A few cattle were grazing here and there, but they looked very sickly and emaciated, and skeletons of others were lying about in all directions, proving the ravages that disease had made among them: for, besides the fact that general epidemic diseases visit the cattle in these regions as well as in the countries to the south of the equator at certain periods, the conquering tribe settled in this quarter having had to sustain a long siege against the enemy, most of their cattle, being cooped up in the town, had perished for want of pasture. Notwithstanding all these disasters, the inhabitants of Kallíul stood their ground; for the Fúlbe hereabouts are a very warlike race, and are excellent archers. Several of them, attracted by the news of the arrival of a caravan with corn, of which they stood so much in need, rushed past us on horseback as we were looking out for a place where we might take up our quarters with some degree of safety. Leaving two other salt-manufacturing hamlets on our left side equally jutting out into the bottom of the vale, we descended at length from a higher slope crowned by a cluster of well-built but at present deserted huts; and being informed that the town of Kallíul, or Káura, was still some distance off, and far out of our road, we turned into one of these salt-hamlets, which was the fourth on this side. Here we were quartered in a very excellent hut, but suffered greatly from mosquitoes during the following night.

We remained in this poor hamlet the following day, and, being aware of the great distress which prevailed in the whole of this tract of country, I had no more urgent business than to despatch two of my men early in the morning to our companions the Ásbenáwa, who had encamped on the other side of the valley, in order to endeavour to buy from them as much corn as they were able to spare; but my servants soon returned with the news that the distressed inhabitants had taken from the fatáki or native traders all their corn by force. I was therefore rather badly off, but nevertheless was prevented from pursuing my route at once, as the camels wanted some repose. The site of our hamlet was highly interesting to me; and I soon set out for a stroll around this artificial mound of rubbish. It was of considerable size, measuring about 200 yards in length, and the same in breadth, with an elevation of 50 feet towards the bottom of the valley, and about 20 towards the edge of the bank,—the whole of this mound bearing evident proof of its artificial character, consisting as it did of nothing but the soil of the valley itself, from which the saline particles had been extracted. The salt is here prepared in the following manner. The earth is taken from the bottom of the vale, and put into large funnels made of straw and reeds, when water is poured upon the earth, and strained through the funnels, after which it is caught in vessels placed underneath, and then boiled, and the sediment formed into the shape of a small loaf.

That it is the earth which contains the saline particles, and not the rank grass which grows here, I am quite sure, although in other places there is no doubt that salt is extracted from the grass growing in such localities: but this can only be done by burning, the salt being extracted from the ashes; and no such process is pursued here. The salt is of a greyish-yellow colour, and quite fit for cooking purposes; it is of a much better quality than the bitter salt of Bílma, although, no doubt, far inferior to the beautiful crystal salt of Taödénni, of which I here saw the first specimen with some Songhay pilgrims, who had left Hómbori four months previously on their way to Mekka. However, such a mode of proceeding is only practicable in the dry, or towards the beginning of the rainy season; for at the end of the latter the valley is quite full of water, which then is fresh, and is said to contain plenty of fish, the saltish properties of the soil being too scanty and inconsiderable to impregnate so large body of water. Even at present a considerable quantity of the aqueous element had already collected, filling, in some places, the whole width of the valley between the two banks, to the depth of a foot or two, so that the people could not make use of the soil from the valley itself; but they had stored up a sufficient provision to enable them to carry on their labours for a month or two longer.

The Fúlbe call these places síle-chólli. It is only the salt which induces the inhabitants to remain in this locality; for they have been harassed extremely by their energetic enemy the Déndi. The town of Kallíul had had to sustain, during a very short period, no fewer than five attacks from the latter, whose chief seat, Yélu, closely borders upon their territory; and, in addition to the sad circumstance of all their cattle having died, these people had also lost the whole of their slaves, who, under such circumstances, had run away in a body. The neighbourhood, even at the present moment, was so unsafe, that the people of the town would not allow me to stay in the open hamlet where I was, and wanted me to come to them behind their wall; but fearing longer delay I declined, and fixed my departure for the following day.

Yélu[63], the principal place of Déndina the country of the Déndi (a branch of the Songhay about whom I shall say more on another occasion), is situated only about seven or eight miles lower down this same valley, which joins the Great River at the town of Dóle, and which is especially inhabited by Songhay people. Their well-known and renowned chief, Gójida, had recently died, and had been succeeded by a younger brother of his, of the name of Gódu, who kept up the struggle against the conquering tribe with considerable energy, and probably, if he had been better provided with cavalry, would have long ago established the independence of his countrymen, by driving away the Fúlbe from the valley of Fógha, and thus opening a free intercourse with the countries to the north. But the inhabitants of Kallíul, as I assured myself especially on my return journey, when I entered the town, are hardy warriors, and keep well together, although that little community is ruled by four petty chiefs,—Señína, Mámma Yídi, and two brothers called Mámma Gúnga and Ámedu Gúnga. Even on the present occasion of my journey westward, these petty chiefs paid me a visit, and I made each of them a small present; but none of them was able to supply me with even the smallest provision of corn, although they all evinced their benevolent disposition, and Señína (who, by wearing a miserable sort of bernús of the poorest description, seemed to vindicate his superiority over his brother chiefs) made me a present of 100 Kóla nuts, which luxury he could more easily spare than a few grains of corn. Mámma Yídi, on the other hand, an elderly gentleman, was distinguished by his amiable conduct, and understood even a little Háusa. Generally speaking, none of the Fúlbe here speak a single word of that language, the valley of Fógha forming the boundary between the Háusa and the Songhay languages. I likewise received a visit from two sons of the kádhi or alkáli, one of whom, of the name of ʿAbd el Wahábi, was a remarkably handsome man, of very gentlemanlike bearing, more like a European in his countenance than a native of Negroland, and of a melancholy turn of mind, which awakened my interest in him.

