116 TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LVI. 
business, — the governor of Katsena having suc- 
ceeded in seducing from my service, in the most 
disgraceful manner, the Ferjani Arab, whom I had 
hired for the whole journey to Timbuktu and back, 
and whom I could ill afford to lose. This lad, who 
had accompanied Ibrahim Basha's expedition to Syria 
and an expedition to Kordofan, and who had after- 
wards resided with the Welad Sliman for some time 
in K&nem, might have been of great use to me in 
case of emergency. But, as it was, I could only be 
grateful to Providence for ridding me of this faith- 
less rogue at so cheap a rate : and the insidious 
governor at least had no reason to boast of his 
conduct ; for the Arab, as soon as he found himself 
well mounted, and dressed in a berniis, by his new 
master, took to his heels, and, following the track 
with which he had become acquainted in my com- 
pany, succeeded in reaching Zinder, and from thence 
returned to his native country. 
We here separated from most of our companions, 
— the governor of Katsena, as well as the people from 
Kan 6 and Zariya, who were carrying tribute to the 
sultan of Sokoto, remaining behind, and only an 
escort or " rekkia " of fifty horsemen continuing in 
our company. The hostile army of the Goberawa 
being in this neighbourhood, the danger of the road 
further on was very considerable ; and the Kanawa 
and Zozawa or Zegezege, of whom the latter carried 
2,000,000 shells, 500 tobes, and 30 horses, as tribute, 
were too much afraid of their property to accompany 
