Chap. XXXVIII. CEREMONIES OF FESTIVITY. 19 
intermediate ground between the two towns in the 
company of some very chevaleresque and well- 
mounted young Arabs from Ben-Ghazi, and posted 
myself at some distance from the east-gate of the 
western town, in order to see the kashellas, who have 
their residence in this quarter, pass by. 
There were twelve or thirteen, few of whom had 
more than one hundred horsemen, the most con- 
spicuous being Fiigo 'Ali, 'Ali Marghi, f Ali Dendal, 
'Ali Ladan, Belal, Salah Kandil, and Jerma. It was 
thought remarkable that no Shiiwa had come to this 
festivity, but I think they rarely do, although they 
may sometimes come for the e Aid-el-kebir, or the 
"ngumeri layabe." It is rather remarkable that 
even this smaller festivity is celebrated here with such 
eclat, while in general in Mohammedan Negroland 
only the " laya " is celebrated in this way ; perhaps 
this is due to Egyptian influence, and the custom is as 
old at least as the time of the King Edris Alawoma. 
I had the inexpressible delight of receiving by the 
courier, who arrived on the 6th of August, a con- 
siderable parcel of letters from Europe, which as- 
sured me as well of the great interest which was 
generally felt in our undertaking, although as yet 
only very little of our first proceedings had become 
known, as that we should be enabled to carry out our 
enterprise without too many privations. I therefore 
collected all the little energy which my sickly state 
had left me, and concluded the report of my journey 
to A'damawa, which caused me a great deal of pain, 
c 2 