Tuesday, June 14th.My two warlike companions from Zogírma, who, by their experience and energetic conduct, had inspired me with almost unbounded confidence, and whom I should have liked to have attached to me for a much longer period, had returned home the moment I reached the border of the valley, finding their only safety in speed and secrecy, and cutting straight across the thickest part of the forest; and, in consequence, I had used all my endeavours to obtain here another escort, but all in vain. However, Mámma Yídi having promised that a guide should overtake me on the road, I started tolerably early the next morning, in order to pursue my journey through this unsafe wilderness, being anxious not to cause more delay, and thus to increase the danger of my situation in consequence of the news of my proceedings having spread through the neighbourhood; but instead of making right across the country, I was first obliged to retrace my steps northwards, to the very place where I had crossed the valley two days previously, for, Kallíul being anything but a place of trade and commerce, all the little intercourse which is still going on in this region is carried on along the direct road, without touching at this place.

A few hundred yards higher up from this spot, a rich source of excellent fresh water gushes out from the rocky ground, and forms a large sheet in the bottom of the valley, affording a remarkable contrast to the black muddy water which covers the remainder of the surface. Having taken in here a supply of water, we then passed several other salt-hamlets or síle-chólli, and emerging from the valley ascended the higher ground, which presented open pastures with only a little underwood scattered in bushes here and there, principally the gónda bush and the poisonous plant, damankádda, which I have already mentioned repeatedly as forming an ornament of the landscape, at the same time that it endangers the life of the camel.

It was a beautiful morning, and the view over the valley from this undulating ground was highly interesting. We had just entered denser forest, when my friend Yídi overtook me, accompanied by two horsemen, and handing me, to my great surprise, besides a good provision of salt, 2000 kurdí, or shells, which I only reluctantly accepted for the sake of my servants. He also brought me a guide, who was to accompany me as far as Gárbo. We therefore pursued our march cheerfully, but experienced repeated delays in the thick covert of the forest. The trees were rather dry, and not very luxuriant, no rain having fallen in this part of the country for some time. A little further on we passed a small pond, where we fell in with a party of Tawárek half-castes from Zaberma or Chéggazar, who were carrying the salt of Fógha to their home, on a small number of oxen and asses. We encamped at a quarter past three o’clock in the afternoon, near another small pond, on an open spot, where I again enjoyed an open encampment, which is the greatest charm of a travelling life.

Wednesday, June 15th.Soon after starting, we had to descend a rocky passage, and we were glad to find the road, from time to time, enlivened by small parties of travellers. First we fell in with a man of the name of Mohammed el Amín, from Hámed-Alláhi, the capital of the western empire of the Fúlbe, who had come by way of Júnju, and who, having cherished the good intention of performing the pilgrimage to Mekka, had been frightened by the difficulties of the road; and further on we met another party of travellers, among whom was a Limtúni, that is to say, a Moor, a man of mixed Arab and Berber blood, of the ancient tribe of the Limtúna—who, having once formed the chief portion of the powerful confederation of the Merábetín (Almoravides), are at present scattered and settled, in small fragments, on the very shores of the Atlantic. He was a stout and active little fellow, with an open countenance, and, being on his way to Mekka, rushed immediately towards me to salute me, asking me whether I was a Turk or a Christian. I presented him with a dollar, requesting him to give a short note (which I wrote on the spot) to my friend Háj Beshír, in Kúkawa, wherein I informed him of my whereabouts.

Having then passed several ponds, among which the tebki Sugíndo was the most important, and made another rocky descent, from the top of which we overlooked the large valley or dallul of Bóso, and having turned round a small rocky ridge, we reached the village of Gárbo about two o’clock in the afternoon. Gárbo is a small place, half deserted, and greatly harassed by the enemy,—the Déndi of Tanda having made a foray against this place only two days previously, and carried away almost all the cattle belonging to the inhabitants. But it is of importance, as being the last Háusa place in this direction, the regions to the west belonging exclusively to the Songhay and Fúlbe. A clay wall, which was to afford some protection to the town, had just been begun but left half finished. Numbers of corn-stacks inspired us with the hope that we might be able here to supply ourselves with corn; but not a grain was to be obtained. There was therefore no staying in this place, although our heavily laden camels were rather fatigued after the forced march through the wilderness.

Thursday, June 16th.At a tolerably early hour we were again on the march through the fields, where the fresh crops were just shooting up; but a little further on they had attained already to a greater height, and were just being cleared of weeds. Cattle also were not entirely wanting, and gave sufficient proof that, under a strong government, there were elements enough for the welfare of the people. The ground here is broken by several cavities or hollows, where ponds are formed, which of course vary in size according to the season. Some of them, although of considerable circumference, contained salt water of a blackish colour. Thus, having passed a fresh swampy depression, where dúm and deléb palms also were not unfrequent, we reached, after a march of about seven miles, a farming village called Lanadéji, where the peculiar structure of the corn-stacks attracted my attention; but, although built of clay, they are not pretty, and neither similar to the nobler style of those which we have found in the Músgu country, nor to those which we are to meet with further on, in the country of Másina. The whole cultivation consists here of Negro millet, to the exclusion of rice and sorghum. Last year’s crop had here also been very scanty; and we endeavoured in vain to procure a supply. We had then to cross the bottom of the valley or ráfi, which at present exhibited only separate sheets of water, while on my return journey the following year, later in the season, it was almost entirely inundated. But at a short distance beyond the hamlet, even at present, we crossed with some difficulty an extensive swamp covered with rank grass.

