236 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXYII. 
finest portion of Bornu, I afterwards advised the vizier 
to build watch-towers all along the komadugu, from 
the town Yo as far as the western Ngurutuwa, the 
place where Mr. Kichardson died, which would make 
it easy to keep off the sudden inroads of those preda- 
tory tribes, and, in consequence, the whole country 
would become the secure abode of a numerous popu- 
lation ; but even the best of these mighty men cares 
more for the silver ornaments of his numerous wives 
than for the welfare of his people. 
I presented Kher-AUa with a red cap, a pair of 
English scissors, and some other small things; and 
he spent the whole evening in my tent, listening 
with delight to the cheerful Swiss air played by my 
musical box. 
Monday At a tolerably early hour, I set out to 
March 31st. continue my march, accompanied by a 
younger brother and a trusty servant of the kashella, 
both on horseback, and traversed the entire dis- 
trict. It is called Duchi, and is well inhabited in a 
great number of widely-scattered villages. The soil 
is sandy, and corn-fields and pasture-grounds succeed 
each other alternately ; but I did not see much cattle. 
I was astonished also to find so little cultivation of 
cotton. Having met a small troop of tugiirchi 
with pack-oxen, we made a halt, a little after eleven 
o'clock, near the first village of the district, Dim- 
berwa. 
My two companions wanted to obtain here a guide 
for me, but were unsuccessful ; however, after we 
