Chap. LX. THE GURMA AND SONGHAY. 259 
name Ari-bmda. The country, at least the northern 
portions of it, had gradually been conquered and 
colonised by the Songhay, who, as we shall see on my 
home journey, have preserved in this quarter a por- 
tion of their national strength and independence, 
while in the recent rising of the Fulbe the chief 
places along the high-road had been occupied by the 
latter; but after the first impulse of the religious 
movement had passed by, the settlements of this con- 
quering race had greatly decayed, so that the commu- 
nication along this important highroad from the west, 
at the period of my journey, was almost entirely in- 
terrupted, nay, the native independent chief of Bojjo 
had totally destroyed the considerable settlement of 
Martebogo which commanded the road ; for, from the 
very beginning the conquerors had only succeeded in 
establishing themselves along the high-road, leaving 
the independence of the chiefs in the interior almost 
undisturbed. The most powerful of these native 
chiefs of Gurma are those of Belanga, Botu, Bosiigu, 
Bojjo, Machakwali, Nandau, and Mayanga.* Of these 
the chief of Belanga seems to be at present the most 
powerful, while next to him ranks that of Bojjo ; but 
in former times Botu seems to have been the chief 
place in the country, which is the reason why it is 
still called by the Hausa people " fada-n-Gurma," " the 
palace or royal residence of Gurma." The name 
* For a list of the other places in Gurma, and some itineraries 
establishing their position, as well as the more important places in 
Mosi, see Appendix V. 
s 2 