We took up our quarters, after a march of about nine miles, in an open village situated on a rising ground, and overhanging a large sheet of water which is overgrown with reeds; it is called Songho-sáre, meaning probably “the town of the Songhay,” but nevertheless a very remarkable name, as “sáre” is not a Songhay, but a Mandingo word. Besides Songhay and Fúlbe, it was inhabited by serfs belonging to the people of Támkala; and, being a farming village, it was full of corn-stacks. All the huts in these Songhay villages consist merely of reeds; and while they are less solid than the dwellings of Kebbi, which throughout are built with clay walls, they are better ventilated and have a less offensive smell. There was here a jovial old Púllo farmer, with a cheerful countenance and pleasing manners, of the name of Mámmaga, who behaved very hospitably towards me, and, besides milk and corn, even made me a present of a sheep.

Friday, June 17th.There had been a thunder-storm in the night; but it was not accompanied with much rain, and the sky, not having been lightened by a discharge, was thickly overcast when we set out. An extensive tract of country consisting of sandy soil was here under cultivation, while the trees at first were very scanty; but gradually the country became more wooded, while considerable herds of cattle gave life to the landscape. After we had passed another pond of water, we halted for a few minutes to refresh ourselves near a herd of cattle, which was the property of a clan of Fúlbe, called Dánan-koye, the original inhabitants belonging to that part of the Songhay nation which are called Germábe; and proceeding through a more woody country with an undulating surface, we took up our quarters, at a very early hour, in another farming-village, called Tigóre: for my camels were in want of rest, and I was too weak myself to resist the wishes of my servants. This village is exclusively inhabited by independent farmers, although belonging to the native Songhay stock. The architecture of the place was entirely different from that of Songho-sáre (which is more of a slave-village), consisting of very large courtyards, which evidently appeared intended for a rich supply of cattle, although at the present moment no cattle were to be seen in the neighbourhood; and the huts themselves, although consisting entirely of reeds, were large and spacious. We had some difficulty in obtaining quarters, as the mayor of the hamlet was by no means of a jovial or hospitable disposition, besides that the Songhay in general are among the most inhospitable people I ever met, and, in their present degraded political situation, are of a rather sullen character. Moreover, the inhabitants of this hamlet, just at that moment, were in a state of great excitement, as they had received the news that Dáúdu, the young rebellious chieftain of Zaberma, or Zerma, was about to attack Ábú ’l Hassan, the governor of Támkala, with a strong force; and this ray of hope, of once more making themselves independent of those foreign intruders who had conquered their country, could not fail at once to rouse the national spirit of these people, who had formerly offered a long resistance to the Fúlbe, and to render them indisposed to honour a stranger who was paying his court to those foreign rulers, and at present was under the protection of the chief of Gando. This report was the reason of my giving up my intended visit to the town of Támkala, which lay a short distance out of our direct road to Say, towards the north, where we expected to find a supply of corn.

Saturday, June 18th.On leaving Tigóre, we passed by the well, which presented a busy scene, numbers of women being engaged in drawing water. Although situated in a depression, it was twelve fathoms in depth. Further on we passed another well, which had even been surrounded by a strong fence, to prevent strangers from using it; and in the village of Tihóre, which we reached after a march of about eight miles, the well, although situated at the foot of the hill, measured as much as twenty-five fathoms in depth. Owing to the weak condition of my camels, I was induced by my people to take up my quarters in this village; but I was heartily tired of these short marches, for the hut where I was lodged was in very bad condition, being extremely small and dirty, with no trees to afford a little shade during the hot hours of the day. Provisions also were here very scanty; and it was with great difficulty that I obtained a small supply of corn for our horses. But I was so fortunate as to procure a little sour milk, there being a tolerably large herd of cattle belonging to Fúlbe cattle-breeders, who inhabit a sort of suburb at the north-western end of the village. The whole neighbourhood was suffering from drought, as there had been no rain for the last eight days; nor did a thunder-storm, which in the afternoon gathered from the east, bring us a single drop.

Sunday, June 19th.The district also, through which lay the first part of this day’s march, was extremely parched and suffering from want of rain, and in consequence of this drought, notwithstanding the advanced season, the ground hereabout had not yet been brought under cultivation; but after a march of a little more than three miles, through a country partly laid out in fields, partly covered with underwood, we entered a district which had been more favoured with rain, and where the labours of the field had begun. The people here make use of a hoe with a long handle, of a different shape from what I observed in other quarters.

Forest and cultivated ground then again succeeded each other alternately; and having passed a farming-village of some extent called Tanna, we took up our quarters about four miles beyond, in a village called Tóndifú, but were obliged to use force to obtain a hut for our use, as the head man of the village was too lazy, or too obstinate, to leave his cool shed in the heat of the day: probably here also the news of the proceedings of their countrymen in Zaberma kept the minds of the people in a state of excitement. The hamlet, which is rather a miserable one, has received its name from lying at the commencement of a rocky district, which extends from here to the river, a hill or mound being called “tóndi” in the Songhay language. We were now close to the Niger; and I was justified in indulging in the hope that I might the next day behold with my own eyes that great river of Western Africa, which has caused such intense curiosity in Europe, and the upper part of the large eastern branch of which I had myself discovered.

