Chap. L. OCCURRENCES OF DAILY LIFE. 
397 
made no end of complaints, on account of the miserly 
and inhospitable treatment of the lieutenant-governor. 
The situation of my friend became the more lament- 
able when his female slave, the only one he had at 
the time, managed to make her escape, having thrown 
down her mistress, who had gone outside the town 
with her. 
Scenes like these happened daily ; and I had 
frequent opportunities of demonstrating to my friends, 
how the vigour and strength of the Christian empires 
of Europe were principally based upon their capability 
of continually renewing their vitality from free native 
elements, and by totally abstaining from slavery. 
And I further demonstrated to them that slavery 
had been the principal cause of the speedy overthrow 
of all the Mohammedan dynasties and empires that 
had ever flourished. 
Another time it was my friend Slim&n, who, besides 
topics of a more serious nature, used to entertain 
me with stories from his domestic life ; for, being 
of a roving disposition, ever changing, and of rather 
desultory habits, he was accustomed to contract 
temporary matches for a month, which of course 
gave him a great insight into the habits of the 
females of the countries which he traversed on bis 
peregrinations. 
At another time some natural phenomena gave me 
some occupation. Amongst the nuisances with which 
the country of Bagirmi abounds, the large black ant 
called "kingibbu" and "kangifu " in Kanuri, "kis- 
