8 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. XXII. 
another small caravan. At a quarter past four in the 
afternoon we encamped in a locality called Amsiisu, 
in the midst of the forest. We were busy pitching 
the tent, when a body of about sixteen horsemen 
came up, all dressed in the Tawarek fashion, but 
plainly indicating their intermixture with the Hausa 
people by their less muscular frame, and by the 
variety of their dress ; and in fact they all belonged 
to that curious mulatto tribe called Biizu (pi. Bii- 
zawe). They were going on a " yaki," but whether 
against the Awelimmiden or the Fellani I could not 
learn at the time ; the latter, however, proved to be 
the case. 
The earth hereabouts was filled with a peculiar 
kind of small worms, which greatly annoyed any 
person lying on the bare ground, so that I was 
very fortunate in having my "gado" with me. A 
bedstead of some kind is a most necessary piece of 
furniture for an African traveller, as I have already 
remarked on a previous occasion; but it should be of 
a lighter description than my heavy boards, which, 
notwithstanding their thickness, were soon split, 
and at length smashed to pieces, in the thick forests 
through which we often had to pass. Our bivouac in 
the evening round our fire was exceedingly agree- 
able, the staid and grave demeanour of my burly and 
energetic companion imposing even upon the frivolous 
Mohammed, who at this time behaved much bet- 
ter than usual. Gajere informed me that the direct 
western road from here to Tasawa passed by the 
