182 CLAPPERTON*S SECOND JOURNEY. 



extended from hill to hill. Zaria, like many other African 

 cities, might be considered as a district of country sur- 

 rounded with walls. When the Captain entered, he saw 

 for some time only fields of grain, with the tops of houses 

 rising behind them ; still such was its extent, that its popu- 

 lation was said to exceed that of Kano, and to amount to 

 at least 50,000. 



Setting out from Zaria, he soon reached his old quarters 

 at Kano ; but he unfortimately found that great city in a 

 state of dreadful agitation. There was war on every side ; 

 hostilities had been declared between the king of Bomou 

 and the Fellatas ; the provinces of Zamfra and Goobur 

 were in open insurrection ; the Tuaricks threatened an 

 inroad ; in short, there was not a quarter to which the mer- 

 chants durst send a caravan. Kano being nearly midway 

 between Bomou and Sackatoo, Clapperton left his baggage 

 there to be conveyed to the former on his return, and set 

 out for the capital of Bello, bearing only the presents des- 

 tined for that prince. On his way he found numerous 

 bands mustering to form an army destined to attack Coonia, 

 the rebel metropolis of Goobur. The appearance of these 

 troops was very striking as they passed along the borders 

 of some beautiful little lakes formed by the river Zirmie. 

 These waters were bordered by forests of flowering acacias, 

 with dark-green leaves, the shadows of which were re- 

 flected on the smooth surface of the lake like sheets of bur- 

 nished gold and silver. " The smoking fires, the sounding 

 of horns, the beating of their gongs or drums, the braying 

 of their brass and tin trumpets, every where the calls on the 

 names of Mohammed, Abda, Mustapha, with the neighing 

 of horses and the braying of asses, gave animation to the 

 beautiful scenery of the lake, and its sloping green and 

 woody banks." 



At length the army mustered to the number of 50,000 or 

 60,000, chiefly on foot ; a rude feudal host, arranging 

 themselves according to their provinces and chiefs, without 

 any military order. In a short time, they formed a dense 

 circle around the walls of Coonia. Captain Clapperton ex- 

 pected to see some brilliant exploit performed by the united 

 force of this great army, commanded by the sultan and Ga- 

 dado in person. The whole, however, both horse and foot, 

 kept carefully out of the reach of the arrows, which, with a 