Monday, June 20th.Elated with such feelings, I set out the next morning, at an early hour; and after a march of a little less than two hours, through a rocky wilderness covered with dense bushes, I obtained the first sight of the river, and in less than an hour more, during which I was in constant sight of this noble spectacle, I reached the place of embarkation, opposite the town of Say.

In a noble unbroken stream, though here, where it has become contracted, only about 700 yards broad, hemmed in on this side by a rocky bank of from twenty to thirty feet in elevation, the great river of Western Africa (whose name, under whatever form it may appear, whether Dhiúlibá, Máyo, Eghírrëu, Ísa, Kwára, or Báki-n-rúwa, means nothing but “the river,” and which therefore may well continue to be called the Niger) was gliding along, in a N.N.E. and S.S.W. direction, with a moderate current of about three miles an hour. On the flatter shore opposite, a large town was spreading out, the low rampart and huts of which were picturesquely overtopped by numbers of slender dúm palms.

This is the river-town, or “ford,” the name Say meaning, in this eastern dialect, “the river.” The Fúlbe call it Ghútil, which name may originally have been applied to the ford at the island of Oitilli. The banks at present were not high; but the river, as it rises, approaches the very border of the rocky slope.

I had sent a messenger in advance, the preceding day, in order to have some large boats ready for me to cross the river. But no boat having arrived, I had plenty of leisure for contemplating the river scenery, which is represented in the plate opposite. There were a good number of passengers, Fúlbe and Songhay, with asses and pack-oxen, and there were some smaller boats in readiness suitable to their wants; but at length the boats, or rather canoes, which were to carry me and my effects across, made their appearance. They were of good size, about forty feet in length, and from four to five feet in width in the middle, consisting of two trunks of trees hollowed out, and sewn together in the centre. These boats are chiefly employed for conveying the corn from the town of Sínder, which lies higher up the river, to the town of Say; and they had been expressly sent for by the “king of the waters,” or the inspector of the harbour, the “serkí-n-jirgí,” or “lámido-lála,” as he is called by the Fúlbe, or “híyokoy,” according to his title in the Songhay language. The largest of them was able to carry three of my camels; and the water was kept out much better than I had ever yet found to be the case with the native craft of the inhabitants of Negroland.

My camels, horses, people, and luggage having crossed over without an accident, I myself followed, about one o’clock in the afternoon, filled with delight when floating on the waters of this celebrated stream the exploration of which had cost the sacrifice of so many noble lives. A little nearer the western bank, a short distance below the spot where the river is generally crossed, an isolated rock starts forth from the river, rising at this season from twelve to fifteen feet above the surface; and beyond there is a smaller one, which, as the river rises a little higher, becomes covered by the water. The sight of the river was the more momentous to me, as I was soon again to take leave of it; for my former notion, that I should be able to reach Timbúktu only by way of Libtáko, had been confirmed in Gando, and I only entertained a slight hope that perhaps on a future occasion I might visit that part of the river between Timbúktu and Say. From the very beginning I entertained strong doubts whether I should be able to reach the western coast; and it seemed to me more interesting to survey the course of the Niger between the point where it has become tolerably well known by the labours of Mungo Park and Réné Caillié and the lower portion explored by the Landers, than to cross the whole extent of Central Africa.

Having presented myself at the governor’s house, I soon obtained quarters; but they were not at all according to my fancy, being small and narrow. The town, in its very low position, is not refreshed by a single current of air, and altogether has a very oppressive atmosphere. The huts in these Songhay places are made rather for women than for men, the greater part of each hut being occupied by the female apartment or the alkilla, and the bedstead or serír, made of the branches of trees, being inclosed in a separate chamber of mats, and thus leaving only a very small entrance, and obstructing the whole interior of the dwelling. I have already had occasion, in describing the town of Ágades, to point out the care which the Songhay people bestow upon their matrimonial couches; and I was obliged first of all to take down one of these small matting bed-rooms in order to obtain some little ventilation in my hut. At length I had made myself somewhat comfortable, when the governor sent two calabashes of rice in the husk, and two others of millet, but no refreshment for the moment, though I stood very much in need of it, having been exposed to the sun during the hottest part of the day. To the master of the harbour, who had so opportunely supplied me with the large boats, I made a present of 1000 shells. Very little rain had fallen as yet in this neighbourhood; and a thunder-storm which broke out in the afternoon did not reach us. Indeed the air in this low valley, which is probably at a level of about 350 ft., was so oppressive, that I felt at times almost suffocated, and unable to breathe.

The following morning I took a ride round the place and its neighbourhood. The shape of the town is tolerably quadrangular, being encompassed on three sides by a low rampart of earth, the side towards the river being unprotected. It is of considerable size, each side measuring about 1400 yards; but the town is only thinly inhabited, the dwellings (all of which except the house of the governor, consist of matting and reeds) lying scattered about like so many separate hamlets. It is intersected from north to south by a wide shallow depression or vale encompassed by dúm palms, which are almost the only trees either inside or outside the town; and at the end of the rainy season it becomes filled with water, causing great inconvenience to the business of the town and the intercourse between the various quarters, and greatly contributing to its unhealthiness. There can be no doubt that, in seasons when the river reaches an unusual height, the whole town is under water, the inhabitants being obliged to seek safety beyond the borders of the valley.

