424 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. L. 
companion Grema 'Abdii, who had left me so uncere- 
moniously before I reached the capital, and who alto- 
gether had been of so little use to me, came to inform 
me that all was now ready for our departure, he 
having received the five slaves whom he was to take 
to Kiikawa, partly for his own benefit, and partly for 
the benefit of his master Mestrema, who, as I have 
stated before, held a situation something like a consul 
of Bagirmi in the capital of B6rnu. Indeed there were 
now unmistakable signs that I was at length to leave 
this place, for the following day I was treated with a 
large dish of rice and meat, swimming in a rich 
abundance of butter, from the sultan, and another dish 
from my niggardly host the zerma or kadamange; 
and on the 10th of August I really left the capital of 
Bagirmi, where I had certainly stayed much longer 
than I had desired, as I was not allowed to move freely 
about in the country, but where, nevertheless, I was 
enabled to collect a great deal of valuable information, 
of which that part relating to the history and general 
condition of the country I shall detail in the fol- 
lowing chapter, in order to inspire the reader with a 
greater degree of interest in these little-known re- 
gions, while other matter will be given in the 
Appendix. 
