection we might proceed safely from camp to camp till we reached the banks of the Niger; for although we might have travelled by a more southerly road turning from this point westward to Núggera, it seemed more prudent to endeavour to get out of the range of the dominion of the Fúlbe, in order not to be at the mercy of the chief of Hamda-Alláhi, who certainly could not but be hostile to my intention of reaching Timbúktu. And it seems not to be out of place to mention here, that this very Núggera,—a hamlet of some note, as being the residence of learning and holiness,—was the point from which the founder of the dynasty of Hamda-Alláhi started.

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CHAP. LXIII.

IMÓSHAGH OR TAWÁREK ENCAMPMENTS SOUTH OF THE NIGER. — LAKES AND BACKWATERS OF THE GREAT RIVER.

Wednesday, August 10th.In conformity with our project, I myself, with El Waláti and two of my people on horseback, leaving my luggage behind with the rest of my servants, started in the morning for the camp of the Tawárek, having provided a very handsome present, consisting of a large Núpe tobe, a red cap, a túrkedí, and three fine “háf” or “lithám,” altogether worth about 20,000 shells. However, we had only proceeded about a mile when we met a few Tawárek serfs, who informed us that it was not Somki, but another chief who had moved his encampment to this place; and, from what I observed, I concluded that El Waláti had been well aware of this before, but wanted only to extort from me a large present. Once in the hands of this crafty Arab, I had to use great discretion in order to prevent him from betraying me altogether, and I was obliged to bear silently any little trick which he might play me in order to enrich himself, as long as I proceeded onwards and approached the object of my arduous undertaking. We therefore moved on, and, soon leaving the mountains behind us, after a march of about eight miles through a plain covered with dense underwood, reached the encampment of the Tawárek.

This was a very important stage of my journey. Having with the greatest difficulty and danger crossed the wide open country of the other more easterly tribes of the Tawárek on the setting out of our expedition, and heartily glad to have got rid of them, I here once more entered their territory and delivered myself up into their hands without enjoying the protection of a single powerful chief, and guided solely by the advice of that crafty man whose only purpose was to get from me as much as possible. The encampment consisted of leather tents of larger or smaller size, but it evidently belonged to a chief without great power, as seemed to be apparent from the total absence of camels and horses. However, I immediately conceived a favourable impression of the muscular strength and dexterity of these people; for when we approached the tent of the chief, who was sitting inside upon his couch of reeds, he with a single jerk jumped out and suddenly stood upright before us. Of course the tent was open in front, but nevertheless it appeared to me a great gymnastic feat, especially taking into account the lowness of the entrance, as in jumping out he had to stoop at the same time. Without delay a smaller tent was placed at our disposal, and we made ourselves comfortable.

The tents, “éhe” (pl. éhénnan), consist of a large round piece of leather formed of a great number of smaller sheepskins cut in quadrangular pieces and sewed together, while the borders of the whole are left purposely very irregular, in order to pass the stalks, which describe the outward circle of the tent, through the projecting corners. These skins are spanned over three pairs of poles, the middle pair of considerable elevation, the remaining two not so high, and one of them, on the right of the entrance, being forked, as represented in the accompanying woodcut, although, as far as I have become aware, the middle poles are not always the same, in some tents both joining at the top, in others seeming to stand apart. The whole character of these tents will be still better understood from the plate representing the Tawárek encampment at Amalélle in the next volume.

In such a tent there are generally two couches, or divans, called “teshégit,” made of a fine species of reed, and raised about a foot from the ground; for these people generally choose the most swampy places for their encampments, and after a thunder-storm are sometimes to be found in the midst of a lake. They are also not wanting in comforts; and on every couch there is a leather pillow, “adafór,” which certainly seems very essential, as it would be most uncomfortable to rest the elbow on the uneven and hard surface of these reed couches. Almost all the furniture of these simple people, besides a few wooden bowls for eating and drinking, consists of leather bags of excellent workmanship and sometimes very tastefully ornamented, as will be shown in the following volume. In these they stow away their clothes as well as their provisions; and during the night they surround the whole tent with very neat mattings of a fine species of reed, so that a tent of this description forms quite a comfortable dwelling.