There is a market held every day in the eastern part, not far from the bank of the river. Poor as it is, it is of some importance in the present state of the country: and hence the town has a great name as a market-place among the inhabitants of Western Súdán, a great many of whom here supply their want of native manufactures, especially of the common clothing for males and females, as the art of weaving and dyeing is greatly neglected in this quarter, cotton being cultivated only to a very small extent. But the place was most miserably supplied with provisions, there being no store of grain whatever. Everything necessary was brought day by day from the town called Sínder—the same place which I have mentioned as being situated about eighty miles higher up the river. I was greatly surprised at not finding here even a vestige of the cultivation of rice, although a large tract of ground on this low island, which, towards the rainy season becomes partly inundated, is particularly suited to that branch of cultivation. Not even onions are grown in the place; but, fortunately, I had been informed of the circumstance beforehand, and had provided myself with a large supply of this useful article in Gando, where the onions are excellent.

Being detained in this place longer than I wished, and feeling a little better, on the Thursday following I took a ride along the river to some distance below, where it takes a westerly bend, and I was astonished at the dry and barren aspect which this island bore, even here neither rice crops nor vegetables, as might be expected along the banks of so noble a river, being seen. The island, which during the highest level the river attains becomes almost inundated, bore the aspect of a scorched treeless prairie; and disappointed in my expectation of finding a cool shade, I returned into the town, being cheerfully saluted by all the people whom I met, the name of a módibo or learned man, which preceded me, gaining me the favour of the inhabitants. While passing along the streets, I was delighted to observe a certain degree of industry displayed in small handicrafts and in the character of the interior of the households.

Everything was very dear, but particularly butter, which was scarcely to be procured at all. All the currency of the market consists of shells; but I found the most profitable merchandise to be the black cloth for female apparel from Gando, which realized a profit of eighty per cent., while the Kanó manufactures did not find a ready sale. The black Núpe tobe, of common manufacture, bought in Gando for 3300 shells, here fetched 5000, while the black zenne, manufactured in Gando itself, and bought there for 1050, sold here for 2000. Of course all depends, in this respect, upon the momentary state of the intercourse of this quarter with Háusa; and, at the present time almost all communication with that manufacturing province being interrupted, it is easy to explain how an article produced in Gando could realize such a per-centage in a town at so short a distance from that place—a state of things which cannot form the general rule. At any rate for the English, or Europeans in general, Say is the most important place in all this tract of the river, if they ever succeed in crossing the rapids which obstruct the river above Rabba and especially between Búsa and Yaúri, and reaching this fine open sheet of water, the great highroad of Western Central Africa. The traffic of the natives along the river is not inconsiderable, although even this branch of industry has naturally suffered greatly from the rebellious state of the adjacent provinces, more especially those of Zabérma and Déndina; so that, at present, boats did not go further down the river than Kirotáshi, an important place situated about fifteen miles lower down, on the western bank, while in the opposite direction, up the river, there was constant intercourse as far as Kindáji, with which place I made myself sufficiently acquainted on my return journey.

About noon the second day of my stay here, I paid a visit to the governor of the town. His name is Ábú Bakr, the son of the far-famed mʿallem Mohammed Jébbo. I found him a tolerably cheerful person, although he is wanting in that manliness of character which makes a lasting impression, and he bore evident signs of having been born of a female slave, while his manners appeared to me to possess something approaching to a Jewish character. He, however, was delighted to see me, as I was not only the first Christian who had ever visited this place, which Mungo Park, on his ever-memorable journey, seems to have passed by entirely unnoticed, but especially as I had come at a time when the whole intercourse of the country had been interrupted, and Arabs as well as natives were all afraid of visiting it. Having heard of the great superiority of Europeans over the Arabs, both in point of intelligence and industry, he entertained an earnest wish, if it could be accomplished without detriment to the welfare of his province, that a vessel or steamer belonging to them might come and fill his poor market with luxuries; and it was with the utmost surprise that he learned that I did not trade. But, on the other hand, this led the governor to think that, in exposing myself to such great dangers, I could not but have a very mysterious object in view; and he soon became alarmed, and asked repeatedly why I did not proceed on my journey.

I had already been informed in Gando, that Ábú Bakr, two years previously, had navigated the river with a small flotilla of boats, upwards as far as Gágho or Gógó, the ancient capital of Songhay, and collected tribute from the Fúlbe or Féllani settled near that place, but that he had been prevented by the threatening attitude of the Tawárek from penetrating any further. In consequence of this expedition on the river, made in open boats which were continually filling with water, the governor was suffering very severely from rheumatism, and was scarcely able to move.

Having so many petty chiefs before me, and seeing that this officer did not possess much power, I did not choose to give him a large present; but on my return the following year, when I still had something left, I made him a more considerable present of a bernús.

Having entered a new country, where a language was spoken (the Songhay) with which neither I nor any of my servants was acquainted, and not being able to give much time to its study, as I had to apply myself to the Fulfúlde, the language of the conquering tribe, I was extremely anxious to take into my service a native of the country, or to liberate a Songhay slave; but I did not succeed at this time, and, in consequence, felt not so much at home in my intercourse with the inhabitants of the country through which I had next to pass, as I had done formerly. For Gurma, although originally inhabited by quite a distinct race, has been conquered and peopled by the Songhay to a great extent.

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CHAP. LX.

THE HILLY COUNTRY OF GURMA.

