212 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXVII. 
the beginning seemed a well-trodden highroad, but 
soon became a narrow footpath, winding along from 
village to village without any leading direction. 
However, we met several small caravans as well of 
Arabs, who were going to Kano, as of native traders 
or tugurchi with natron. Passing now over open 
cultivated ground, then through a bushy thicket, 
we reached, about ten o'clock in the morning, the 
considerable open village Kabowa, where a well-fre- 
quented and very noisy market was being held, and 
halted during the heat of the day under a shady ta- 
marind-tree about five hundred yards to the south, 
near a " kaudi " or " kabea tseggenabe " (a yard for 
weaving cotton). 
We had scarcely unloaded our camels, when one of 
the weavers came, and, saluting me most cordially, 
begged me to accept of a dish of very well prepared 
" fura " or " tiggra," with curdled milk, which evi- 
dently formed their breakfast. The market was very 
partially supplied, and did not furnish what we 
wanted. Natron, salt, and turkedi, or the cloth 
for female dress made in Kano, constituted the three 
articles which were plentiful; also a good many 
cattle, or rather pack-oxen, were there, besides two 
camels and abundance of the fruit of the diim-palm ; 
but meat was dear, onions extremely scarce, and 
beans not to be got at all, and, what was worse, the 
people refused to accept shells ("kungona" in Ka- 
miri), of which we had still a small supply, and wanted 
gabaga, or cotton stripes, of which we had none. 