Although our host was evidently not one of the first-rate chiefs, he, as well as his kinsfolk and friends who came to visit us, had a very noble and prepossessing appearance, being rather broad-shouldered, stout, and well knit, with a pleasing expression of countenance and a fair skin, though there were a few among them who, with their coarse features and their dark skin, bore testimony to the deterioration of the Berber blood. We had scarcely made ourselves comfortable, when we were treated with large quantities of fresh and sour milk, while a fat sheep was slaughtered and prepared for our supper, but without any additional food, these people living almost entirely on meat and milk.

Of course I had to make a handsome present to my new friends, consisting of a fine black tobe, a túrkedí, and a black harám; but I doubt very much whether my friend El Waláti gave them these articles as a present from me, or whether he sold them as his own. However, be this as it may, I wanted not only their protection, but their assistance too, as my camels were so weakened by the continual humidity to which they were exposed, that they were not fit to carry my luggage any further. But besides, as we had to pass the seats of these lawless tribes, we had to grope our way, as well as possible, from one encampment to the other, so that we wanted guides; and it was therefore arranged that, hiring a couple of pack-oxen at this place, we should join this tribe the following morning, when they would take us on our way to the chief, Somki. The mountainous district, in the direction of Núggera, had the following appearance at its termination.

On returning from this encampment to Bóne, being misled by a man who professed to know the district, which for the most part consists of swampy ground, we fell into a dangerous bog, and made our way with great difficulty. We were also visited by a very heavy thunder-storm in the evening, which swamped the whole country, killed one of my camels, and rendered our night’s rest very uncomfortable. In consequence of this violent rain our road the next day, on our way to the Tawárek, was very bad, and we had great difficulty in avoiding the swamps; but I was rewarded by the picturesque aspect of the scenery, a rich cascade rushing down over the steep cliffs of the mountain, from a height of about two hundred feet, and forming at the bottom a powerful torrent, which swept along through a fine border of vegetation in the direction of Bóne. The poor independent inhabitants of that mountain had left their stone cottages and caves on the slope of the steep cliffs, and were busy, after the fertilising rain, with the labours of the field in their limited grounds, clearing them of the weeds. The crops promised well, and had a healthy appearance. When we disturbed these poor people in their labours, they retired behind the safeguard of their Cyclopean rocks, and stared at us with great curiosity, the unusual appearance of our whole train causing them a great deal of dismay; and it was in vain that we endeavoured by our gestures to persuade them to continue their labours, as they did not understand us, while we were greatly pleased to observe that, although pagans, they were decently clad with neat aprons of cotton round their loins.

Having at length joined our friends of yesterday, we pitched our linen tents, which greatly attracted their attention, at some distance from their leather dwellings, and were soon beset by numbers of the fair sex, some of whom were distinguished by their plumpness, especially by that peculiar feature called “tebúllodén,” which I mentioned on a former occasion; but I was forced to frighten these fair visitors away, as, in consequence of the last day’s thunder-storm, I felt very unwell, and was obliged to have recourse to an emetic. As for the men, their dress consisted throughout of a short shirt with short open sleeves, made of a coarse kind of broad cotton strips, only a few young lads, sons of the chief, wearing also, here in the encampment, blue-dyed shirts, with a patch of red cloth to adorn the large breast-pocket. Their head-dress was likewise very poor, consisting not of a whole shawl, harám or tesílgemist, but of single cotton strips of various colours, blue, red, white, and of the mixed kind called “shaharíye,” sewed together, only a few of them being able to add a strip of red cloth: for, altogether, these Tawárek are very fond of a variety of colours, a feature already observed by that most excellent geographer El Bekrí[78], and never leave the manufactured shirts of Núpe and Háusa as they receive them, with the exception of a few of the greatest chiefs, who pride themselves in possessing a whole shirt of that kind. Owing to the swampy character of the neighbourhood, which produced countless hosts of mosquitoes, and to the number of hyenas, which frightened the cattle repeatedly, I passed a restless and sleepless night.

Friday, August 12th.I was now in the hands of the Tawárek, and my crafty Arab companion was enabled to take full advantage of my dangerous situation. For, on the one hand, it had become necessary to represent me to these simple people as a great sheríf, and thus to excite their hospitable feelings, while at the same time he instigated me to reward their treatment in a generous manner, but nevertheless sold my presents to them as his own property. It required a great deal of patience and forbearance on my part, to bear up against the numerous delays in this part of our journey, and to endure the many tricks played upon me by the treachery of my companion, in order to prevent at least his proceeding to open violence. In this encampment he bartered the horse which I had bought for him at Libtáko, for seven fat and powerful bulls, which, in Timbúktu, probably might fetch from 8000 to 10,000 shells each. This business being at length settled, and the whole encampment breaking up, we proceeded onwards. The men were mostly mounted on horses of a small unsightly breed, but well adapted to bear fatigue, while the women were sitting astride on their household furniture, which was packed on oxen and asses.