Friday, June 24th.I now left the Great River behind me, which formed the limit between the tolerably known regions of Central Negroland and the totally unexplored countries on the south-western side of its course; and with intense interest my thoughts were concentrated on the new region before me. However, this very day we had a sufficient specimen of what awaited us on our march during the rainy season; for we had scarcely left the low island behind us, on which the town of Say, this hotbed of fever, is situated (with its dry prairie ground almost destitute of verdure, and covered only with a few scattered specimens of the Asclepiadeæ), and had ascended the steep rocky bank which borders the west side of the narrow, shallow, and irregular western branch of the river, which, being encompassed by granite boulders, was at present dry, when a dark array of thunder-clouds came, as it were, marching upon us from the south-east, and we had scarcely time to prepare for the serious assault, when a terrible thunder-storm broke out, beginning with a most fearful sand-wind, which enveloped the whole district in the darkness of night, and made progress, for a moment, quite impossible. After a while it was followed by a violent rain, which relieved the sand-storm, but lasted for nearly three hours, filling our path with water to the depth of several inches, and soaking us through to the skin, so that our march could not fail to be very uncomfortable.

It was on this account that we took up our quarters about half an hour before noon in a farming-hamlet called Sanchérgu, where the people were busily employed in sowing; the plentiful rain of to-day, which was the first of the season, having rendered the fields fit for cultivation. After some search, we obtained two huts of round shape, which were situated near a sheep-pen in front of the dwelling of the proprietor. This was a cheerful and wealthy old man, who both lodged us comfortably, and treated us hospitably. While my people were drying their clothes and luggage, I roved about a little, and observed, at a short distance west from the hamlet, a small rocky watercourse with pools of stagnant water, where the women were washing their clothes, while the slaves were busy in the labours of the field.

Saturday, June 25th.Having rewarded our hospitable host, we started at an early hour to pursue our march, in order to reach in time the residence of Galaijo, a distinguished chief, of whom I had heard a great many flattering reports. It was a fine morning after yesterday’s storm, and the country through which our march lay was hilly, and at times presented very pleasant vales, or glens, but in general it was destitute of trees, and was only insufficiently inhabited and cultivated. The view which presented itself to us of the country before us, when, after a march of about three miles and a half, we reached the highest point, was that of an extensive wilderness, the few cultivated spots being entirely hidden in the midst of the forest. Red sandstone was apparently the chief component of this hilly country, with occasionally a black tint, received from exposure to the air, and rich in oxide of iron—in fact, of the same geological feature as the border country between Kebbi and Góber. Short herbage was springing up here and there, affording but scanty food to the cattle that were grazing hereabouts.

A steep rocky declivity brought us from the higher level, which was covered with small stones, into a deep valley. But we had soon to ascend again, traversing a district which belonged to the village of Ndobúra and bore some signs of cultivation; and a dell, which we passed a little further on, was extremely picturesque. But the country hereabouts does not in general seem to be very fertile, and, besides, the exceptional drought of the present year had destroyed a large proportion of the crops; and it was this very unproductiveness that had induced the chief to leave his former place of residence, Shirgu, which lay a little more to the east, and to found a new dwelling-place further west.

This place, which is called Champagóre, we reached at noon, but preferred taking up our quarters on a hill opposite the town, to the north, which was bounded on that side by a well-wooded dell, and overlooked the whole neighbourhood. The town itself is inclosed by a small hilly chain towards the south, at the foot of which are the wells, seven fathoms in depth. It was to have been surrounded by a clay wall; but, only provisionally, the four gates had been finished with clay, while the rest of the town was still inclosed by a stockade. The interior of the place looks very peculiar, and quite different from the style usual in Kebbi, which is chiefly owing to the remarkable character of the magazines of corn, which consist of towers or quadrangular buildings, raised a few feet above the ground, in order to protect them from the ants. They are from ten to fifteen feet in height, and about six feet in diameter, the walls gradually sloping inwards towards the top, as shown in the accompanying woodcut. They have no opening at the bottom, but only a windowlike aperture near the top, through which the corn is taken in and out; and on the whole they are not unlike the dove-cots of Egypt. In every courtyard there were one or more of these magazines; and they far surpassed, in their whole appearance, the dwellings themselves, which, with a few exceptions, consisted of low huts, the whole of the courtyards being only surrounded by a frail fence, made of the stalks of the native corn, while, in many yards, one half of the circumference of the huts themselves, of which there were rarely more than two, formed part of the fence.

I went in the afternoon to pay my compliments to the chief. The portal of his residence has quite a stately appearance, as shown in the accompanying woodcut, bearing evident testimony to an attempt at architectural decoration; but the spacious courtyard inside, which was inclosed by a low clay wall, full of rubbish and poor mean-looking huts, did not correspond with the stately character of the entrance. However, the dwelling itself, although simple, is not so mean, and, besides two spacious clay halls, includes some very airy and cool corridors built entirely of wood. Having been first received by Galaijo in one of the clay halls, I was conducted afterwards to a more private audience in one of these corridors; and here, while delivering my present[64], I had a fair opportunity of surveying the exterior of this interesting man.

