112 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chav. XXV. 
I had just descended from the eminence beneath 
which spread this glorious panorama, when I heard a 
well-known voice calling me by my name ; it was 
f Abdalla the Tawati, my friend and teacher in A'gades, 
who after residing some time in Tasawa, had come 
to try his fortune in this larger sphere of action. I 
had besides him some other acquaintances, who gave 
me much interesting information, particularly a young 
Ba-Haushe lad of the name of Ibrahima, who gave me 
the first tolerably correct idea of the road to Yola, 
the capital of Adamawa, although he was puzzled 
about the direction of the Great River, which he had 
crossed, supposing that it flowed eastward instead of 
westward. I derived also a great deal of information 
from a less agreeable man named Mohammed, with 
the surname "el Merabet" (reclaimed), rather antithe- 
tically, as " lucus a non lucendo," for he was the most 
profligate drunkard imaginable, and eventually re- 
mained indebted to me for several thousand cowries. 
I was much worried during my stay in Kano by a 
son of the governor of Zaria, who, suffering dreadfully 
from stricture or some other obstruction, had come ex- 
pressly to Kano in the hope of being relieved by me ; 
and it was impossible for me to convince him that I 
had neither the knowledge nor the instruments ne- 
cessary for effecting the cure of his disease. It 
would, no doubt, have been of great service if I had 
been able to cure him, as he was the son of one of 
the most powerful princes of Negroland ; but as it 
was, I could only afford him a little temporary relief. 
