150 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. XLIII. 
from their enthusiastic devotion to their leader, has 
disappeared long ago, at least since the overthrow of 
the old dynasty ; and the vizier had to expect very 
little sympathy from this body, as most of them 
were decidedly favourable to the interest of his ad- 
versary, c Abd e' Rahman. As far as I had been able 
to learn the nature of those rocky mountains on my 
journey to Yola, I could not but think that not only 
the cavalry of Bornu, but even the Kanembu spear- 
men, accustomed as they were to the level plains of 
their country, would be incapable of climbing those 
rocky cliffs. 
The whole country was enveloped in a thick fog 
when we started in the morning ; so that the passage 
of t>he komadugu, with its steep banks, caused a con- 
siderable crowding and pushing, which was far from 
agreeable. When we had got safely over, we had to 
pass a thick forest consisting of "blto " and " kindm " 
or talha-trees ; and on our left appeared the large 
walled place of A'fage, a considerable town, but not 
so large as Dikowa. After only a short interval, we 
saw another town on our right, called Kodege, the 
walls of which were in an advanced state of decay, 
but were at present adorned with living battlements 
of male and female spectators. 
Proceeding a short distance onward, we encamped 
at an early hour to the westward of another walled 
town, called Zogoma. The whole of this district, 
favoured as it is by nature, seems to have been once 
in a very flourishing condition. It was, however, 
