156 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 



Here, too, was found Old Bimie, the ancient but now deso' 

 late capital, evidently much larger than any of the present 

 cities, covering five or six miles with its ruins. They passed 

 also Gambarou, formerly the favourite residence of the 

 sultans, where the remains of a palace and of two mosques 

 gave an idea of civilization superior to any thing that had 

 yet been seen in Interior Africa. There were left in this 

 country only small detached villages, the inhabitants of 

 which remained fixed to them by local attachment, in spite 

 of constant predatory inroads by the Tuaricks, who carried 

 oif their friends, their children, and cattle. They have 

 recourse to one mode of defence, which consists in digging 

 a number of blaquas, or large pits : these they cover with a 

 false surface of sods and grass, into which the Tuarick, 

 with his horse, plunges before he is aware, and is received 

 at the bottom upon sharp-pointed stakes, which often kill 

 the one and the other on the spot. Unluckily, harmless tra- 

 vellers are equally liable to fall into these living graves. 

 Major Denham was petrified with horror to find how near 

 he had approached to several of them ; indeed, one of his 

 servants fell in, and was saved only by an almost miracu- 

 lous spring. It seems wonderful that the sheik should not 

 have endeavoured to restore some kind of security to this 

 portion of his subjects, and to repeople those fine but de- 

 serted regions. 



The troops, which had been seen hastening in parties to 

 the scene of action, were mustered at Kabshary, a town 

 which the Mungas had nearly destroyed. The sheik made 

 a review of his favourite forces, the Kanemboo spearmen, 

 9000 strong. They were really a very savage and military- 

 looking host, perfectly naked, except a girdle of goatskin, 

 with the hair hanging down, and a piece of cloth wrapped 

 round the head. They carried large wooden shields, shaped 

 like a Gothic window, with which they warded off the ar- 

 rows of the enemy, while they pressed forward to attack 

 with their spears. Unlike almost all other barbarous armies, 

 they kept a regular night-watch, passing the cry every half- 

 hour along the line, and at any alarm raising a united yell, 

 which was truly frightful. At the review they passed in 

 tribes before the sheik, to whom they showed the most en- 

 thusiastic attachment, kneeling on the ground and kissing 

 his feet. The Mungas, again, were described as terrible 



