184 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XLIII. 
of religion ; towards the east, the wild Bagrimma 
people, proud of their supposed preeminence in re-, 
ligion, and eager for the profits of the slave-trade. 
All these people hunting them down from every 
quarter, and carrying away yearly hundreds, nay 
even thousands of slaves, must in the course of time 
exterminate this unfortunate tribe. 
To-day was Christmas-day ; and my companion and 
I, in conformity with a custom of our native town, 
tried in vain to procure some fish for a more luxu- 
rious entertainment in the evening. The meat of 
giraffes, which formed the greatest of our African 
luxuries, was not to be obtained ; and as for elephant's 
flesh, which we were able to get, although we both 
liked it, we had too sadly experienced its bad effect 
upon the weak state of our bowels to try it again. 
Hence, in order to celebrate the evening, we were re- 
duced to coffee and milk, with which we regaled our- 
selves. 
We remained here the following day, under the 
pretext that the Fiilbe, who had joined us, had not 
yet had an audience; but although the effeminate 
courtiers were averse to any great exertion, the bulk 
of the army, who had neither pay, nor were allowed 
to plunder in order to obtain their necessary supplies, 
were not very well pleased with this delay, and 
caused a great uproar while marching in battle-order 
before the tents of their chiefs, and giving vent to 
their feelings by shaking and beating their shields. 
On former expeditions the light troops of the Shuwa 
