CHAPTER XII 



MAIFONI 



Maifoni stands on a sandy hill in one of the most fertile 

 districts of Bornu. From the crest of the rise a beautiful 

 view of corn lands is to be seen. The people of the country 



FORT MAIFONI 



are prosperous, and there are flourishing markets where 

 traders come from far to buy the renowned cattle and sheep 

 of the country. Here, in the time of Barth (1 851) there was 

 a large town that more than covered the hill, with a popula- 

 tion of 10,000, engaged for the most part in farming ; 

 there were also workers in domestic industries and large 

 dyeing pits stood by a market-place that contained 200 stalls. 

 Now not a wall remains to mark the site of the city of that 

 I Q 