Proceeding thus slowly onward, our friends encamped about a mile from their former resting-place, or “ámazágh,” close beyond an extensive meadow-water which caused the young herbage to spring up all around, and full of holes, thus creating frequent delay.

Continuing, then, our journey alone, and ascending higher ground, where a little cultivation was being carried on by the slaves of the nomadic tribe which at present have taken possession of these grounds, and passing another encampment, we reached, after a march of about eight miles, the camp where we were to make another halt. It was situated in an open tract of ground called Imeggélelé, adorned only by a few stunted talha trees, while at some distance to the south a flat vale spread out, clothed with a greater profusion of vegetation, and affording rich pasture to numerous flocks of sheep and goats. The whole tract forms a sort of irregular valley, bordered towards the north by a hilly chain of slight elevation, and towards the west by a cluster of flat-topped cones.

The camp was governed by three different chiefs, called Sítina, Jáwi, and Feréferé,—the latter being a man of a very powerful frame. Several small presents were necessary to satisfy them all. Besides, as the two pack-oxen which I had hired the day before were to return from this place, I had to buy here two animals myself; and I had great difficulty, in the course of the following day, in concluding a bargain: but I at length succeeded in buying one bull, with a tobe worth here 6000 shells, and a túrkedí of inferior quality worth 2000; and a second one, with three háf worth 4000, together with a túrkedí worth 3500. This was not, however, their real value, but the price fixed by El Waláti, who had himself a profit of at least fifty per cent. He also was the sole cause of my being detained here so long, as he wanted to sell the mare which he had brought with him from Bulánga; for horses constitute the chief article of trade with these people, and small Fúlbe traders, or rather Jawámbe or Zoghorán, visit them continually, bringing horses from Sofára and the country of Búrgu, where the best animal fetches not more than about 30,000 shells, and bartering them with these people for cattle, and the first evening of our arrival a numerous troop of these native traders arrived. It was here that I observed, for the first time, some of the Tawárek clad entirely in shirts made of leather, which they are skilful in preparing.

Sunday, August 14th.The bargaining being at length concluded, we got ourselves in readiness to pursue our journey, when a violent thunder-storm, gathering from the north, kept us back till nearly noon. We at length set out; but the recently bought animals were so intractable that we only moved on at a very slow pace. We had first to retrace our steps a little to the eastward, in order to cross the hilly chain which separated us from the sandy downs along the Niger; and had then to descend a very steep sandy slope, which brought us into an irregular valley, with the mountains of Dalla forming a conspicuous object towards the west. Having then turned round a mountain spur which stretched out into the plain on our right, we reached the encampment of Bélé, a powerful chief of the degraded tribe of the Haw-n-ádak. His exterior had nothing of that noble appearance which so eminently distinguishes the higher class of these wild tribes, as he was of unwieldy corpulency, and of a rather short figure, resembling the famous South-African chief, Nangóro, visited by Messrs. Galton and Anderson. He received us, however, very hospitably, and proved to be rather an intelligent man; but, fortunately, he had not sufficient cleverness to discover that I was a Christian, although, from the very first moment when he beheld my luggage, he arrived at the firm conclusion that I was not what my companions represented me to be,—namely, a sheríf from the far east; but he had made up his mind, on account of the little knowledge which I possessed of his language, and which I had not quite kept back before him, that I was a merchant, either from Ghadámes or Morocco, and it was quite amusing to me to hear him argue this point, while he affirmed with the greatest obstinacy, and with an oath, that I was a Shillúh,—a Berber from the north,—and wanted to represent myself as a sheríf, in order to pass through his tribe with less trouble and expense. He, as well as his people, became, by degrees, rather troublesome; but they treated us well, sending us two prepared sheep, and large dishes of rice boiled in an abundance of butter, but without salt. The chief himself is said to consume every day a sheep, and the supply of milk from seven cows,—in this respect reminding us of the Emperor Vitellius.

