TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. XLIV. 
However, it was not prudent for me to witness this 
scene (which was so little flattering to my friends) for 
too long a time ; for when they saw that I had my 
gun with me, they called upon me urgently to fire 
at these scoffers, and when I refused to do so, re- 
proached me in terms which very often fell to my 
lot — "'Abd el Kerim faida nse bago," meaning that 
I was a useless sort of person. 
It is a remarkable fact that in almost the whole of 
the Musgu country, except near a few isolated granite 
mountains, there is not a single stone, else it would 
have been almost more profitable to have thrown 
stones at these people, than to fire at them with the 
pewter balls. With regard to those peculiar shields 
of wickerwork with which these courageous Miisgu 
people managed to protect themselves so adroitly, I 
had afterwards an opportunity of examining them, and 
found them to be about sixteen inches broad at the 
top, twenty-two at the bottom, and about forty in 
length, but hollow. The material consists of the same 
kind of reed with which their huts are thatched. 
About noon the army began its march home- 
wards. Certainly it was not overburdened with spoil ; 
for scarcely fifteen slaves had been taken, mostly de- 
crepit old women, who either could not or would not 
leave their comfortable cottages. The anger and dis- 
appointment of the army was vented upon the habi- 
tations of these people ; and all the cheerful dwellings 
which we passed were destroyed by fire. This cer- 
tainly was a heavy loss to the inhabitants, not so 
