68 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. XL. 
we required from these people to carry out our ob- 
ject ; but we knew also that it was rather a favour be- 
stowed upon us by the vizier of Bornu, who regarded 
these people as in his service. Referring therefore 
to the friendship which existed of old between 
their tribe, when still in their old settlements in the 
Syrtis, and the English consul in Tripoli, and deliver- 
ing a letter from Mr. Frederic Warrington, who was 
personally well known to the chief men, we openly pro- 
fessed that the object of our coming was to try, with 
their assistance, to visit the eastern shore of the lake, 
and especially the Bahar el Ghazal, which had formed 
a remarkable object of curiosity in our country for some 
time. But Sheikh Ghet without hesitation declared 
it was impossible for them to take us to that place, 
the most dangerous locality in all these quarters, on 
account of the many predatory expeditions which 
were made to that spot from different quarters, and by 
tribes hostile to them. After some common-place 
talk about the English, we left him, and went to 
his uncle with a present of precisely the same kind, 
and began here to urge the distinct object of our 
coming in a more positive way. I expressed the 
opinion that, as they would render acceptable ser- 
vice to the British government, if they were to enable 
us to investigate the connection between the Bahar 
el Ghazal and the lake, so, on the other hand, a 
great portion of the blame, if we should not be able 
to carry out our design, would certainly fall upon 
them, inasmuch as they had always professed to be 
