Chap. XXVI. BENZA'rI. — BOKHA'rI. 
175 
appeared, a feeling of tranquillity and security was 
communicated by the sight of little granaries, such as 
I have described above, scattered about without any 
protection in the neighbourhood of some villages. 
After we had passed the empty market-place of the 
little walled town Kabbori, the surface of the ground 
had a very peculiar look, being covered entirely with 
colocynths, which were just in maturity. About a 
mile and a half further on we took up our quarters 
in Benzari, a town belonging to the province of Ma- 
shena, or Masena, and were well received and hos- 
pitably treated by the Ghaladima. The town is sepa- 
rated into two parts by a spacious opening, wherein 
is the principal well which supplies almost the whole 
population, but its depth is considerable, being more 
than twenty fathoms. Here we filled our waterskin 
the next morning, before we set out. 
Scarcely had we left Benzari behind us 
when my ears were struck by the distant 
sound of drums and singing, and I learnt on inquiry 
that it was Bokhari, or, as the Bornu people call him, 
Bowari, the deposed governor of Khadeja,* and the 
brother of A'hmedu, the present ruler of that town. 
Bokhari's name was then new, not only to me, but 
even to the natives of the neighbouring provinces. 
He had been governor of Khadeja, but being a clever 
and restless man he, or rather his jealous brother, 
* Further on I shall give the itinerary from Kano to this im- 
portant place, joining it with my own route. 
