452 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. LI. 
Waday constitute the common female dress, are very 
rarely worn. 
The government of the country is an absolute 
monarchy, being not tempered, as it seems, by an 
aristocratical element, such as we have found in 
Bornu, nor even by such an assembly as we have 
met with in the Hausa states. The duties of the 
chief offices of state are, it appears, by no means dis- 
tinctly defined, and are therefore left to the discre- 
tion or abuse of each official, as we have seen that 
the facha under the reign of 'Othman had assumed 
such a degree of power that he was capable of 
waging successful war for a long time against the 
king himself. 
The title of the kino; is " banga." The office of 
the "facha" corresponds exactly with that of the 
"keghamma" in B6rnu. Then follows the office of 
the " ngarmane," or the minister of the royal house- 
hold ; then that of the "gheletma" — a name which 
has originated in a corruption of the title " ghala- 
dima." Next comes the " gar-moyenmange," the 
governor of the open pasture-grounds and forests ; 
after him the "milma," whose office is said to have 
been introduced from Bornu, to whom succeed the 
" gar-ngode," the " gar-ngmge," the " zerma," and 
the " kadamange," the latter having originally the 
tutorship of the sons of the king. But besides these, 
the captains, or "barma," and the governors of the 
principal places, possess considerable power; and 
among the latter, especially the elifa Moito, or go- 