Mohammed Galaijo, at the time of my visit, was a man of about seventy years of age, of an extremely pleasant and almost European expression of countenance, and of middle stature. He was dressed very simply, in a light-blue tobe, with a white shawl wound round his face. Galaijo, son of Hambodéjo, son of Páte, son of Hámed Yella, succeeded his father—probably the very chief who treated Mungo Park so hospitably during his stay in Másina—in the year of the Hejra, 1231. He was then the most powerful chief of Másina, or Melle, which, since the overthrow of the Songhay empire by Múlay Hámed el Dhéhebí the emperor of Morocco, had been left to itself, and was consequently split into several petty kingdoms, the three other powerful chiefs of that country being the Árdo Másina, the Árdo Fíttogel, and Gél Hamma Mána. But just at the time when Galaijo became ruler, the great religious movement of the Fúlbe of Góber began, under the Reformer ʿOthmán, and, instigated by their example, and fired with religious zeal, a chief went forth from them, in order to spread Islám among that section of the Fúlbe which was established along the upper course of the Niger. This man was Mohammed or Hámed Lebbo, who, arriving in the country of Másina in the beginning of the year 1233 of the Hejra, at the head of a small band, formed first an alliance with Galaijo, who himself had embraced Islám; and, thus closely allied, they spread their conquests over the neighbouring country. But, after having succeeded in establishing a strong power, Mohammed Lebbo demanded homage and allegiance from his ally Galaijo, under the pretext of his having brought the ensign, or túta, of Islám from Sifáwa, the place mentioned on a former occasion, where the Reformer ʿOthmán dan Fódiye resided at the time, together with his brother ʿAbd Alláhi. Upon this, Galaijo, feeling little inclined to cede the dominion of the country over which his claims had been established from ancient times, entered into a violent struggle with the new comer; but after an unsuccessful resistance, carried on for three years, he was obliged to give up his former residence, Konári, and, with the rest of his partisans, to seek a new home further eastward. Here he was received with open arms by the ruler of Gando, who was not at all pleased with the independent bearing of Lebbo and his son Áhmedu, by whom he was succeeded,—those people, being borne away by a pure reformatory view of their religion, and elated by their victory, going so far as to despatch a message to their kinsmen in Sókoto and Gando, to the effect that, if they would not reduce the number of their wives to two, and renounce their wide effeminate dress, they would pay them a hostile visit; and it is on this account that, even at the present time, there is no amicable relation whatever subsisting between the courts of Sókoto and Gando, on the one hand, and that of Hamda-Alláhi on the other.

The chief of Gando, therefore, granted Galaijo an extensive although not very fertile district in his territories, where he has now been settled for almost thirty years. Thus we find, in this region, a small court of its own, and a whole community bearing no resemblance whatever to the customs of the people around them, but having faithfully preserved the manners and institutions of their native country, Másina; for, while all the neighbouring Fúlbe are rather a slender race of men, with expressive and sharply-cut features, who make it a rule to dress in white colours, we find here quite the reverse—a set of sturdy men, with round open countenances, and long black curly hair, all uniformly clad in light-blue tobes, and almost all of them armed with muskets. I was utterly surprised at the noble bearing of several of the courtiers, but especially that of the vizier and the commander-in-chief or lámido konno, both of whom reminded me of Europeans. The old chief, even at the present time, keeps up a continual intercourse with Timbúktu, where his eldest son was at the time studying, and which place he did not leave until some time after my arrival. Indeed the town of Konári is still said to belong to Galaijo.

Taking into consideration the peculiar character of this little colony, and the benevolent disposition and venerable character of the chief in particular, I thought it worth my while to enter into more intimate relations with him, and in consequence, the following day, presented him with a heláli bernús, which he admired very much, and was as grateful for as his reduced fortune allowed him to be; for, besides giving me a present of a heifer and a great number of fowls, he provided me also with corn, of which there was a great dearth in the place. The market was very small and insignificant, consisting merely of seven stalls, or shops, where scarcely a single sheep or ox was to be seen. The bitter species of ground-nuts, or gángala, and salt, formed almost the sole articles for sale. Butter and sour milk were plentiful.

The whole of this country belongs to Gurma—a name which, however, does not seem to owe its origin to the native inhabitants, but probably was given to it by the Songhay, who, while still settled on the north side of the river, applied this term to the region on the opposite or southern side, identical with the name Ari-bínda. The country, at least the northern portions of it, had gradually been conquered and colonised by the Songhay, who, as we shall see on my home journey, have preserved in this quarter a portion of their national strength and independence, while in the recent rising of the Fúlbe the chief places along the high-road had been occupied by the latter; but after the first impulse of the religious movement had passed by, the settlements of this conquering race had greatly decayed, so that the communication along this important highroad from the west, at the period of my journey, was almost entirely interrupted, nay, the native independent chief of Bójjo had totally destroyed the considerable settlement of Martebógo which commanded the road; for, from the very beginning the conquerors had only succeeded in establishing themselves along the high-road, leaving the independence of the chiefs in the interior almost undisturbed. The most powerful of these native chiefs of Gurma are those of Belánga, Bótu, Bosúgu, Bójjo, Machakwáli, Nándau, and Mayánga.[65] Of these the chief of Belánga seems to be at present the most powerful, while next to him ranks that of Bójjo; but in former times Bótu seems to have been the chief place in the country, which is the reason why it is still called by the Háusa people “fáda-n-Gurma,” “the palace or royal residence of Gurma.” The name Gurma however, as I have said, seems not to be the indigenous name either of the country or of the people, while the language of the natives bears a certain affinity to that of the neighbouring tribes, the Mósi or Móre, and Tombo.

However, the original inhabitants of Gurma are not the only enemies of the Fúlbe, but, besides the former, there are also the Songhay, who have emigrated into the country since the time of their predominance along the Niger; and some of these communities are the most inveterate enemies of the present conquerors, especially the inhabitants of Lárba, or Láraba, a place which we had to pass on our further march. Besides the latter place, the most important settlements of the Songhay in this district are said to be the following:—Téra (the residence of Hamma-Kása), Darghol, Garmúwa, Fámbita, close to the river; and not far from it, to the west, Garú (probably identical with the neighbouring town of Sínder of that name), Kasáni, Kókoro, and Fóni.[66] We shall come into contact with some of these Songhay settlements on our return journey along the Niger, and I shall then say more about them.