Monday, August 15th.I presented to the chief a first-rate túrkedí, two black shawls, and a red cap; but as my fine horse excited his cupidity, we had some difficulty in getting away, and matters appeared for some time rather serious. But having at length proceeded on our journey, after a little more than a mile, we ascended from the rich grassy plain, upon an undulating tract of deep sandy soil, richly clothed with mimosa and herbage, and broken now and then by a depression or cavity covered with the richest species of grass, called “banga.” Numerous flocks of sheep were pasturing here, and a servant of Bélé, who accompanied us, felt no compunction in seizing the fattest specimen and slaughtering it. After a march of about eight miles, the poisonous euphorbia became very common; but we looked in vain for water, as we had taken no supply with us, and it was not till after a long march over the sandy downs, that we reached a pool of stagnant and dirty water. A little more than two miles beyond, we came to another encampment of Tawárek. Here fortunately I found better rest than at Bélé’s, only a few people being present at the time. The chief, too, being of rather a subordinate character, raised his pretensions less high.

On account of their degraded character and their low condition in the scale of Tawárek society, these people were not even allowed to wear swords, which is the emblem of the free and noble Amóshagh, but, besides their spears, they are only armed with a long “télak,” or knife, worn at the left arm. All the Tawárek hereabouts wear short narrow shirts, and short and tightly fitting trowsers; and almost all of them wear round the lower and upper part of their face, a shawl composed of strips of different colours and materials, as I have stated above; only the chief himself uses a black tobe, and a shawl of the same colour.

These various tribes pasture their cattle quite differently from each other. Most of the Tawárek, like the Fúlbe in general, drive them out early in the morning, and fetch them home when the heat of the day commences, in order to milk them, after which the cattle are again driven out till evening; but the people of this as well as of the last day’s encampment, pasture their cattle during the night, and fetch them home early in the morning for milking. We had a fine cool breeze in the evening, which refreshed me extremely while lying in front of my tent; but in the night a heavy thunder-storm broke out, followed by a moderate quantity of rain.

August 16th.It was almost noon when we started, for as long as my friend El Waláti had something to sell, there was no chance of travelling, and in order to diminish my dissatisfaction, it was pretended that one of my pack-oxen was lost. Here my companion bartered his young camel for sixty sheep, and the bargain being at length concluded, we were allowed to proceed on our journey. But before setting out I had to give my blessing to the whole population of the encampment, male as well as female. Among the latter I discovered a few pretty young women, particularly one, who, together with her baby, formed a most pleasing spectacle, her beauty being enhanced by her extreme shyness in approaching me; but their dress was very poor indeed, consisting of coarse cotton stuff, which was wrapped round the body and brought down over the head. All the boys under twelve years of age have the left side of their head entirely shaven, while from the crop on the right side a long curl hangs down.

At length we were again on the road, but our march, through a rather level tract of country, was only of short duration, and after a little more than six miles, having crossed a basin where a large sheet of water had collected, we again took up our quarters in another encampment the chief of which was stated to possess great authority, so that I had once more to give presents to the value of nearly 10,000 shells, besides a túrkedi and “háf” to be given to the man belonging to Bélé, who had served us as a guide. I had likewise to send a present to a Tárki chief at some distance, in order to take every precaution recommended to me by my companion to insure my safety, although I felt certain that he himself applied the greater portion to his own use. It was thus that my supplies rapidly disappeared, and I had a fair prospect, if this state of things should continue for any length of time, of arriving in Timbúktu greatly lightened. We were however hospitably treated by our hosts, and were even regaled with the uncommon luxury of a large dish of “megáta,” a sort of maccaroni, prepared from wheat with a rich seasoning of butter, and famous since the time of El Bekrí. As a proof that we were approaching Timbúktu, I may mention that the people of this encampment were extremely anxious to get a sip of tea, which they called the water of Simsim, from the celebrated well of that name in Mekka. Another of my camels being knocked up, I here exchanged it for four bulls, one of which was fit for carrying burdens, being equal in value to two or three of the others; but I had afterwards a keen dispute on account of this bargain, the camel having subsequently died.

