Chap. LVI. 
ARRIVAL AT WURXO. 
141 
troops having already gone on in advance. I had 
also forwarded a present to Hammedu, the son of 
; Atiku an elder brother and predecessor of Bello ; 
but he sent it back to me, begging me to keep it 
until after his return from the expedition. The 
ghaladfma also, who was to accompany the sultan, 
called, before his departure, in order that I might 
wind round his head a turban of gaudy colours, such 
as I then possessed, as an omen of success. 
After all the people were gone, I myself could 
not think of passing another night in this desolate 
place, which is not only exposed to the attacks of 
men, but even to those of wild beasts. Even the 
preceding night the hyenas had attacked several 
people, and had almost succeeded in carrying off a 
boy, besides severely lacerating one man, who was 
obliged to return home without being able to ac- 
company the army. An hour, therefore, after the 
sultan had left his encampment, we ourselves were 
on our road to Wurno, the common residence of 
'Aliyu, where I had been desired to take up my 
quarters in the house of the ghaladfma ; but I never 
made a more disagreeable journey, short as it was, 
the provisions which the sultan had given me en- 
cumbering us greatly, so that at length we were 
obliged to give away the heifer as a present to the 
inhabitants of the village of Gawasii. It thus hap- 
pened that we did not reach our quarters till late in 
the evening ; and we had a great deal of trouble in 
taking possession of them in the dark, having been 
