Chap. LVI. 
TOWN OF ZE'KKA. 
115 
straight to U'mmadau, in order to take up their 
quarters in that place. 
Besides numbers of sick people from the town, who 
came to solicit my medical assistance, I received also 
a visit in the evening from one of the five governors 
of the place, who bears the title of serki-n-Fellani. 
He came to ask whether I had not for sale another 
pair of pocket pistols, such as I had given to the 
governor of Katsena ; for my eccentric friend played 
with the small arms I had made him a present of, 
all the day long, to the great alarm of every- 
body, so that the rumour of my possessing such 
articles had spread over the whole of this part of 
Sudan, and even Kaura had pestered me greatly on 
this account. 
In the town of Zekka resides also the former go- 
vernor of the wealthy town or district of Xtiima, 
mentioned repeatedly by Captain Clapperton, but 
destroyed by the Goberawa after the period of his 
travels ; that officer still bears the title of serki-n- 
Biima. There was a pond of dirty water near our 
encampment ; but good drinkable water was only to 
be obtained from a watercourse at a considerable 
distance, which, although dry at present, afforded 
wells at very little depth in its gravelly bottom. 
We remained here the whole forenoon, Saturday, 
as we had now the most difficult part of March26th - 
our journey before us ; but instead of having leisure 
to prepare myself for an unusual amount of exertion, 
all my spare time was taken up by a disagreeable 
i 2 