August 17th.On setting out from this encampment, we kept at first a little more westward, thus leaving the district of Banséna, which formerly seems to have been of some importance, to the north, in order to avoid the encampment of Íso, a brother of Somki, who had sent a messenger the preceding day in order to invite us to pay him a visit. The district through which we passed is called Mínta, and is rich in ironstone, while ruins of former smelting-places are seen in different localities; but it was extremely barren, extensive tracts of bleak native soil, called “néga” or “hamraye,” fatiguing the eye under a hot African sun. Further on the soil became swampy, and bore frequent footprints of the elephant: but after a march of a little more than three miles, while we again returned into a northerly direction, we entered an undulating sandy tract clothed with bushes, and two miles and a half beyond again encamped on the site of a Tawárek ámazágh. Here, after having made some presents, we were well treated, two sheep being slaughtered for us; but we passed a most uncomfortable night on account of the vast number of mosquitoes which infested the place.

Thursday, August 18th.We at length made a tolerable day’s march in order to reach the small town of Bámbara, which forms the southernmost of the fixed settlements of the Songhay along the creeks and back-waters of the river in this part of the country. The district through which we passed in the beginning of our march formed a tolerable level, thickly overgrown with bushes and the feathery bristle, which gradually attained such a height, as to reach the rider on horseback. At times also the poisonous euphorbia predominated, and after a march of about nine miles our old friend the hájilíj, or Balanites ægyptiaca, which I did not remember to have seen since leaving Fógha, began to appear. But far more cheerful than the sight of this tree was the view of a large sheet of water, which appeared on our right about three miles further on, and which excited in me the first idea of the size and richness of the upper course of the Niger; it is here called Dó; but in its further course northwards, where the eye could not reach the border, it bears the particular name of Siléddu, and at least at certain seasons of the year is in direct connection with the river.

Having then passed a small tract of cultivated ground and emerged from the undulating country, we obtained a sight of the town of Bámbara, situated a little in front of a chain of hills, as represented in the accompanying woodcut. In an hour more we reached the place, and at the instigation of our Arab companion fired a salute with our pistols, whereupon the principal individuals made their appearance, and we obtained quarters without further delay. The town or village consists partly of low clay buildings, partly of huts, but the inhabitants appear to dwell almost exclusively in the latter, using the clay dwellings, which generally consist of low, oblong, and flat-roofed buildings, as store-rooms or magazines for depositing their treasures; that is to say, their long rolls of cotton-strips, “leppi,” or “tári.” The dwelling also which was assigned to me consisted of a rather low dirty hut, which was anything but well ventilated, and proved almost insupportable during the hot hours of the day. But the clay soil in the courtyard was too hard for pitching my tent, and besides, it was not advisable to expose myself in this manner to the gaze of inquisitive and curious observers. The inhabitants of this place, almost all of whom are Fúlbe, and on account of their large features evidently belong to the section of the Toróde or Tórobe, are ill-famed as “dhálemín,” or evil-doers. However, they are a warlike set, and had succeeded a few months before in driving back the Awelímmiden, who had made a foray on a large scale against the place. But Bámbara is important in an economical respect, for the inhabitants, besides possessing numerous cattle, cultivate a large extent of ground; even many of the people of Timbúktu have fields here, the transport of the grain being easy and cheap by means of the immense inland navigation which is formed by the many back-waters and branches of the Niger. But the neighbourhood of the place is very barren, and at that time especially, when no rain had fallen for some time, looked extremely dry, so that the camels had to be driven to a great distance to find pasturage. Some Tawárek half-castes are also settled in the place, and they kept up dancing every evening till a very late hour.

Bámbara is called Hudári by the Tawárek or Imóshagh, and Sukurára by the people of the kingdom of Bámbara, the Bámanón, or as they are called by the inhabitants of Timbúktu, Benáber. Why the name Bámbara has attached to this place in particular I cannot say, but probably the reason was, that the people of Bámbara, who some seventy years ago conquered all this country to the south of the river, retained dominion of this town for a longer time than of any other place in the neighbourhood. There is no doubt that the Fúlbe, or Fullán, as well as the Songhay and Arabs, call the place only by the latter name.

