160 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XLIII. 
British government, we ought to endeavour to keep 
aloof from anything connected with the infamous 
subject of slavery ; but as we could not hinder it if 
we kept back, and as by accompanying the expedition 
we might prevent a deal of mischief, and might like- 
wise have a fair opportunity of convincing ourselves 
whether what was related of the cruelty of the Moham- 
medans in these expeditions was true or exaggerated, 
we decided upon accompanying the vizier. At the 
same time it was of the utmost importance to visit that 
very region which was the object of the expedition, as 
it was the only way to decide upon the relation be- 
tween the central basin of the Tsad and the great 
western river, with its eastern branch, while there 
was no possibility of visiting it by ourselves. We 
had already convinced ourselves that the country of 
the Miisgu is not, as Major Denham has represented 
it, a mountainous, inaccessible tract ; but we were 
puzzled at the number of watercourses of which our 
informants had spoken, and we could not have the 
least idea how fertile a country it was, and how far 
remote its inhabitants were from that state of bar- 
barism which had been imputed to them. We there- 
fore, although reluctantly, and not without scruple, 
at length determined upon accompanying the expe- 
dition ; and I hope that every considerate person who 
takes into account all the circumstances in which we 
were placed, will approve of our resolution. 
Wednesday ^ length we proceeded onwards, enter- 
December 17th. jng new regions never trodden by Euro- 
