Chap. XLII. THE INTERIOR OF Dl'KOWA. 
139 
than from seventy to eighty feet. It really formed a 
beautiful fage, or, as the Hausa people call it, ichen- 
batii, or open council- hall, such as are common in 
these places ; but at present no political business of 
any importance was transacted here, and it formed a 
favourite lounge for idle people, amongst whom there 
was a troop of musicians, playing lustily upon their 
instruments to console the petty chief for the loss of 
his former power, which had dwindled away to a 
mere shadow. I would gladly have paid him a 
visit ; but, poor as I was at the time, and without a 
single article worthy of his acceptance, I was rather 
glad that I was under no obligation to him. The 
interruption in the daily course of life of the inhabit- 
ants, by the presence of the army, was the more to 
be lamented as it prevented me from becoming an 
eye-witness to the chief industry of the natives, 
which consists in weaving and manufacturing into 
shirts the cotton which they grow ; for they are 
almost exclusively cotton -growers, and have very 
little corn. But although they are able to produce 
a fine sort of texture, they are very badly off for 
dyeing, and in this respect are far outstripped by 
the inhabitants of Uje and Makari. Instead of the 
beating of shirts, which forms so pleasant a sound in 
many other industrial towns of Negroland, there was 
nothing to be heard but the sound which proceeded 
from the powder-mill, if I may be allowed to give 
this grand name to a yard in which eight slaves were 
employed in pounding powder in large wooden mor- 