It was on account of the Lárba that I was induced to remain a day longer at Champagóre than had been originally my intention, the chief begging me most urgently to wait till some other people who were going to Yágha might join me; and while staying here, we were so fortunate as to have a tolerable shower of rain, which greatly refreshed this parched country and again raised the hopes of the inhabitants. The whole depression between the hill on which we were encamped and the town became filled with water; and I was greatly delighted at the arrival of the proprietor of the farm where we had established ourselves, an energetic weather-beaten Púllo, who came to inspect the labours of the fields, and who was not a little surprised at finding us quietly established in his homely dwelling.

Tuesday, June 28th.Our road lay through a hilly country, well wooded and intersected by a number of small watercourses; and in some favoured localities a good crop of corn was seen standing in the fields. Cattle also seemed not to be wanting, which accounted for the circumstance of the residence of Galaijo being so well provided with milk. We also met a great number of women on their way to the market of Champagóre with their supplies of sour milk. But besides the small dry watercourses just mentioned, we had also to cross a very rapid torrent, which is called Górebi, and is said to come from the direction of Kulféla, a very important market-place in the interior of Mósi, and which caused us considerable delay. Before we entered Champaláwel, also, where we took up our quarters half an hour before noon, we had to cross a considerable sheet of water, three feet and a half in depth and about thirty yards broad, about the relation of which to the neighbouring watercourses I am not quite certain.

Champaláwel is the residence of the governor of the Tórobe; but it was at that time in the utmost state of decay and almost deserted, the slight remains of the ramparts being almost hidden in a dense forest; for since the decease of Moʿazu (a celebrated chieftain mentioned also in other accounts), who died about twenty years ago, the power of the Fúlbe in this place has greatly declined. The present governor, a younger brother of that energetic chieftain, himself tolerably advanced in years, proved to be a very illiberal and unamiable man, and he would not even assign me quarters on my arrival; so that I had the greatest trouble in taking possession of a miserable little hut on my own account, while good shelter was very essential, as a great quantity of rain fell in the afternoon. However, all was changed when, towards evening, a cousin of the present governor, of the name of ʿOthmán, arrived, and I then received a present of two sheep. I also had the great and unexpected pleasure of meeting here an Arab, of the name of Mohammed el Wákhshi, a near relative of my friend Bú-Bakr el Wákhshi, the Ghadámsi merchant whom I have mentioned repeatedly in the preceding part of my narrative. This man was then on his return from Gonja, the northern tributary province of Asanti,—the Gúro caravan having been induced, by the state of the country, to abandon its direct road from Yendi to Komba on the Niger, in favour of a northerly and very circuitous road by way of Yágha.[67] But I was disappointed in the hope of corresponding with Europe by means of this man. The letter which I gave to him, and which I had already written in Say, never reached its destination, for El Wákhshi succumbed to disease in crossing the province of Núpe in the height of the rainy season, before reaching Kanó.

Wednesday, June 29th.On leaving this desolate residence of the chief of the Tórobe, reduced to an entangled thicket, we passed the encampment, or zango, of the Gúro caravan, which, as is generally the case, consisted of small round huts, erected for the occasion with branches and rank grass. The caravan consisted of about one hundred individuals, with a couple of hundred of asses, which form the usual beasts of burden of these native travellers. Scarcely a mile beyond the town we had again to cross a river which, bordered by the richest vegetation, and by abundance of rank grass, runs at this spot from S.E. to N.W., with a depth of about three feet, and at times, when a great deal of rain has fallen, forming a far more considerable volume of water.

The country which we then entered was hilly, tolerably well cultivated, and thickly inhabited. It was adorned here and there with the baobab tree, and a fine leafy tree called here “harúna.” But we made only a short march, being induced, on account of the danger of the road before us, to take up our quarters in a farming-village, situated in a very rich tract of country, behind a flat-topped cone, at the distance of a little more than four miles from Champaláwel. Notwithstanding the fertility of the district, no corn was to be obtained here at present, the last year’s harvest having failed entirely, so that the people were obliged to supply their own wants at Bosebángo. This scarcity is increased generally in districts where only one species of corn is grown, all the produce here being reduced to millet; while where various grains are raised, which ripen at different seasons, even in these countries, dearth cannot prevail to such an extent and for so long a time. All the inhabitants, including even the head man, belonged to the native Gurma race. All the cattle-breeding is in the hands of the Fúlbe, who regard “the cow as the most useful animal in creation,”—“negge ngombúri déya fó náfa;” and, there being no such people in the neighbourhood, no milk was to be obtained. The dwelling where I was lodged, with its numerous compartments and courtyards, presented quite a labyrinth of itself. Three servants of Galaijo, all armed with muskets, had attached themselves to my troop; and I supplied each of them here with ball cartridges, in case of any attack on the road.

Thursday, June 30th.We had a long day’s march before us, through the unsafe wilderness which separates the reduced dominion of the chief of the Tórobe from the territory of Yágha. It was a fine morning, and tolerably clear. Corn-fields now and then interrupted the dense growth of talha trees and prickly underwood, while occasionally a baobab or a tamarind tree gave greater variety to the scenery. About four miles and a half from our starting-point we passed, on the right of the path, some peculiarly constructed smelting-furnaces, about six feet high and a foot and a half in diameter at the base. The proceeding is very simple and unsophisticated. On the ironstone is placed a large quantity of wood-ashes, till the metal begins to melt, and is then, by means of three channels at the bottom of the furnace, received in a basin.