I had to stay in Bámbara several days, not at all for my own comfort, as I continually ran the risk of being recognised and identified, having been known as a Christian at the short distance of a few days’ journey from here. Nothing but the scanty intercourse which is kept up in this region made such a sudden change of character possible, for as yet I had nobody to protect me. But my friend El Waláti, whose relation with the inhabitants of this place was of a peculiar character, derived the sole benefit from our stay. He had married here, four years previously, a rich wife, and had absconded with all her property: besides having seriously offended the powerful Tárki chief Somki. Having thus made himself so obnoxious to them, he would not have been able to enter the place again, if he had not found an opportunity of enriching himself at my expense and enjoying the protection of my company. However, it was only by degrees that I became acquainted with all these circumstances, while I had to bear silently all the intrigues of this man, my only object being to reach safely in his company the town of Timbúktu; but it was evident enough that he was continually wavering, whether it was not more profitable for him to deliver me into the hands of the Fúlbe, as he knew well that in the town of Dár-e’-Salám, which was only thirty miles distant, there was a powerful governor, under the ruler of Másina, and himself a son of Mohammed Lebbo, who, at the first intelligence of my real character, would have cut short all my proceedings, and, in the most favourable case, would have sent me direct to his liege lord and nephew in Hamda-Alláhi.

I had to make here some considerable presents to a number of people. There was first our host Jóbbo, who had given us quarters, and who treated us very hospitably; then, the son of the chief or emír, who was absent in Hamda-Alláhi; next, three kinsmen of the latter, who were represented to me as dhálemín; and lastly, three Arabs from Timbúktu, who were staying here at the time, and whose friendly disposition I had to secure for some reason or other. One of the latter was a very amiable young man, of the name of Mohammed el Amín, son of the learned kádhi Mústapha, and it was he, in particular, who gave me some information with regard to my friend El Waláti, who, on his part, endeavoured to obtain the favour of this young man, by persuading me to make him a good present, and to commission him to take charge of my horse through the dangerous and watery tract of country from Sarayámo to Kábara. As for the second of these Arabs, he belonged to the small tribe of the Ansár, or, as they are generally called Lansár,—that most respected Arab tribe which, on account of its intimate connection with Mohammed, enjoyed everywhere and at all times great influence, but which is at present reduced to a very small fraction. He was a follower of Hammádi, the rival of the sheikh El Bakáy in Timbúktu, and seemed to be of such a hostile disposition towards my friend that the latter represented him to me as shamefully exiled from that town, and as totally disgraced. Besides these presents to the inhabitants of the place, I had also to reward the various people who had accompanied us from the Tawárek encampments in order to show us the road, or rather to drive the sheep and cattle belonging to El Waláti. But in return for all these presents I was at least treated hospitably and, for these countries, even sumptuously; and I was glad to find that the rice here, which constituted the chief article of food, was of excellent quality.

While we were staying in this place I received a visit from two Tawárek chiefs, who, owing to our slow progress, had heard of me, and came in order to obtain from me my blessing, but more particularly some presents. The chief of them was a very respectable-looking man, of the name of Mohammed, or Hemáhemé, with large open features, such as are never seen among the Kél-owí, and of a tall stately figure. They behaved very friendly towards me, and one of them even embraced me very cordially; but the scale of their religious erudition was not very considerable, and I was greatly amused when El Waláti, in order to get back from them his tobacco-pouch, which they had secretly abstracted from him, suddenly seized one of my books, which happened to be “Lander’s Journey,” and, on threatening them with it as if it were the Kurán, the pouch was restored without delay.

I had been questioned repeatedly on my journey respecting the Méhedí, who was expected soon to appear; but these people here were uncommonly anxious to know something concerning him, and could scarcely be prevented from identifying me with this expected prophet, who was to come from the East.

They were scarcely gone when a messenger arrived from the great chief Somki, whose name had already filled my imagination for so long a time; and, at El Waláti’s most urgent request, who did not fail to enhance the importance of this man as much as he was able, I prepared a considerable present, worth altogether 33,000 shells, which my friend was to take to him on the following day.

Now it would not have been at all necessary to have come into any contact with this chief, as the direct road to Timbúktu led straight from here, without touching at Sarayámo, near which place Somki had formed his encampment; but my friend represented the direct road from here to Timbúktu as leading along the encampments of several powerful chiefs, whom it would be more prudent to avoid; and perhaps he was right, not so much from the reason stated as on account of the water-communication between Sarayámo and Timbúktu offering a great advantage. In conformity with these circumstances, on the third day of our stay here, El Waláti at length set out for the encampment of Somki, in order to obtain his protection, to enable me to pass safely through his territory; and I sent along with him my faithful servant, Mohammed el Gatróni, whom I had just cured of a severe attack of dysentery, although I could not expect that he would be able to control the proceedings of the crafty Arab, as he did not understand the language of the Tawárek. They did not return until the third day, and gave me in the meantime full leisure to study a little more accurately the relations of this place.